《Rise of the Spear Hero》


 The Spear Hero

    "Cadet Eno Takehide calling in, we have a man down..." A young and deep voice spoke in a thick Tokyo accent into the walkie of a broad-sized right hand. It was none other than a young officer dressed in a black uniform, decorated with a cross belt and bright blue strips on its high standing band-styled collar. Standing five-six outside his police cruiser he had a clear view over the rim of his open driver''s side door.


    His darkened coal eyes upon the entrance of the neighborhood Jewelry Store. His bloody right hand anxiously running through his short dapper black hair. Showing off his nervous disposition was one long lock of black hair hanging in front of his face. Though what gave his character strength was a small groomed samurai bun in the back and his hairdo featuring a heroic fade on either side. Most of his facial structure was sharp, including his jaw, though he had soft cheekbones that mildly brought out his intense coal-black eyes.


    Static sounded brief before a response came from the gadget, "What is Sergeant Watanabe-san''s condition, Eno-san?" It was the regional Police Commissioner.


    "Stabbed, Sir, in the chest. He''s lost too much blood," Takehide lowered his radio from his lips, his free hand resting at the Tanto sheathed at his hip. "The assailants robbing the store are heavily armed and trained."


    For a split second, as he was in the lot, his gaze dropped to the side view mirror. His eyes outlining his neatly shaven face, darkened by stubble as his immature beard was growing in.


    ''Watanabe-senpai, I chose a bad day to put off shaving...'' He thought to himself, a frown stealing his lips from the harsh veil of indifference. ''I don''t even know how that is bad luck, but it is as you said this morning, neglected hygiene brings ill-omens. And here I thought you were just some eccentric.Why am I thinking about this?!'' Groaning in frustration, he squeezed his eyes shut picturing the lifeless eyes of his superior before opening them again.


    Laying behind him in the mirror, he could see Watanabe''s lifeless legs protruding out of the door to the back seat.


    "Eno-san, we have been granted permission to send in a Tactical Assault Team. Please stand by for further instructions," the commissioner spoke once more, giving him the order to stay put.


    "If I stay here, there is a possibility they''ll escape," Takehide responded without a second''s delay, clicking the one-way button before releasing it.


    "You cannot go in there alone, Eno-san, it is too dangerous for even a Samurai peacekeeper, stay your hand. That is an order," the commissioner repeated his orders with an evermore stern tone.


    Hearing the order, he went to drop the walkie onto the driver''s seat as a breath of air hissed from his throat in anger, only to quickly catch it as he saw something in the window. A female was shoved right passed the door of the jewelry store that he and the late Sergeant were responding to.


    Pressing the button on the side of the walkie, urgently shouted, "There are hostages inside!" He was making assumptions, but he was right to. The last he heard, the person who called the police had indeed been inside.


    "What is their status?" The stern voice of his superior rang through the speaker.


    "Currently being battered around with a blunt object, I''ll get closer to get a better look!" Takehide responded in kind, knowing it was likely he''d be told to hold his ground once more. He just didn''t want to do that.


    "I repeat, do not leave your post!" Even as this order was issued, he had already dropped the walkie onto the front seat as intended moments ago.


    With one hand on the dagger''s grip, he quickly crept over towards the jewelry store. There were only windows in the front and on one side, on the left of the front door. His pouches bouncing and cuffs jingling as he moved, it didn''t take him long to reach the wall in great stride.


    Pressing his back against the wall of the compound, he gave his cruiser one last glance before sliding along the surface towards the front entrance.''If they have guns my armor vest will come in handy, and if they have a knife, they''ll have to go for a weak spot.Thank the spirits for this metal plate,'' He gratefully thought to himself in a quest to enable himself in continuing the course of action he had chosen to take.


    "And stay down! Bitch!" Growled the unknown assailant, followed up by the sound of a boot crashing against her ribs. Her fleshy body was picked up about a foot before coming right back down, bumping into a pair of chairs.


    Staring at the reflection in the glass door, he watched as the masked man wandered off towards the backroom, vanishing from sight. When the moaning from the female hostage reached his ears, his eyes widened and he shrunk down into a crouch by the door to peer inside.


    Glass from the display cases littered the ground like glitter, priceless pieces lay sewn throughout the floor, There was even a shattered jade vase laying in the center of the main exhibit.


    As he was looking in, his sights set on the owner of the shop who was laying in a puddle of his own blood, along with his wife laying over top of his torso. A look of disgust crossed his face, "Who would kill them over this?" His eyes then fixated on the only remaining hostage as he stepped into the doorway to find no other assailants in the room. "Huh... There were six of them, right?"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Stalking onto the scene, he tried to remain hidden from the cameras, but he quickly found that their wires had been cut. So either way, it was useless to try being stealthy in that case. Hearing the crunch under his shoe, he watched as the girl''s head immediately shot up.


    "Sena-san?" He uttered in shock, completely frozen as he stood there in the light cast in through the doorway he stood in. "What are you doing here?" She didn''t answer him as she moved in a pained manner, getting to her feet. ''What is this sense of despair?'' His eyes narrowed on her warm brown eyes that didn''t leave him the entire time she advanced. Flags were rising in his head, even the hair on the back of his neck was standing up. Right in front of him was his ex-girlfriend from before he had joined the academy.


    "Takehide-san...? Ugh... Is that you?" Sena, a girl with brown hair and eyes stumbled forward, holding her side, her fingers slipping behind her back. "We have to get out of here before they get back..."


    "Sena-san, why are yo¨C" Feeling her press herself into his chest, Takehide raised his arms as he was completely caught off guard. ''Is she hurt?'' Before he could check her or do anything, he heard the sound of a weapon being drawn from the back of her blue jeans. He only had enough time to contort his face as he saw the glimmer of the weapon just as she stuck him under the arm with it.


    That is when it dawned on him, ''she was trying to kill me!''


    A sharp pain pang throughout Takehide''s body, a blade embedded under his right arm, his entire body trembled at the cold steel that embraced his ribs. "You''re not getting away with this..." He muttered as his legs were beginning to loosen up beneath him.


    A grimacing frown on his lips as she grasped one hand upon the form of a small female holding the handle of the knife used to impale him. Her other arm was wrapped around his lower waist while her gaze was buried in his chest, refusing to look him in the eye. It was his ex-girlfriend, the girl he left prior to joining the police force. She was always adamant of China regaining its independence that it had lost over seventy years ago. Now she was parading around with a bunch of crooks, at least that is what it seemed like.


    The world felt so cold and empty as his sight became blurred, the young police officer could hardly see the shattered glass that littered the ground of the jewelry store.


    "It didn''t have to be this way..." The woman''s voice called to him in a mumble, "You should''ve just looked the other way, Takehide-senpai." Finally looking up at him were two warm brown eyes, "You just had to get in the way... You know, I would''ve given you another chance once China was free again."


    "Ah..." Takehide dropped to his knees, the girl following him to the ground as his only support. "And here... I once thought you were just some shy bookworm," a faint chuckle escaped his throat as if he pitied himself. "So you... You''re a revolutionary, huh...?"


    "You really shouldn''t underestimate people, Senpai." The girl muttered as she twisted and broke off the blade of the knife between his ribs with a fulfilling snap sound. "Even followers of the Bishudo like you... Aren''t invincible."


    "Sena-san," he muttered as his hand hanging by his side grasped the sheathed tanto at his hip.


    "Hm?" Her warm brown eyes remained on him as she ran her hand through her short black hair.


    "Don''t let your guard... Down..." Painfully bringing her into a bitter embrace with one arm, he drew the dagger in a single swift action and slashed the blade across her abdomen. A thick scent of blood rose up to separate them as if pushing the one known as Sena onto her back.


    "Nnnngh..." Dropping the handle of the knife she had used, Sena gripped at her stomach, frantically attempting to stop the bleeding. "You... Asshole..."


    Sighing sorely, his lips twitching, Takehide was losing feeling in his legs and he was half-blind. Blood was oozing down his side, decorating his kevlar armor with beautiful crimson, from the subclavian artery being severed. On his knees, he fell against the wall a few inches away and rested his head against its cold unfeeling structure.


    "Takehide-senpai..." Murmured Sena, her hues locked on him as she lay there with her hands on her stomach. "That was... Playing dirty..." With those final words, the girl lost consciousness.


    "I was only being... Honest," Takehide closed his eyes as he could feel the cold embracing his limbs first. His heartbeat was slowing down as was the circulation of his blood. His fingers felt like rocks, a death grip on the blade in his hand.


    "Ah... Shit!" Growled a man who came out of the backroom seeing the woman and the officer bleeding out. "We have to get out of here boys! One of you grab Sena, we need to get her out of here!"


    Takehide''s gaze raised to look at the blurry human male who was marching towards him with a broad looking weapon in his hand. ''Am I going to be beaten to death? Or put out of my mercy?''


    The man knelt down and carefully slipped the weapon out of Takehide''s iron grasp, by keeping his fingers on the dull faces of the blade. "You won''t be needing this, Imperial Police-san. A samurai has no place in the free state of China," a smug chuckle escaped his lips as he toyed with the weapon between his fingers.


    "Mmm..." Takehide groaned as his condition was plummeting, he cursed them in the back of his mind, ''Just get it done and over with...'' Gritting his teeth, he wasn''t exactly expecting what happened next, feeling his own blade being plunged into the side of his neck and out the other. Without time to even close his eyes, he slid forward along the wall as his body collapsed onto the ground, face planting into shattered glass from the broken display cases.


    From white to black, Takehide was pretty sure he was dead or dying. The sirens of the police coming to the scene were becoming faint, but the pain was already gone. It was as if he was floating on clouds and he was quite sure he was smiling in death.


    ''So this is death... Shallow darkness with nothing but an unsettling calm. It would be nice if there were some cherry blossoms.'' His thoughts seemed to echo in this place where he was. A strange sense of loneliness overcame him. ''How disappointing...''


    Like the feeling of being taken by the undertow of the ocean tide, a golden light invaded his thoughts.''What is this?!'' Panic immediately came over him only for the peaceful darkness to end. His arms, his legs, he could feel them all again! As if he had been tossed into the air by a few feet, he then faceplanted upon a floor made of cold stone bricks, a strange greenish-blue light breaking through his eyelids.

 Arrival Day

    Clenching his hands into fists, Takehide opened his eyes just in time to see a magic circle of some kind fade from existence. Laying a couple of feet away from him in both directions were other people in similar states. "What is this...?" Was the first thing he was able to mutter to himself before glancing towards a group of robed individuals. "What is this...?" He''d ask aloud again, just a little under a mumble as he pushed at the stone brick floor.


    The first thing Takehide noticed was the lack of pain in addition to the return of his physical strength. No longer was he blind, and as he checked under his arm, there was no evidence he had died. Letting out a soft sigh, his police uniform also seemed unsoiled by blood, but his kevlar was missing and something told him it would be useless here.


    Standing upon his knees, Takehide''s gaze rushed over one male to his left. The young man had dark black hair and wore a light grey almost white, and green, hoodie. There was a strange contraption attached to his wrist, he was just coming to. Glancing to his right were two other males, which caused him to blink lightly seeing their attire. One of them had light brown hair and wore clothes similar to that of a prestigious three-piece school uniform. Gripped in his hand was a bow of some kind, but he didn''t see any arrows on his back.


    Slowly he turned his head a bit more to see another boy with dark hair dressed in a dark blue jacket and slacks. There was a sword in his hand. All of them appeared to be around his age, as they were in their late teens, as young adults. ''It seems we''re in the same set of circumstances, but from completely different walks of life. Who are they... And where are we?''


    Standing on his knees, he started to notice a weight in his right hand, and to his surprise, he found a spear in his grasp. It was much lighter than it looked and as he stood up, he rested the butt of the armament against the brick at his feet. "This... Isn''t quite what I was expecting..."


    Soon after he had stood up, the other two on his right stood up as well. This place was dimly lit, so as the magic circle had faded, their faces were hardly visible except for the parts illuminated by torchlight.


    His gaze then dropped to the last one to rise, the boy with the shield-like crest on his arm. ''Is this like one of those light novels where heroes are summoned to other worlds? Does that mean... I''m no longer serving Japan?'' From what he could see no one seemed at all to comment on the words he had spoken before. Did they even know Japanese?


    ''They appear taken aback by the current scene before them,'' He pondered to himself before resting his eyes on the men in the robes. They appeared to have some sort of magic staves on their persons. On top of that, he could see their desperation in the light that kept them visible to the new arrivals.


    "O'' Brave Heroes! Please, save our World!" A man with short hair with a circlet adorning his forehead spoke up, he articulated his tone to sound like a clergyman imploring a group of Lords for assistance.


    "Excuse me?" The Shieldbearer asked as he was on his hands and knees, in the middle of rising to his feet. Then as the others spoke up, he raised his head to look at the three of the other summoned humans who stood a short distance from him.


    "Huh?!" The two others next to Takehide seemed put off by the words spoken by the man.


    All the while it seemed he stayed quiet, there was no reason to speak up, as he very well believed they would explain themselves in due time. That was when one of them stepped forward and repeated, "Brave heroes! Please save our World!"


    Narrowing his gaze on the men who stepped forward, Takehide was about to open his mouth when the fellow teen with the shield spoke up. "Seriously?"


    "What do you mean by that?" The bowman asked as he tested out the tensile strength of the string to his weapon, before glancing up towards the clergy that were gathered in front of them in the way of the only exit to the room.


    "There is a long and complicated story behind this, but we''ve summoned you four Cardinal Heroes here using an ancient Ritual." Said the man who had spoken first, the others in robes remained behind him nearest the wall beside the exit.


    ''Cardinal Heroes?'' Takehide narrowed his gaze on the man ahead of them, he didn''t like the sound of it; being called a Cardinal Hero and all.


    "Our world teeters on the brink of destruction," The man had his arms out from his sides, his palms to the ceiling and his fingers loosely spread apart. It appeared he was peaceful, even as he clasped his hands together like a western worshiper as he pleaded once more. "We beg you, O'' brave heroes! Please help us!"


    Still, Takehide remained patient as this man gave an inkling of what was to come. Taking in a deep breath, he still thought back to his loyalties to his country and his duties that had been lost thanks to dying at the hands of someone unworthy virtue in his eyes.


    At the same time having escaped from the prison of death, he felt his strings to his previous world were now extinct. If he were to have gone back, would it be to the grave? He didn''t want to ask, and if that were the case, then he was nothing more than a Ronin without a master.


    "We can go back home right, right?" Itsuki asked the one in the prestigious black and gold-trimmed school blazer with a red tie. There was an ambient frown on his face and a stern crease of his brows.


    "Likewise," said Ren who was the one dressed in a plain blue sports jacket and black turtleneck. His expression wasn''t much different from Itsuki''s, but it was far more passive in all retrospect.


    From the corner of his eye, Takehide could see Naofumi, the one with the Shield on his Arm, just looking at the others with his mouth gaping open. He seemed to be the only polite one here and likely someone who was disappointed in the other supposed heroes present.


    "My name is Eno Takehide," the police officer extended his left hand towards Naofumi across his torso, "From these circumstances... I''d like you to call me Takehide."


    Naofumi blinked up at the man the black militant police uniform introducing himself in the middle of all this. From what he could see from the blue strips on the collar of his uniform and sleeves, it reminded him of the Sino-Japanese War Uniforms back in the 1930s, the strips on his raised collar were even complete with golden stars.


    Before the shieldbearer could respond, Ren spoke up as he threateningly raised his weapon and pointed it towards the man pleading with them. "Don''t you guys feel any guilt at all for bringing us here without our consent?!"


    Both Naofumi and Takehide''s gaze narrowed on Ren, all the while Itsuki had one hand on the grip of his weapon and the other on the tensile string. ''It appears two of these guys are ready to fight?'' Takehide thought troublingly.


    "And if you send us home as soon as peace is restored, we''d have worked for nothing." Itsuki continued to speak after Ren was finished with his bout. It appeared neither of them was honorable folk, wanting something to gain out of this journey. Though Takehide wasn''t all that different, for he believed he had nowhere to go back to as he had already faced death.


    "Hm..." Takehide sighed as he settled his gaze on the men, having questions of his own, but still, he was sure they would be answered in due time. "It appears your heroes would like to know if you''re willing to accommodate us for their troubles. Are you? I suppose you are..."


    Naofumi looked up towards Takehide as he spoke, a rather surprised expression on his face that the officer had taken part in this team-up; though that clearly wasn''t the case.


    With his hands still clasped together, the magic-user who claimed to have summoned them spoke once more as he stepped forward, closer to them. "F-First we''d like you to have an audience with the king of our country, Melromarc."


    Takehide raised a brow at the peacefulness of the unsteady male, it was true he meant no harm. A faint smile formed over his lips before he rolled his fingers along the shaft of his spear.


    "You can negotiate your reward after that, so please..." The man continued to plea.


    Ren lowered his sword, slightly intimidated by the non-violence, and half-heartedly declared, "Fine, I guess." After a few seconds, he began to move forward, followed by Itsuki. The two of them were almost in sync with their movements as one was only a few paces behind. They were already following the magic clergymen out of the room.


    "I suppose their demands aren''t going to change, no matter who they talk to." Takehide blurted to himself watching as the two others marched forward. He was sure he could feel Naofumi''s gaze on the back of his head, "Think they''ll be beheaded for interrupting a sovereign?"


    "Ah... They do seem that confident." Naofumi stood there a bit blown away by what happened, only to watch as Takehide followed behind the others as his spear rested under the cross belt across his back. "My name is Naofumi Iwatani," Introducing himself to Takehide''s back, "Call me Naofumi."


    Glancing over his shoulder as he came to a halt, he grinned. "Alright, Nao-kun~"


    "Naofumi," a soft chuckle escaped from the shieldbearer''s lips.


    "We''ll see about that," Takehide gave him a light wave as he continued after the others to wherever they were being led to. ''For now, these people can be trusted, I suppose...'' He had no idea what to anticipate from what had just transpired or what was going to happen next, so he''d just go with the flow.


    As he followed behind the two other Heroes, the corner of his eye grasped his attention as he passed a barred window. There was no glass, and there was a foreign breeze brushing across his cheek. Peering out the window, he stopped, and soon after Naofumi was staring out the same window from a lower step in the spiraling staircase.


    ''We really are in another world...'' Takehide thought to himself as one of the others ahead of them assumed the same thing.


    "We''re really in another world, huh?" Itsuki surmised as he looked over the buildings outside and far below. They appeared to be on an elevated piece of land and the buildings outside were reminiscent of Mediterranean architecture, mostly than of Ancient-Medieval Rome.


    "Reminds me of World History Class..." Takehide uttered quietly.


    Naofumi nodded in agreement, noting the architecture as well as he approached the window, grasping at one of the bars in the window. Feeling the breeze on his face, a far more apparent smile finally crept across his lips. "Such a pleasant breeze..."


    "You''re not wrong..." Takehide snickered to himself as he placed his attention on him, "Though this world doesn''t look all that threatened with damnation from what I can see from here. That''s the most unsettling part..."


    Naofumi glanced up towards the officer and frowned, "You''re not wrong there I suppose... I do have to say though, it''s like one of the typical sales pitches you''ll see in all those tour brochures."


    Takehide lightly nodded in response as he had only been in two different countries, Japan and China, and they were nothing like the Mediterranean.


    "Wait," Itsuki turned around and looked to Naofumi, "Have you two not traveled outside of Japan?" His voice was rather condescending as if he was looking down on them for such a thing.


    "Judging by the heat, this place has a very similar climate to the Mediterranean standard back home," Ren spoke as he didn''t turn all the way around to even glance at Takehide and Naofumi.


    "I had no interest in traveling," Takehide responded as his hand hooked itself on where his waist and diagonal belt met, leaning on his spear in the process.


    Naofumi who was about to apologize for his lack of knowledge and vocabulary scratched the back of his head looking at his newfound colleague. While the other two seemed gung-ho with their confidence, Takehide seemed more proper per se in his eyes.


    "Neither did I, honestly." Naofumi finally responded right before the others began moving again.


    Finally, after several minutes of climbing steps, they made it into the grand hall of the Castle. From what he could see, the entire foundation had been built on elevated land, which placed the castle well above the rest of the city they had been viewing earlier.


    As they entered the throne room, through two giant doors at least twelve men high, they were greeted by a red carpet trimmed in an exemplary gold woven pattern along the edges. The floors were marble slabs and the ceiling was embellished by golden chandeliers. Everything he saw was grandiose displays of wealth and power which is very typical of royalty. It reminded him of his last visit to the Imperial Palace back home after graduating from the Academy.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As they all stood in a line, several meters away from the throne, an older hoarse sounding voice boomed with intrigue. "So these are the men who are the Four Cardinal Heroes of Ancient Legend...? I am the King of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc the Thirty Second," there was barely even a single pause between his words. "Heroes, name yourselves."


    Bringing the blade of his sword into his hand, Ren spoke with subtle ease. "Amaki Ren, sixteen years old, high schooler."


    The King nodded and shifted his gaze towards Takehide with relative interest to his uniform.


    "My name is Eno Takehide, age nineteen, and a law-enforcement officer..." Takehide introduced himself in a calm manner of deliverance as he took this as it was his turn to introduce himself. As he did this he was plainly keeping his weapon in a leisure stance as to appear non-threatening.


    "I suppose I am up next," Itsuki stepped forward pridefully with a smile as he grasped his bow in front of him. "Kawasumi Itsuki, seventeen years old, and a high schooler."


    "And lastly, me. I''m Na¨C..." Naofumi went to introduce himself only to be cut off by the greying King himself.


    A frown immediately took over Takehide''s lips in return, seeing the sudden disrespect towards one of the supposed heroes summoned to this place.


    "I see," the King had said, "Ren, Takehide, and Itsuki, huh?" The King nodded as his simple gold crown remained balanced on his head.


    "Y-yo, King, aren''t you forgetting me?" Naofumi took a stumbling step forward as he pointed to himself. The sweatdrop on the side of his face was evident to his disturbed feelings as he had been skipped over.


    "Hmmm?" The King centered his violet eyes on the male, "Oh, forgive me." He wasn''t at all apologetic as his voice was seemingly monotonous, even as he briefly closed his eyes.


    "''Yo, King?'' You must not be disrespectful towards Royalty," Itsuki advised in disappointment as he stepped forward and faced the shieldbearer with his bright green eyes.


    As they spoke, Takehide was mainly looking towards what appeared to be governors and nobles standing on one side of the throne. There were women in dresses and men in lavish medieval clothes. Gold, yellow, blue, white, red, and green seemed to be the staple theme amongst them all. ''Those must be the ministers of state?'' He pondered to himself, ''Perhaps their spouses as well?''


    "Then do I call him His Highness?" Naofumi asked and when he went to speak once more, he felt Takehide''s hand on his shoulder. He stopped speaking and glanced over towards him, only to receive a light nod of verification that it was the right choice. "I see..."


    Clearing his throat, the King looked to them sternly, "King is fine."


    "Whatever then," Naofumi stepped forward casually fixing his unkempt and layered hair, "My name is Iwatani Naofumi. I''m twenty and a college student."


    Narrowing his sights forward, Takehide found this to be an interesting fact. While he and the other two were all in their mid to late teens, Naofumi was a year older than him and the only summoned adult here.


    Opening his eyes, the King began to speak once more, "I suppose I owe you an explanation..." He went on, the only thing keeping Naofumi from speaking up was Takehide''s hand on his shoulder. "My country, Melromarc, and the entire world are headed towards destruction..." King Aultcray continued to explain the story of the apocalyptic prophecy.


    In this prophecy, it is believed that there are going to be waves of hostile entities that will rain down from the skies and lay ruin to the world. These waves came in one after another, occurring over and over again in repetition. In short, there would be several waves of monsters assaulting the world in order to destroy it. This was the very purpose for the heroes, to combat these calamities and restore peace to the world itself. If they failed, not only would they perish, but the rest of the world as well.


    Each country in this world has an ancient dragon hourglass in which can perfectly predict the arrival of the waves. Takehide found this relatively convenient and well thought out, reminding him of games that he often heard his fellow officers talking about in the academy. In his mind, he related it to classic hell shooter games often found in local arcades.


    From what they were told though, it appears that first wave had already come upon the country prior to their summons. A frown seemed to be permeating his lips hearing this, finding it highly irresponsible of the ruler to have waited so long.


    The only good news that came out of this was that local knights and adventurers had fended off the attacks. While they were capable of such a feat, they knew that the following waves were going to be far more potent than the last and will continue to do so.


    According to the Dragon Hourglass, they only had less than a month to prepare for the next wave. This was severely unappealing as this involved constant training and leveling in order to combat such a threat...


    "We have underestimated the waves," the King proclaimed as his jeweled fingers grasped at the arm of his chair in distress. "We realized once we actually experienced one, only the Four Cardinal Heroes could counter them... And so, we followed the legend and summoned you four. We have no time to lose!"


    Takehide noted as the King announced this, Naofumi seemed pleasantly surprised, it was as if he knew something that none of the others did.


    "We get the gist of it now," Ren announced as his sword drop to his side, grasped tightly around the grip of his hilt. "Anyway, surely you didn''t summon us expecting us to save you for free."


    Takehide simply glanced over towards Ren with that frown still on his lips, was the boy offering mutual destruction between them if they didn''t pay up? He was sure this high schooler would''ve been punished for speaking out in such an outrageous way. Outside his thoughts, however, he did not seem at all fazed by the boy''s mannerisms.


    "Of course, once you repel all the waves," a man wearing dar attire, with a long high collared coat, and a fancy jabot around his neck spoke, "we shall reward you handsomely."


    "We will work with you, provided, you don''t turn on us," Ren answered for the rest of the group without talking it over. Though it didn''t seem to matter as he spoke the truth. Truth be told mutual gain was the only thing to be found here. "But don''t think for a moment that you can tame us."


    "Exactly," Itsuki chimed in as he leaned forward confidently, "We can''t have you looking down on us."


    ''These guys don''t know their place...'' Takehide wanted to facepalm at their high-and-mighty attitudes, as they were all now standing in front of the ruler to an entire country. If he was this King''s retainer, Takehide wouldn''t have any reason to hesitate in laying them down.


    "I trust we have an agreement," the King spoke before them once more, "Then, heroes, you should all check your statuses."


    "Eh?" Itsuki, as well as Naofumi, seemed confused.


    In the corner of his eye, Takehide could see a small icon just within his sight. Focusing on it a screen appeared in front of him listing his name, attributes, and experience points. There was also the title of ''The Spear Hero'' in the top center of the screen with a big ''level one'' under it. In the right-hand corner, however, he noticed hitpoints, mana points, and stamina points. Hitpoints were red, mana points were green and stamina points were blue.


    ''If I remember games correctly,'' his thoughts overlapped with the words being traded with the others around him, ''aren''t mana points supposed to be blue and stamina yellow?'' Groaning at this he glanced over his equipment and resistances. His equipment readout was Short Spear and Otherworld Uniform, whilst his affinities weren''t all that high.


    His attributes were high in the physical realm of things, such as having a total of thirty attack points and physical defense points. His magic was level ten, and his dexterity was leveled at forty.


    "Simple and uncluttered..." Takehide uttered to himself before looking to Naofumi.


    ''''No telling if we can fight like this," Itsuki was speaking again around the time he stopped zoning out in his own thoughts. "We''re only level one."


    "Do these things not exist in your world, O'' Heroes?," the one Takehide could only assume was something akin to a prime minister with a jabot explained, "You are currently experiencing ''Status Magic.'' Everyone in this world can see and use it."


    "So what are we supposed to do?" Ren asked a dullard question, likely knowing he would have to collect experience points in order to level up.


    "You must leave on an adventure," the Minister spoke again, "To develop and upgrade the legendary weapons that you have equipped."


    "They aren''t maxed out of the box?" Naofumi quietly exclaimed as he was unenthused by this, "Wait... Mine isn''t even a weapon."


    "Shielders are pretty powerful," Takehide pointed out as he overheard him, considering he was a martialist himself he saw pretty much anything as a weapon. Though he saw his polearm as rather indispensable compared to the other two.


    "Anyways, it seems like we''ve ought to train ourselves," Ren kept a stern demeanor as he observed his sword before him.


    Holding up his bow, Itsuki seemed to agree, "We have to level up as much as we can."


    "Then if the four of us form a party..." Naofumi began, something Takehide was actually going to agree with, only for someone to intercede on their conversation.


    "One moment, heroes." It was the Prime Minister from before, "You will each recruit and adventure separately." He proclaimed without taking their thoughts into account.


    "And why is that?" Ren asked seemingly annoyed by the thought of it.


    "If we are to work together in order to repel these relentless attacks, shouldn''t we party together and level each other up?" Takehide also displayed some displeasure in his tone of voice, as he was not speaking to the King, but an unintroduced underling of the Sovereign Lord.


    "It is said that the legendary weapons repel one another by nature," the Minister answered the questions that they had asked without having to think twice.


    It appeared he wasn''t wrong as even the weapons themselves were translating the visual and verbal information to them in Japanese so they could interpret their words. Though they could easily assume that other people could easily understand them without fail, vice versa, even without the displays.


    "The sun is going down," announced the King, "Rest up tonight and set forth tomorrow. In the meantime, we will gather the best of the best to form your parties."


    One of the women Takehide had been looking at before standing to the side of the room, approached them, wearing a tan and gold frilled dress. Wearing a plain expression, she stared at them as she stated, "We''ve prepared rooms for you." Then she bowed with a hand out to the side, "Please come this way..."


    The four males looked to one another before nodding and following the woman.


    Not long after the sun had fallen below the horizon, they were settled in a room overlooking the city. The castle itself was massive, far more formidable than the ones of Medieval Europe, as could be seen from their balcony.


    Seated around a small table were Naofumi, Ren, and Itsuki. They were all leaning back in their chairs as plates filled with bones and scrap laid in wait. All the while Takehide himself was standing by the glass doors leading to the outside. He could see his own reflection in the glass, especially the glow of the golden chandelier which brightened the room.


    It had been a long time since he had seen such a beautiful sky unpolluted by light.


    "Our dinner was scrumptious, though it did taste rather unusual," Itsuki exclaimed as his elbows rested on the arms of the red cushioned wooden chairs.


    "Hey, isn''t this kinda like a game?" Naofumi asked as he was looking over his display.


    "Hm? You''re not wrong," Takehide turned away from the starry sky to face Naofumi. "It''s rather similar to screenshots from Dynastyscape Online."


    "Huh, what''s that game...?" Naofumi blinked a few times.


    "A recently released VRMMO," Takehide raised a brow, "It had a rather popular release."


    "What are you talking about?" Itsuki butted into the conversation, "This isn''t some online game. It''s a world out of a console game. It''s called Dimension Web"


    Takehide pursed his lips at the name, "That sounds rather unpopular..."


    "You''re wrong. It''s like Takehide-san said, it''s a VRMMO. Though I''m pretty sure it was Brave Star Online, not Dynastyscape... I''ve never heard of that one," Ren crossed his arms as he had his sword sheathed on his back.


    "Seems like we''ve come from very different places..." Takehide scratched his chin with the back of his nails, before glancing over to Naofumi.


    "I''ve read about VRMMOs in light novels," Naofumi admitted, knowing what they were talking about in some context or another.


    "Different places..." Uttered Ren as he thought to himself, "If none of us know of popular games, then perhaps we''re from different iterations of Japan." The way he spoke was solid and wise, though he was quick to draw this conclusion, especially as he was eyeing the uniform Takehide was wearing. The self-defense forces of Japan didn''t wear those clothes at all.


    "To think there were other parallel Japans out there, huh?" Naofumi moved from the chair over to the red couch beside the table, resting his arms on the spine of the couch.


    "Up until I heard you talk about VRMMOs, I would''ve sworn you were from the Pacific War era..." Ren had since stood from the table, but kept his arms crossed over his chest. His presence seemed a bit ambient for the setting.


    "And I can''t believe that all three of you have played or seen games that are just like this world..." Naofumi seemed rather bummed at this, considering he didn''t play such games. "Why am I the only one unfamiliar with this stuff?"


    After a few seconds, the shieldbearer found the two teens staring at him, while the officer had gone back to staring out the window towards the sky. Shifting on the couch in distress from their wordless stares, he spoke up, "What is it?"


    Itsuki contently shared his thoughts with his fellow heroes. "Well, I just thought it might because you are the shield hero..."


    "Well that is only natural," Ren said as he was giving Naofumi a strange side glance.


    "Wh-What are you guys talking about?" Naofumi was confused, causing Takehide to glance over towards the three of them. "Is there something wrong with the shield?" These words were worn with far more distress than before, it was abundantly clear that he was intimidated by the thought there was actually something wrong.


    "Shielders are rather powerful if one plays them correctly... I don''t see how that is the case," Takehide clucked his tongue as he leaned on his short spear curiously.


    "What are you even talking about?" The two other teens looked to Takehide, overlapping their voices when they asked his question.


    "Okinawan martial arts combine a spear and shield, but a shield or two on their own can be powerful. They can bash, jab, and crush their opponents... The Ultimate Defense and a grand Offense against armored foes." Resting his gaze on the Shield Hero, Takehide grinned, "And a good partner to have if we cannot even pick up a shield ourselves."


    The Bow and Sword heroes all looked to one another as they too noticed this. Without a shield, a swordsman was left wide open to attacks of different kinds, and a bowman was ranged and unable to fully defend against most close-ranged attacks. At least that was within common sense in a world without magic and sorcery.


    "We can''t pick up other weapons?" Naofumi raised a brow as he looked to Takhide.


    "No," He responded with a sigh, "I asked one of the Guards just a bit before dinner in order to inspect their weapon. I couldn''t even hold the weapon right."


    Ren''s gaze dropped to the empty Tanto sheath at the officer''s side and frowned to himself. It was clear that the officer knew how to use a bladed weapon, and if he couldn''t handle one, it meant there was something stopping them. His mind immediately went back to the warning towards the reactions between different weapon types. "I see... That makes sense..."


    "Either way," Itsuki started giving advice, "Each weapon has its own ideal hunting ground, so let''s spread out."


    Takehide nodded in reluctance, before watching as Naofumi shifted his position on the couch, only to get up and walk outside through the glass doors to the balcony. "I wonder what my party will be like..."


    "Alright!" Naofumi suddenly spouted, "I''m going to give it my all!"


    "Heh," Takehide nearly flinched hearing the older male shout and blinked at his excitement. A grin took over his lips faster than he could even think, "I suppose without a Lord to serve, I can give in to my own ambitions..." The thoughts of what he could become, or what he could create, came to mind. In his mind were law and order, the idealized code of the Samurai by Nitobe Inaz¨­.


    "I think we are done for tonight," Ren let his arms fall to his sides finally, "Let''s head back to our room and get some rest for tomorrow." He was already making his way towards the door before he was even finished speaking.


    Takehide watched as Itsuki followed Ren out of the room, then glanced over towards Naofumi, "I suppose this is goodnight then." He spoke quietly as not to disturb the man gazing at the stars, before turning and heading for the door as well.

 What Meets the Eye

    Takehide slept with his back to the headboard and his legs tucked under one another. With each breath, his chest slowly rose and lowered with his shoulders. At first glance, it was almost as if he had found peace within himself as if even in his dreams he knew what he would do next.


    The castle was silent, there was nothing to disturb him. At least that was until he heard something move within close proximity of the bed. Still, he didn''t make any outgoing movements of his own as he remained relaxed against the wall.


    His eyes peeked open just a sliver, in the hidden corner of the room hardly lit by the rising sun, was a cloaked figure wearing a white mask. They had not tripped nor had they dropped something, it had only been their presence that had woken him up. In the academy''s long nights of training, he became a light sleeper, so all one had to do was let out a single breath to break him free from slumber if he was suitably rested.


    "Intriguing... Judging from your distance from the door and the Balcony, you were in the room for a good few seconds," Takehide observed as he sensed no ill-will from the being who immediately snapped to attention as they had been seen.


    "Takehide-dono is perceptive," said the being as they stepped out into the open, revealing their indistinguishable appearance that hideaway any sign of their true identity. "I have come to you with a message, O'' powerful Spear Hero... Degozaru." As they announced their purpose, they knelt down onto one leg with a hand resting on each thigh.


    From what he could see, the person before him had a very feminine build and thigh-high socks. Their attire consisted mostly of black with white trim on their uniform under that cloak of theirs.


    An expression of indifference reigned upon the hero''s face as he stared at the person in front of the bed. "So you were detected on purpose," Takehide sighed as he drummed his fingers playfully along the shaft of his spear. "What''s with the archaic samurai ending...?"


    "Distance yourself from the Shield Hero degozaru," they said whilst looking over the hero from behind the blacked-out visor of their mask.


    "Excuse me?" The Spear Hero''s fingers curled around the shaft as his eyelids flexed discontentedly at the assumed messenger. Especially as they ignored his second question. "Ugh... This isn''t something I want to hear when I first wake up," Takehide shifted his legs out from under him and stretched them forward to the wall opposite of him


    "There are people who do not see all Heroes as Equal, and if you side with him, your reputation will sink along with his degozaru." The Shadow gave a simple gesture of their hand, as to seek affirmation that he understands.


    His dark eyes remained on the shadow that was ahead of him, that indifferent expression had now fallen into that of a frown. ''Am I being threatened? No, this was a warning... Why would they look down on the Shield Hero?''


    "You will understand in due time," the Shadow stood and turned to leave the room only to stop halfway, sensing something was off. They made a mistake as they went to face the Spear Hero again.


    Takehide had already left his bed before they even noticed his movements. The head of his spear was directly under the Shadow''s chin, "Who do you serve?"


    The shadow immediately bounded backward, jumping twice until they reached the door to the room. "You needn''t trouble yourself with such a trivial matter, heed the warning bestowed upon you, Spear Hero-dono degozaru."


    Lowering his weapon, Takehide continued to frown at this interloper who had warned him of getting closer to the Shield Hero. Just why was that? Who did they serve? He wanted to hold them here and question them, but he felt as if he was only allowed to spot them this once. This folk reminded him of a Ninja, capable of powerful concealment abilities, especially as they faded into the darkness that made up the corners of the room.


    In the next few seconds, he didn''t sense the Shadow''s presence anymore.


    "Hm..." Straightening out his uniform as he placed his weapon upon his back, he could hear the rest of the castle slowly waking up with the coming of the dawn. Servants were going room to room, the smell of the hearth filled the halls as the castle was being ambiently heated. The scent of a lordly breakfast filled his nostrils quite quickly and he slowly shook his head.


    "Spoiling my stomach so soon..." Takehide sternly uttered as he pressed his hand against the door to his bedroom. He could feel the people walking down the hall outside, to be more accurately, the Guards as they were changing shifts.


    His hand slowly slipped down along the hardwood door and grasped the doorknob, twisting it slowly, before opening it and stepping out into the hallway. Looking both ways, he watched as each Guard stood silently in place with their halberds held erect at their sides. Just as Takehide was about to walk down the hall towards the shieldbearer''s room, he paused. The overbearing feeling of a hawk eyeing him caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. Casually he twisted his head to the side, glancing over his shoulder once, only to see a girl with crimson red hair and bright green eyes looking at him.


    ''Height and jawline don''t match, she likely isn''t the Ninja-wannabe...'' Takehide mentally noted as he compared her to the shadow he had seen earlier. ''Though she could be involved...'' He pondered to himself, not knowing who was concerned with the current operation of the heroes.


    So without further adieu, he shifted his gaze away from her, as if he had never seen her, and kept going without stopping at Naofumi''s door. ''I best tell him what I know and soon, but not in front of whoever that was...'' Glancing over his shoulder again, he quickly noted the girl was gone. However, he was sure he was still being watched and he had no idea if the guards were in on it.


    It was only reasonable that his trust could only extend to the other heroes, that was for sure. If they had noticed and even outlined his friendliness towards the Shield Hero, then they had to have been watching them. How much were they going to spy on their every progress? Were they going to dictate and manipulate them to work as they want?


    They weren''t going to have their way, not if he could do anything about it. As a samurai, he was honest with this conviction as he will go through with what he put his mind to.


    Despite the idea of being watched by everyone seeping into every corner of his mind, he remained calm. There was nothing he felt he needed to hide, there was nothing to be nervous about, right?


    Meeting the end of the hall, he glanced towards the lounge that was surrounded on all sides by three large rectangular windows. The castle town appeared to be rather vast, and while he wanted to see more, the humid warmth was giving him a slight headache.


    "Takehide-san?" Naofumi spoke up behind him, having stopped on his way to the lavatory. "You''re up already?" He blinked a few times and glanced back towards the other bedrooms which appeared undisturbed.


    "...Be careful my friend," Takehide glanced over his shoulder again this time with a faint sorrow written on his face, "Things aren''t as they seem... That is all I can say, for now, so don''t leap too quickly."


    "Uh... Huh..." Nodding, Naofumi shrugged it off a bit casually, "I''ll see you later then?" He smiled and gave his perceptively unusual friend a light wave before rushing off to go do nature''s business.


    Once he was gone, the Samurai made his way down the corridor and entered a stairwell. Making his way down to the lower level, he retraced yesterday''s steps back to the throne room.


    He walked passed a number of young noblewomen, maids, and servants. He had even caught a glimpse of a young girl with animal ears slipping into a room with an older gentleman. For a split moment, he paused a scowl clear as day on his face. How much would he be punished for getting involved in someone else''s personal affairs? Without much thought to it, Takehide walked over to the door and leaned his back against the lavish stonework that decorated the wall beside it. With his arms crossed over his chest, he pitched his head down slightly and listened as he closed his eyes.


    "Put the candles down over here," a Lordly voice faded in.


    "O-okay!" The female demi-human squeaked, followed by the sound of something being fumbled. There were a few quick footsteps and the sound of something metal being placed down on a counter or hard stone surface.


    "Now clean the curtains, they''re filthy! How can you expect the Princess to sleep in such a place!" The voice of the male who had gone into the room with the girl didn''t sound pleased, but it didn''t sound as if he was going to get violent.


    Pushing himself from the wall, Takehide walked away from the room, moving his hands behind his back as he walked towards the direction of the throne room. "They''ll likely summon us soon, might as well be the closest," he uttered to himself as he thought back to the shady person from earlier. The female who wore a cloak and uniform, he wanted to know not only who and what they were, but who they belonged to.


    As he reached the central corridor and the entrance of the main hall leading into the Throne Chambers, he came to a complete halt as he watched a number of individuals march by. They were clearly all different kinds of warriors, some of them even appearing scholarly. Seeing people wearing pointed hats and cloaks ignited his imagination.


    What appeared to be a teenage girl dressed in earthy vanilla and green robes, with a stereotypical wizard''s hat, stopped as whispers circulated. She was clearly a magic user from what he could see, as she was wielding a sturdy wooden staff paused and turned her head. The bobble on the top appeared to be a crescent of some kind.


    "Druid...?" He muttered to himself, "Or a Wizard...?" Wondering what she was, he matched her gaze as she was looking directly at him. Out of compulsion, a warm smile almost immediately enveloped his lips that caused her immediately to burst into smiles; before marching along with the others into the throne room. "Heh... So these are the best of the best?" His eyes trailed over a man wearing a cloak and another dressed in leathers. They were all adventurers, but what made him curious was, why were there so few?Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Turning his head as someone going to walk passed him, he raised a brow seeing the red-haired woman with bright green eyes. It was the girl from before, but now instead of being dressed in formal attire, she seemed to be wearing gear suited for an adventurer who used a sword.


    ''Now that is a turn of events,'' Takehide considered inwardly, getting a bad feeling, as he watched her vanish behind the massive doors to the throne chamber. ''Just who is that woman?'' From how she walked, she didn''t at all seem like a normal adventurer in the way she walked.


    Her strut was distinguished and mighty and her nose was held high with arrogance, she was clearly of either higher descent. ''A fallen noble? Or a distinguished highly ranked adventurer? Why was she in the castle? Was she related to the Castle Lord?'' His thoughts went in circles, picking apart the little bits of her characteristics that had been revealed thus far.


    Due to his choice of work, he had experienced working with such people. Takehide was a natural judge of character. Imperial royalty, regional governors, and nobility, they all walked in a similar fashion. Though he couldn''t, not, entertain the thought that she may just be a spoiled brat. Even the poor who''ve been doted on by their parents could walk like foreign delegates from a proper upbringing. Anyone with an elevated background, or sense of self, had their own way of unconsciously displaying who they truly were.


    "Let''s hope I''m not overthinking," Takehide sighed to himself as he watched the last of the adventurers slip into the throne room.


    A couple of hours later, as he was leaning against a wall beside the throne room resting his eyes, he heard a pair of heavy leather boots heading his way. Opening his eyes, his gaze rested upon a guard who was just about to speak.


    With a sweatdrop forming on his forehead, the guard hadn''t quite expected for the Samurai to open his eyes. "Takehide-dono, you and the rest of the Heroes have been summoned to the King''s chambers. Please, right this way."


    Blinking a few times, Takehide nodded his head and pushed his foot off of the wall as the other members of the Four Heroes were approaching. Being the first to enter the Throne Chamber, his gaze rested upon the Adventurers who were gazing upon him and the Heroes behind him.


    "When did Takehide-san get down here anyway?" Itsuki inquired.


    "He was up sometime before I got up," Naofumi scratched his cheek with his finger as he thought about it, "So probably hours ago based on when I last saw him."


    Ren nodded in acknowledgment, "He was law-enforcement, so it is more than likely he will get up early, even if he retires late..."


    Naofumi chuckled a bit as he agreed with Ren who was pointing out the obvious, though he was more so thinking about the sleep deprivation that was involved with such a practice.


    Soon enough they were once more lined up along the red carpet in front of the throne. It felt just like yesterday as they stood in the exact same places. Naofumi on the far right, Takehide to his left along with the others in order of Ren and Itsuki at the farthest.


    "Are you trying to show us up or something?" Itsuki asked, seemingly in a joking matter.


    "Not particularly~," Takehide responded with a neatly drawn-out tone as if the tease the younger teen, "I just happened to be disturbed before the sunrose to its peak."


    "Disturbed?" Itsuki and Ren blinked at this before turning their attention forward, looking over the adventurers which were all looking at them in awe.


    Takehide had since also returned his attention to those in front of him. His eyes drifted over the red-haired girl, which he quickly noticed was giving the Shieldbearer a smile. ''Shit,'' he thought to himself thinking to himself about the warning he was given. That wasn''t a smile, it was a predatory gleam.


    Turning to look towards Naofumi, the Spear Hero sighed seeing him flushed and smiling. The poor lad had completely misread what had just happened. He couldn''t tell him now... Perhaps when they were alone? Clenching his jaw, the hero turned forward once again as he heard the massive doors of the chamber clank shut behind them at the other end of the room.


    "We have gathered the brave warriors who will fight the waves with you, Legendary Heroes." The King''s voice boomed over them, stealing their attention away from the Adventurers as he proclaimed from his throne. His hand was stretched out in a gesture to show his power to fetch the greatest of fighters, a marvelous grin across his lips.


    "Now, our future Champions! Time to begin your journey!" Declared the King with a commanding voice once more, grasping at the arms of his chair in an erect posture of power.


    At that moment, almost as if the King had ordered an army to march upon them, the Adventurers came walking towards them in sync.


    ''So... They''re choosing the hero they go with... How interesting,'' Takehide gaze locked with the mage wearing earthy colors once more. This time she was trying to keep an indifferent expression, even as she moved to join his line.


    Turning his head, he watched as not only did the brunette join his group, but so did a short-haired blonde in dark black attire with ochre yellow trim. On top of that, the pompous one of the supposed brave warriors also seemed to have joined his group. There, directly behind him, was a purple-haired chick with scantily clad attire showing her shoulders and abdomen area. Out of all of them, the red and purple-haired individuals seemed less protected against distasteful threats. This was met with an all too obvious frown on his part. As the other adventurers had lined up behind their respective heroes, Takehide narrowed his gaze on the emptiness behind Naofumi who at the time had his eyes shut.


    ''Just what is going on here? Is this part of their scheme?'' A sigh left his lips as the Shield Hero finally opened his green hues to the world.


    "Huh!?" Naofumi turned around to find that he had very few members in his group. Immediately he turned to count the people who joined the other heroes. "Three... Four... Five..." He nervously balled up his hands before swiftly turning on his heel to look at the king. After a brief thought, he decided to call upon the sovereign on the throne, "Your Majesty!"


    "I have to admit... I wasn''t expecting this." King Aultcray sighed and leaned back in his throne, appearing sympathetic whilst his aid who had spoken for him before lowered his head in shame. However, analyzing his tone made Takehide quite sure this was indeed part of their scheme.


    "No Volunteers? He must have no Charisma..." The Minister didn''t even raise his head as he spoke to those around him. It was most definitely suspicious.


    That was when Takehide and the rest of the Heroes noticed a blonde man with a bowl cut leaning to speak into the King''s ear. ''It seems they noticed something is wrong...''


    "So there have been rumors," the King''s expression became sour.


    "Pardon, your Majesty," Takehide fought the urge to step forward, "Did something happen?"


    "Well," King Aultcray began, "Rumors that the Shield Hero is ignorant of this world has spread around town..." He didn''t sound too impressed himself with this.


    "Hah?!" Naofumi gutturally responded in surprise to this rumor.


    "So, it seems we were being watched... How annoying..." Takehide muttered under his lips as his eyes practically traced over the kings every microexpression that crossed his face.


    "Legend says the heroes come with firm understanding of our lands, and they seem to think he doesn''t meet the criteria." The King''s explanation sounded strangely focused on last night''s conversation. This was something that cemented the fact that Takehide already figured out, they were being watched.


    "Your Majesty, I would like to meet the source of this rumor..." Takehide coldly spoke as his fingers itched at his weapon, "I do not take lightly to those who spy on others'' conversations."


    "Sadly, we do not know who started the rumor, but we will start investigations," the bowl haired male easily dismissed this. It was a typical move for politicians and bureaucrats to pull, empty promises.


    Takehide feigned his own collectiveness, appearing cool and calm after being told this. He was used to such things happening, particularly, in the Empire of Japan that he called home.


    "Huh..." Naofumi stared forward blankly at what just transpired as it appeared Takehide had pointed out they had been spied upon, "Seriously?" His eyes then went to Itsuki and Ren who had the most. "Hey," he tried to keep his cool, "Ren, think you can talk some of yours to join me?" He was going off of Takehide''s warning that not everything may be as it seems.


    "I''m actually more of a loner," Ren replied sharply with a dulled tone, "If any of you can''t cut it, I''ll leave you behind." As he finished he glanced behind himself to his party members, expecting at least one to budge. That didn''t seem to be the case, and Ren didn''t even try to appear remotely apologetic either as they all strengthened their line behind him.


    Angry, Naofumi turned to Takehide who had been his most supportive ally since arrival, "What do you make of this?" He asked with one fist clenched, "Don''t you think this is unfair."


    "It is. Considering we''re supposed to be Heroes and fight against the Waves together..." Takehide huffed in annoyance as he narrowed his eyes on the other two heroes.


    "It would be best to split them three each," Itsuki stepped forward with a look of compassion, "but if we were to force it... It has a high probability of destroying morale."


    Takehide and Naofumi just set their eyes on him, boring holes through the boy''s skull as the adventurers were all agreeing with Itsuki with vigorous nods of their own.


    "Then are you telling me to go at it alone!?" Angrily Naofumi erupted, both hands now rolled into fists as his body tensed in increasing irritation.


    Letting out a soft sigh, Takehide glanced over his shoulder seeing someone raising their hand. Someone from his party was volunteering? Seeing the female with red hair holding her hand in the air, he huffed silently like a wild boar, but it wasn''t in disappointment.


    "Sir Hero!" The woman failed to humanize him with a name, but Naofumi already became awestruck by her appearance alone. Stepping out of line and coming forward, his expression was becoming even more visibly bewildered as confirmation of who it was came to light. Holding her dainty fingers of her right hand above her chest, she spoke in a chipper voice, "Would you allow me to join the Shield Hero?"


    Being asked this question didn''t feel too right from Takehide''s perspective, so as he moved a hand behind Naofumi''s back, he awkwardly gave him a pat and shallowly twisted his palm against his spine. Once he did that, the Spear Hero shoved him forward, "Go ahead," he made himself out to be indifferent about this.


    The redhead nearly dropped her facade but managed to keep a smile on her painted lips and sharp facial features. She was definitely a beaut, but that didn''t mean she was a good person. Closing her eyes as she acknowledged his words, "Alright," she said.


    The other members in line were all watching them as this happened, their eyes practically reading the woman''s back. There were plenty of empty glances from this, which at this point, didn''t faze Takehide.


    "Are there any others who wouldn''t mind joining Naofumi-dono?" The King called out to those present, though as one would expect, no one else came forward. This prompted mumbling and improper exchanges amongst the audience, it was clear some didn''t approve of this arrangement. Though based on the King''s expression, he wasn''t all too keen on it either. "Ah... I suppose we''ll have to take other measures, Naofumi-dono, you will have to recruit for your party yourself."


    Hesitant Naofumi turned to face the king, "A-Alright..." All the while the red-haired girl made gave yet another smile in order to cement herself into the Shield Hero''s good graces.


    "Every month, we shall provide each hero the funds they require," the King went on to inform. "This time, Naofumi-dono''s payment will be higher than the others... Here are your initial war chests. Please, accept them."


    That was when a number of servants, or nobles, came walking out with purses of coinage. It appeared they had already been divided-up beforehand, revealing that this may have been the plan all along.


    To say the least, Takehide was not impressed. Even as the woman in the gold dress from yesterday approached him with the coin purse. Narrowing his gaze on her Jawline, he began to think she was becoming a bit more familiar than that. "Oh...?"


    The girl stood there in front of him formally, her hands folded in front of herself and her eyes closed with that self-satisfied looking smile on her lips.


    "Naofumi-dono gets eight hundred silver coins, the others receive six hundred," Aultcray informed the lot of them of their monetary gains for the month. He then shifted in his throne once more as he kept himself contently seated, "Use this to procure all necessary equipment and set forth on your journey."


    "Yes, your Majesty!" The Heroes all responded as all four of the groups turned and made for the door, a number of their party members clumping together and beginning to talk as they walked.

 The Good Book

    With the backing of a nation, just how much could be handed to the Heroes who were to fight waves of monsters? The collection of materials, items, and magic should be a daunting task, especially if they were to go off alone. The king himself didn''t personally supply them with anything but purses of coins. Were they supposed to earn money in order to gain more effective tools?


    Takehide''s gaze dropped to his weapon as he pulled it from his back and held it out in front of him as he walked. His short spear was about five foot eleven inches tall. It was a few inches shorter than himself. This made it rather easy to use for support, made evident as he tapped the butt of his sphere upon the hard stone, and red-carpeted, floor.


    There was a question in the back of his mind that was bugging him, where was the Queen? Was there even a Queen? Who belonged in that empty seat beside the King''s throne?


    Moving into the central hall of the massive fortress that overshadowed the town, Takehide stepped aside from the path leading outdoors. There he came to a halt not too far away from the doors. Without straying from the wall beside the chamber, his dark coal-hued eyes fixated on the tile floor as he went into thought. His chin pinched between his thumb and forefinger as he did so.


    ''Each of these weapons appears to have a jewel. There must be some sort of significance to it, no? Unless it is just some sort of bobble...''


    The spear had red, the bow had yellow, the shield had green and the sword had blue. After mere moments focusing on the item, a screen appeared in front of his gaze, revealing the secret behind the gem describing the weapon''s bizarre ability to absorb materials and transform it into other forms.


    ''That is definitely not something you see every day...'' His thoughts went to the idea of what kind of capabilities this thing had. Back from high school science class, he could remember the properties of many different ores, Albeit rather vaguely. At the same time, in games, there were alloys imbued with magic, which he knew may as well be worth a fortune.


    ''If I were to get a Prehensile from a monster of some sort and absorb it, would there be a corresponding spear for that?'' A light grin formed over his lips as more and more thoughts sprouted from a simple idea of improving his spear with materials from both nonorganic and biological resources.


    Even as he was thinking about all of this, he wasn''t alone. His gaze dressed the precious jewel finely before being suddenly interrupted.


    The girl in green paused as she was walking with the rest of the party members and glanced over her shoulder. "Takehide-dono?" She asked in a cool manner with creased brows, seeing him pondering away in the open.


    "Hm?" Nonetheless, she was not the only one to notice as the almost blonde brunette in dark clothes, trimmed in ochre yellow, also turned around. Having heard her fellow adventurer call upon their leader, she also found the urge to check on his status, "Is there something wrong, Takehide-dono?"


    "Not necessarily," his eyes narrowed on the duo before noticing the fact that the lighting within the throne room had made one of them appear almost blonde. In reality, though, their hair was just a light brown and short. "I was thinking of looking for some books on the Four Heroes, to learn the extent of both my abilities and privileges."


    "That does sound like a good plan," Elena said whilst resting a hand under her chin, studying his sharp jaw, tanned skin, and strong Japanese features. "Perhaps we can stop by the book store in town, or the Magic Shop might have something..." She didn''t sound enthusiastic about their quest, but it wasn''t as if she could just walk away from it without facing consequences. "We''d likely need the King''s permission to access the Royal Library..."


    Takehide slowly responded to her suggestion as he situated his legendary armament upon his back, "Is that so... Anyways... First comes first, let''s introduce ourselves, yes?" Friendly enough, he held his palms up with his fingers curled in a relaxed manner as they already knew his name.


    "My name is Rino! It is nice to meet you, Takehide-dono," The girl dressed as a Green mage introduced herself with enthusiastic vigor. Her eyes had become brighter than they once had been in the Throne chambers. It was rather amusing that she had once appeared so serious in earthy colored attire with vanilla colored sleeves. Now she took his right hand into her grasp as she bowed her head lightly, her face hidden by the brim of her hat from his height.


    ''How Cute,'' Takehide grinned to himself as if he had found a treasure in the ruff, "It is a pleasure to have you Rino. I trust we''ll work well together." His response was greeted with a quick shift of her feet, especially as he grasped her hand in his.


    The other one bowed her head but didn''t take his hand, "Elena Haven, I come from a noble family and my father is a Hero devotee, so he may be of some use." This was helpful, she sounded cheerfully sympathetic to his cause, making Takehide feel as if it was really worth his time to travel to her homestead eventually. At the same time, it filled him with relative ease finding that his followers had connections to be extorted.


    With gracious highlighting, the purple-haired girl introduced herself with a tongue full of spice, "The name is Lucy." She was trying far too hard to stand out amongst the three of them, not that he minded. Takehide didn''t have much interest in her either way, despite the fact that she had quite the figure on her.


    As all of the girls had introduced themselves to the Spear Hero, a party management screen appeared before his eyes. Their names transforming from woman one, two and three, and into their true designations. ''Huh... That''s rather interesting,'' his eyes traced over the information that was now displayed within only his view. ''So if I focus on my team, their information shows up... Fair enough. Though I wish it showed me their mana-levels as well...'' His eyes danced over Rino''s green hat, tracing over her adorable facial features. She was the shortest person in the group and primarily a magic caster to boot. It would be nice if he could monitor her like he did the others with health and stamina. ''I suppose that would be asking for too much.''


    "Takehide-dono?" Rino stared at him with her big green eyes, for a few seconds before he shook his head. "Are you okay?"


    "It''s nothing, just getting used to having the status functions is all," Takehide smiled lightly at all of them, having seen their levels as for the most part they appeared genuinely well leveled as starting companions. "In the meantime, before it gets too late, let''s get to the Bookshop, yes?"


    Based on what he was seeing, all three of them were between levels five and ten. That was good enough for him, even though he was starting out at level one. Though his base stats were probably higher than most, that was a given due to his training prior to being summoned to this world. A faint sigh escaped his lips as they all had eyes on him, nodding to what he had said in the agreement of where they were to go next.


    Just as they all turned to begin walking, they paused as the Shield Hero and his singular companion went walking on by. Takehide''s gaze fixated itself on her red hair, before flickering over to Naofumi, "Take care of yourself, Naofumi-san, and be wary of strangers."


    "What am I, a child!?" Naofumi burst out into laughter as he held a fist towards his friend.


    The rest of his companions also chuckled at this, even the redhead which was the Shield Hero''s companion, simply due to his response to the matter. Though they could''ve been seeing it as the Spear hero was babying the Shield hero due to being weak in the field of offense.


    Though quickly he narrowed his eyes as Takehide didn''t chuckle along. Seeing that his friend was actually serious about this, he nodded his head and lowered his playful fists. "Ah, alright."


    The redhead raised a brow seeing the sudden change, and the fact that the Spear Hero wasn''t laughing at his own joke. "Sir Hero~! Let''s go!" She chimed as she waved her hand to her friend within Takehide''s group, before prancing along toward the open doors leading out to the wagon depot below the main bridge heading out into the Fortress Town.


    "Okay, okay~!" Naofumi, despite Takehide''s indirect warning, seemed fully into the idea that the woman could be trusted, or at least he was blinded by the fact that she was charming enough to get away with murder. Rubbing the back of his head as he watched his companion wander, he soon followed after her. "Such a cute girl..."


    "He is definitely under her spell..." Muttered Elena, the Noble who had introduced herself to Takehide just mere seconds ago. She shook her head lightly and turned to her party leader, "I know where the bookshop is. We can stop at the other shops along the way to collect things to start our journey."


    "Sounds like a good plan to follow... Based on how much we need for food and places to stay, we''ll divvy up the money for equipment and supplies." Takehide walked ahead of his party members who followed closely behind, the other two groups had already gone on ahead of both his and Naofumi''s parties. "How much would you say it costs for a room?"


    "Twenty coppers at the place I recommend, it also serves a meal for five coppers," Elena advised as she seemed to provide some much-needed intelligence upon the town itself. Something that most of the Heroes wouldn''t have unless they asked their party members. Even if they played some games that were similar to where they are now, it didn''t mean they were the exact same.


    "So one silver per night, should one hundred coppers equal a single silver coin," he looked down at the pouch he had clipped to his belt. Six hundred silver coins, while Naofumi had eight hundred. "It appears we have the most cost-efficient number of party members."


    "Are you planning on getting us all separate rooms?" Lucy asked as she swayed side to side.


    "If the Inn can afford it, then I have no problem paying such expenditures. Considering a journey like this... We might be sleeping under the stars from time to time," Takehide figured as the world was in grave peril and there were so few to fight against the incoming waves. It only made sense as their responsibilities kept them on the move and leaving no time of luxury.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Without further delay, the four of them made their way out to the depot in time to see the Bow and Sword Heroes walking away from Naofumi. Though it seemed he was still in high spirits as the only two team party made their way out into the Town behind them.


    "So, you''re capable of using swords," his eyes shifted over Lucy and Elena, "Make sure you also have a dagger for closed spaces. Don''t want your weapon getting stuck in walls, or getting caught on hard surfaces."


    "Right, right~ We''ve done this before, no need to tell us how to prepare," Lucy chirped in response to his advice, showing a little bit of her more snobby personality.


    As they were approaching the staircase that led up to the stone bridge, Takehide glanced over at Elena and Rino in particular. "During fights, I''d like you to protect Rino-san..." His eyes flickered over Lucy who was looking at him with a dull expression on her face as he was organizing them.


    "That would make you and me the front-liners?" Lucy asked in clarification as it wasn''t her first time at a party or as an adventurer. Though she wasn''t super strong, she knew about the simple formations parties took in order to hunt down monsters, outlaws, and do other miscellaneous jobs.


    "Precisely," Takehide gave a thumbs-up as he jogged up the first flight of stairs. ''They caught on pretty quickly,'' he thought to himself with a light smile across his lips, ''I really hope Naofumi doesn''t get screwed over.'' Then as he reached the top he turned and went up the second consecutive flight of stairs, finally reaching the bridge area that led outside of the fortress itself.


    Coming to the top directly behind him, the trio followed Takehide towards the open outer gate.


    Elena was smiling to herself, seemingly happy with her assignment. Considering the way she was dressed, she didn''t look like she was really meant for combat. That was probably one of the things that tipped Takehide off too, to put her in the back and close to their support.


    "So what are you going to get, Takehide-dono?" Elena asked as she walked up beside the Hero, Rino being quick to occupy his opposite side, forcing Lucy to stand beside one of them.


    "I''m thinking of some leather or steel scale Mail, some baggy pants..." Takehide was thinking of maneuverability overall rather than armor, as his primary concern was his speed. Having high unhindered agility will place him outside the grasp of his enemies, and make it easier for him to skewer his opponents.


    "Really? How much are you looking to cover?" Lucy blinked as she moved ahead of them, walking backward as she was now in front of the Hero. A shadow cast over them as they were heading under the gate that loomed overhead.


    "Shoulders, Torso, and upper legs. Shin and Legguards can be implemented as well," Takehide was quite literally thinking of making himself look like a full-on Samurai from Feudal Era Japan. "I''ll also be looking for other materials, such as magic alloys. So let me know if you find any being sold..." His eyes jumped over to his weapon by peering over his shoulder, "I very much would like to try absorbing it into my spear."


    "Oh, I know a place that has some Magic Alloy weapons in town. We can go there after the bookshop," Rino said happily. It seemed out of the three people in his party, Rino wanted to be here the most, if not just to be with him.


    A faint chuckle escaped his lips as he nodded, going out of his way to face Rino as he did, "I look forward to it then."


    "Umu~!" Rino held her staff at ease as she nodded to him, a relaxed expression taking her face quite easily as she turned forward and got a move on. Their destination to be was the book store, whichever came first.


    As they descended towards the streets from a moderately elevated platform, he centered his gaze on the plentiful of buildings that decorated the medieval cityscape. "So... Who is the Queen of this place? That seat beside the King... It didn''t look entirely abandoned."


    "Hehe... Right, you''re new to the World. Our Queen, Mirellia, is the Matriarch of Melromarc. Though from what I''ve seen she is currently away from the capital, so the king didn''t feel the need to hold back in assuming control." Rino had taken notice of some developments that had occurred that were directly related to current events.


    "Like summoning all Four Heroes?" Elena commented as she looked to Rino, "That is against the treaty of nations..." She grumbled the last part as she thought about how the other countries were going to react to this. The only reason she knowledgeable of this was because of her family''s position, or more accurately her father''s. The last thing they needed was external and internal strife due to the actions of their King summoning all Four Heroes.


    "Oh? So each nation doesn''t have its own set of Heroes?" Takehide wasn''t impressed with Melromarc simply from learning this, it was apparent with his monotonous response. "I suppose that''s fine," he sighed quietly to himself, "Perhaps your Queen can fix the King''s mess."


    "It is a Matriarchy after all," Elena stated absolutely.


    With the group guiding him to his destination, he kept his eyes to the various stalls that lined the street as they entered the marketplace. Fresh meat, magic tricks, and trinkets numbering in the many were on display.


    Just briefly he could hear the irritating sound of the red-haired girl''s voice calling out to Naofumi, "Sir Hero, Hurry!" Just ahead he could see her, leading the Shield Hero off god knows where. Takehide, however, didn''t allow his paranoid thoughts to reach him just yet. Was he seeing all of this because some Ninja told him things weren''t as they seemed? Or was he really seeing the signals, the red flags, that may end up ruining his friend? Standing beside Naofumi should something happen crossed his mind.


    Rino, who was paying a bit more attention to Takehide''s expressions as the other two lead ahead of him, frowned. "Takehide-dono... Are you worried about something?" The mage would ask in a hushed tone as she lightly raised her hand weakly. Softly she then pressed her fingers into his arm, letting the fabric of his uniform''s sleeve be pinched between her digits freely.


    Taking in a sharp deep breath, he looked over at her as he walked with them, a rather favorable smile formed over his lips. "Meh, If you keep asking me that question... I just might end up falling for you," his words slipped off his tongue like sweet nectar from a honeysuckle.


    "...Eh?" Caught completely off guard, Rino felt as if all her oxygen was being stolen from her lungs and her face had been lit on fire. Her fingers seized the sleeve that was resting between them, "Really!?" Stars practically launched from her eyes, trying her best to bring herself closer to him, even as far as literally throwing herself into him.


    Takehide almost stumbled at the intensity behind her, but it was barely enough force to knock him over in the first place. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he looked down at her, seeing as her arm had already wrapped around his. Was this what she was waiting for? "I''ll take it into consideration since you''re about sweet enough to devour whole." His eyes jumped to the other girls who were ahead of him. ''Perhaps they didn''t hear anything? The marketplace is kinda loud...'' Glancing off to the side, he simply didn''t notice Elena cursing under her breath up ahead.


    "We''re almost there," Elena who had also been secretly clenching her fist in front of herself, let her hand fall to her side. "Just a few more feet and we''ll be at the book store. I''m sure the owner would be ecstatic to meet the Hero."


    "Oh, is that so?" Takehide simpered at this, and as they finally arrived in front of the bookshop, he came to a pause and glanced across the street. Directly across from the bookshop, if not a few doors down, was the Magic Item Shop. "That seems like our next stop..." He uttered quietly to himself before letting his eyes drift to Rino, who was smiling up at him, letting her arms tighten around his.


    Swallowing his saliva shallowly, he gave her a light wink and pat his hand against her arm.


    Blinking, her face flared up in a blush once more. She was making it blatantly clear she wanted to bask in his affections even if he had just flirted with her. Though part of him doubted she was an easy girl to get with, as he believed it was likely because of who he was. It was either that or people didn''t see the green mage to be all that cute.


    It was true her attire wasn''t necessarily appealing and it looked as if she had just started out adventuring. There was nothing flamboyant or unique about her dress, but it was her face and physique that stood out to him. She was petite and smelled like untainted dry plantlife as if she had been camping out in the wilderness, but there was no hint of being dirty.


    With his arm voluntarily released from her hold, he glanced up just in time to hear the bell attached to the front door ring. Lesty and Elena both looked back towards him as he stepped forward to enter the shop. Rino, entering behind the two ladies, tapped her staff along the wooden floor as they spread out into the bookshop. Her little brown boots hardly left the ground as she padded off after the Spear Hero, watching as his fingers lined the spines of the books.


    "The convenience of this Spear seems to be rather limited?" He sighed aloud as the legendary weapon was translating everything he saw and heard, but not the words that were printed on the binds of the books. The strange texts that belonged to this country scrolled through his mind as he searched for specific information on the Cardinal Heroes.


    "What do you mean, Takehide-dono?" Rino held a gentle, almost indistinct, smile across her lips. She was taking in the way he moved and how he treated his surroundings and the people around them. So far the hero hadn''t given her any reason to distrust him, but at the same time, she hadn''t been given a reason to trust him either other than his title and purpose.


    "Imagine that these Cardinal Weapons didn''t make us Heroes literate but translate everything people say... You''d have to spend weeks teaching us how to read and write in the common languages," A grin remained on his lips as he thought about how much studying that was to go into that if they didn''t have such powers. "When would there even be time for that?"


    Rino giggled at the thought, "That is true," she agreed as she brought her fingers close to her lower lip, curling them over her thumb. Her eyes were now on the bookcases, drifting from title to title just as his gaze was. "B-but I''d take the time for it," Rino let her eyes flutter on back to him.


    "Thank you Rino-san... Though I think I''ll need you to read for me from here on out," His fingers came to a stop as Takehide''s gaze fixated over the spine of a book his index finger. On the spine of the book was a symbol that was made up of the three weapons. "Book of the Three Heroes...?" He guessed the title of the book seeing the three cardinal weapons printed on it as opposed to four. Pulling it from the shelf as he hooked it with his finger and placed it on top of the shelf in front of the window. As he laid it out flatly on the wooden surface, his eyes slipped over the quasi-religious writings that he couldn''t quite grasp.


    "What book did you find?" Rino asked as she was peering over his arm, standing a bit behind him as she took was skimming the text. An ambient frown was resting on her lips. She herself wasn''t very religious, she didn''t really have the time to be. "Ah that book, it belongs to The Church of the Three Heroes... It''s a popular religion here."


    "...The people see the Shield Hero as a Demon? My people dislike the use of such Dogmas," Takehide huffed in annoyance seeing the colorful illustrations that lined the edges of the paper. What it told him was everything he needed to know about the tall tale. "This is a laughable tale of shale," The Spear Hero with two fingers slid the thick book off of the shelf and let it to the floor face down with a thud. This ridiculous work reminded him far too much of the bible...


    "Shale?" Rino blinked up at him, considering this book, and the popularity of the religion is what stopped most people from joining Naofumi in the first place.


    "Lies, Rino-san. It''s a book of lies," Takehide even went as far as to step on the Book of Three Heroes and continued on his scan through the books.


    Rino, unfazed by his words, continued to follow him silently through the maze of shelves.


    The Librarian who had been following Elena stood there, watching as this had happened and raised a brow. "He disrespected my books..." They went to move forward, to call him out, before pausing themselves as they saw which book it was. "No... The book disrespected him?"


    "It''s alright, Ojou-san, I''ll pay for the book," Elena said as she went to fetch her purse from her skirting, only for the Librarian to raise a hand, causing her to stop.


    "No," The Librarian stared down at the white book with gold inscriptions, "Just put it back on the shelf."


    Elena blinked and watched as the old woman turned away and walked back towards the front desk of the Town bookshop. Nodding to herself, she quickly shuffled over and picked up the book. Looking over the title, she could recall how he had stood up for the Shield Hero. "So his heart is with his friends, huh?" Scratching her chin, she smirked to herself before looking out the window, slipping the book aimlessly into the shelf as she did so.

 His Affinities

    Wondrous books, works of imagination and fiction, stood alongside those of fact. There were no better books though than those hidden in the back room of the store and on shelves. Pristine dark wood shelves, each draped in red fabric cloth, trimmed in gold weave. Takehide had entered the Anthology Section belonging to the Cardinal Armaments, books that covered the history of the Four Heroes. However, he was quick to notice numerous gaps between particular sections of shelving.


    There were no books that held the insignia of the Shield Hero on their spines available. Walking over to the three cases of books, one short case surrounded by two tall ones. His attention fixated on the center case, causing him to squat down in front it and stare at the spines blankly.


    Rino quietly stood beside him, if not a couple of paces behind, peering over his shoulder towards the books he was taking a gander at. There were thirteen books on the Spear Hero that she could see, but he wasn''t able to read the titles. "Takehide-dono, these thirteen here are part of a set. Each of the Volumes seems to depict the actions of the previous Spear Hero... But it seems like a few are missing from the set." Rino moved onto her knees, this time right beside him as she leaned forward and touched the spine of a book that had the number seventeen printed on it. "There are four missing in total..."


    "I can probably assume that the King or the Church is censoring information, or someone bought any books here that may contradict the nation''s popular belief." Based on history lessons back when he was a student in Japan, he remembered how the Shogunate blacklisted Western Trading, Artwork, and Literature. They even slaughtered countless Christian converts to uphold the ''unity'' of their nation. This place shouldn''t be any different from how he remembered humanity, as it were.


    "Hmmm..." Rino curled her lower lip inward, bitting it softly in thought. Her fingers trailed over the other books before she came across one from a different set. It had a leather cover and red silk bindings. "Takehide-dono, look at this~!" She plucked the book from the case and cradled it in her arms. "What kind of writing is this?" Her fingers traced over the gold Japanese inscription on the front of the book itself. It was written in a dialect from over two hundred years ago.


    "Oh? Rino-san, you''ve found some language from my world," Takehide narrowed his thoughts on the book for a few seconds, finding it interesting that there was a book of his language here. Were they actually selling this thing? Perhaps a noble collecting relics of past Heroes sold it to the shop. Reading the title, ''Legendary Warrior''s Guide,'' he pursed his lips. "I think it might be a way to use Manual for the Cardinal Weapons," reaching over he opened the book to the page of contents, "and notes of privileges that the past Heroes used."


    Rino felt as if she had been filled with warm light, hearing his voice praise her for finding the book. Leaning towards him a bit so that he could have better access, her shoulder pressed into his arm. "This is good right?"


    "I would say so... And it seems the Spear Hero from the past had some pretty good Calligraphy," Takehide stared at the brim of her hat from the corner of his eye, curious of what kind of expression she was making. There was a good sense in him as he was half tempted to remove her obnoxious hat, but instead, he chose to simply focus back on the book. "Page one, Table of Contents. Page Two, Party Recruitment. Page Three, Rights and Privileges. Page Ten, Class Up. Page Eleven, Armament Transformation Notes. Page Sixteen, Dragon Order...?"


    "That''s an extinct art of magic," Rino glanced up at him, "It can only be used by those blessed by a Dragon Emperor. I''ve read plenty of texts on it, Takehide-dono, it''s incredibly strong compared to affinity-based ritual magic."


    A faintly distinctive smile formed over Takehide''s lips as he could see her eyes looking up at him. They looked like they were filled with millions of tiny shining stars. "Is that so..." His eyes then darted to the book''s table of contents again, silently noting the information written there.


    Flipping to the second page, his eyes sifted through the information provided. "Each Hero can recruit party members, both willing and slaves, into their respective groups at their own discretion... All Heroes can recruit criminals from the Dungeons to serve as members of their party under the Slave Curse...? Now that''s interesting," chuckled Takehide as he was wondering what kind of transgressors and heretics had actually been thrown into the jails here. It had the promise to give him a good look at what kind of nation he was currently residing in.


    "Eh? Are you going to recruit criminals into the party?" Rino worriedly shrank from him.


    "Depends on their crime," His eyes traced over her, "I won''t get any kind of offender that will threaten your sanctity." Takehide reached over and grazed a finger along the brim of her hat.


    "I... I see..." Raino nodded with a shy smile across his lips in response to his gesture.


    "Eh? So this is where you''ve been," Elena huffed borderline irate, "What are you two doing?" Standing behind them with her hands at her hips, her sheathed rapier protruding laxly from her side.


    "We''ve found what we''ve been looking for, Elena-dono," Takehide used a more honorific title towards her due to her noble heritage from her father. Whether or not he changes it, will depend on her preference.


    "...Oh..." Elena blinked at him when he had referred to her with the honorific, her face turned a faint red. She had just been acknowledged as a Lady by the Spear Hero despite her Adventurer occupation. "G-Good!" With her tongue excitedly tied, she had declared, "We''ll just buy the book then!"


    Rolling his eyes slightly out of her sight, Takehide was mildly amused. It wasn''t every day he had followers who wanted his attention. It reminded him of the more popular folk who people gathered around in high school. Seeing as Elena''s demeanor had changed after learning they had found something and weren''t just leaning on one another, it was making him curious.


    ''Why is she really here?'' He wondered to himself, ''Is it a classical noble trying to avoid being put into an arranged marriage? Hm. Usually, they enroll in the military, don''t they?'' His mind went back towards the book which was now under his arm.


    Stretching as if bored out of her mind, Lucy came walking out from behind a pair of bookcases, "Did I finally hear good news~?" She chimed with a sarky tone, happy to leave the store. That was until she saw how close the Green Mage was to the Spear Hero. A frown decorated her lips, "Why are you so close to Takehide-dono?"


    "Other than the fact that I cannot read?" Takehide just stared at her for a few seconds, "Why do you care how close someone is to me, anyway?"


    "Tch. Common blood can''t just be so close to a hero, plus she so plain." Lucy''s voice was like a razor to Rino, causing her shoulders to slowly deflate in defeat to the words used to hurt her.


    "Be careful what you say to party members, Lucy-san. Being on the front line means your life is at risk," Takehide lulled his head to the side as he was speaking leniently. All three of the girls were left speechless, mostly because of how quickly he spoke up for Rino.


    "Elena-san, say something!" Lucy neglected to use nobler honorifics when addressing her, supposedly causing the Melromarc noble to simply avert her gaze.


    Although Elena had truly wanted to use the Spear Hero to avoid getting thrown into an arranged marriage and live a luxurious lifestyle, she wasn''t going to bully Rino over it. Takehide seemed to be friendly and compassionate, at the same time rather serious. He may joke around or flirt, but he wasn''t flirting with just about anyone, so in a way it made Elena feel secure.


    Standing up from the ground with ease, Takehide closed the book and lightly took it from Rino''s hands. After tucking the book under his arm, he held out his hand as she moved onto one knee.


    None of them replied to Lucy''s comment.


    "Are you guys going to ignore me now?" Lucy jeered with a twisted smirk on her face.


    Smiling up at him, she obediently placed her hand within his larger palm as he helped her rise to her feet. "Thank you, Takehide-dono," she said as she dusted off the skirting of her plain green and vanilla robes.


    "Don''t mention it," Takehide winked to the young mage before turning his attention to Elena who gestured for them to follow her. Nodding his head, the duo walked behind the Noble back to the front of the store.


    "Seriously!? Who do they think they are...?" Lucy watched as the three-party members moved together towards the direction of the shop''s owner. "They''re all a bunch of kiss-ups," she uttered under her breath as she went to strode after them to keep up.


    Once they made it to the front counter, the Spear Hero used his right hand to take the book out from under his arm. He made little effort to speedily place the book down upon the countertop as the owner glanced over toward them.


    "Ah, the Spear Hero is it?" The elderly lady looked over the man, her gaze eventually coming to a stop on the spear on his back. "What is it you''ll be buying today...?" Though her tone was bitter, she was very attentive as she shuffled on over in front of him and peered over the book.


    After a few seconds of her just staring down at the item, a sweatdrop appeared on his forehead, ''Why does she sound so bitter... Did I do something...?'' He hadn''t noticed she had been watching him earlier when he had spitefully dropped the Book of Three Heroes onto the floor.


    "This is the Journal my family was given to hold onto for the next Spear Hero," From bitter to affectionate, the woman caressed her wrinkled fingers over the leather cover. "It had been imbued with powerful preservation magic," the shop owner lightly pushed the book to the edge by his abdomen. "You can have it free of charge. No one except except the Heroes can read it after all."


    Raising both of his brows as she had said he could have it without paying, the Hero''s lips parted. "Thank you," Takehide spoke softly as he calmly placed a hand on the item. "Why did you have it for sale though?"


    "What were the chances that the Spear Hero, who can''t read, would come to a shop that sells books?" Laughed the old woman as she spoke in reason, "Come back once you''ve read the book. Or share it with your other Heroes. I am sure it will be useful in your journey."


    Takehide grinned coyly as he raised a brow at the old woman, "You don''t want to come along?" He was obviously teasing her, causing the elderly to giggle to herself and shake her head in decline.


    "I am afraid I am far too old to join your Quest, Sir Hero... Your offer moves my heart," the old woman cupped a hand over her chest. "Thank you for your compassion."


    "Samurai are not only recognized for their tenacity in battle but also by their dealings with others," Takehide bowed his head lightly to the older woman who had done him a great service. "Please, call me Takehide. My family''s crest is that of a Wandering Wild Boar. We pride ourselves on being Good-tempered, kind-hearted, and loyal to our friends and as fierce as a dragon to our enemies."


    "Samurai?" Rino and the others were uncertain of the meaning behind the word.


    "Historically," Takehide turned to his party members as he took a step back from the counter, taking the book with him. "Samurai were members of a robust martial nobility caste in the Feudal Era of my Country. They served as retainers to Feudal Lords... The caste was reestablished in my world as peacekeepers, civil elite units, and retainers to Law Enforcement Leaders."


    "You learn something new every day," the shop owner simply smiled


    "So... You were a Samurai?" Rino questioned excitedly with widening eyes, hugging her magic staff against her shoulder. "That''s so cool!"


    "He''s even a noble in his previous world...?" Lucy crossed her arms looking over him as she mumbled to herself, inaudibly, before letting out a sigh. "Then why is he hanging around someone so drab? It can''t be just due to his respect, right?"Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "After we stop at the Magic Shop, let''s go back to the Castle. I''d like to have a look-see of the current occupants of the dungeon." Takehide smiled towards the three of his party members, though his frown gradually dissipated as he saw Lucy frowning at him.


    "Why are we going to the dungeon? You''re not planning on recruiting criminals, are you?" Lucy didn''t want to hear anything of the sort, she didn''t really even want a response from him. "How can a Hero use the slave curse in order to get those in shackles to fight for him?"


    "You can leave if you don''t want to be involved with Takehide-dono," Elena shrugged as she crossed her arms, tapping her finger impatiently. "I for one believe a Hero would do just about anything in order to keep our world from being destroyed."


    "Considering this is now my world as well," Takehide didn''t even bother to nod his head as he consecutively agreed with Elena at a moment''s notice. "So I have no problem freeing you from our party, Lucy-san."


    "I come from a noble family too, you know. Why don''t you address me the same way as Elena?!" She blatantly disregarded even a simple honorific this time when speaking of her fellow party members.


    Takehide simply sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, turning to face the purple-haired girl. "Why don''t you address Elena-dono with the same respect as you are asking for?"


    "Because her family stems from a bunch of commoners, Merchants, and foot soldiers!" Lucy was becoming more blatant on how she was looking down on others, how she saw herself above everyone else. "Myne-sama wouldn''t allow any of this to transpire on her watch!"


    ''Myne...? Oh, the one who got away.'' Takehide thought back to the woman who went off with Naofumi. If she was anything like this woman, the Shield Hero really was in deep trouble. "In that case, I''m going to have to ask you to leave my party..."


    Lucy''s face briefly contorted, "You''ll regret this!" With a quick bout from her lip, she turned on her heel without another word and stormed out of the store. Just like that, her name vanished from the corner of his eye, no longer visible on his Spear Hero hub.


    "Takehide-dono... Are you sure about this?" Elena asked as she and Rino looked to the Hero.


    "Without cohesion, a unit cannot function. If she cannot focus passed her self-infatuation or the goal at hand then she is useless in combat, and could lead to our untimely end." Takehide''s mind went back to the time that the superior he was shadowing the day he died. The fellow officer had fallen in combat since he was more interested in his own glory than working as a pair. "I''m not going to die because of that."


    "Sound logic that is," the shop owner was shaking her head side to side from the display.


    "We''ll be going now," Takehide said as he gave her a favorable wave of his free hand, "I look forward to reading your selections once I learn how." Feeling as if he had imposed on the woman who had kept a book that was now practically a family heirloom, he made for the door.


    "Thank you for your help," the girls both said before following him out the door as quickly as they could, as not to lose him despite knowing exactly where he was going.


    Once out in the street, Takehide peered one way and then the other before jogging across the rough cobblestone street. The moment he reached the other side, he turned his head to the side. From the very corner of his eye, he could make out their shapes making their way over to him. It was good to find the girls were close behind. Though no matter what direction he looked, he didn''t see Lucy anywhere, "She is a quick one..."


    "This is the Capital Town after all," Elena ushered the Hero forward, "This way Takehide-dono."


    "I know the way," Takehide chuckled, feeling her hands on his back, his feet quickening as to not trip over himself. "Are we in that much of a hurry, Elena-dono?"


    "N-no, not in particular," Elena simpered as she lowered her arms, letting him move on his own.


    Rino quietly sighed as the two of them followed him over to the Magic Shop, a dark mint green colored building with visible dark wood trim. It was ultimately supported by grey stone bricks which created the archway to the double doors. The only window within the front of the house was on the second floor, which also appeared to be the attic. In all likeliness, it could also be the owner''s residence.


    Compared to the other buildings, this house contrasted with the rest of the Capital Town''s architecture. It quite literally reminded one of a Witch''s humble abode with the seemingly strange protrusions and awkward modularly shaped roofing.


    The moment they went inside, they found themselves surrounded by books of wisdom. Relics such as a wonderful crystal orb adorned one of the tables. This place had oodles of magical equipment for sale, plenty of it far more than what the King had given the Heroes for their Journey.


    "Hello?" A shorter, middle-aged, woman stood behind the main counter. She had brown hair and purple eyes and despite her age, they were filled with vigor. "Welcome to my Shop."


    "Ah, hello there." Takehide put on a light, yet chipper, smile upon his face as he and the girls walked into the clearing in the center of the room. The place wasn''t big, but it wasn''t too small either. His gaze traced over all the interesting trinkets which were on display. "You have quite the collection on display," his excitement billowed out with his voice. The idea of lighting his spear on fire by simply evoking a spell made his mind travel great lengths to the possibilities of how magic could be used in tangent with his Cardinal Armament.


    "You... You must be the Spear Hero!" The Owner approached as she spotted the spear on his back, recognizing it from illustrations and that of legend. "I hear rumors that the Heroes have been summoned, I didn''t expect you to come here so soon."


    "Yes, my name is Takehide Eno. My friends call me Takehide," After introducing himself, his sights set on the whitened semi-translucent crystal ball.


    "Ah, would you like to see your magic affinities? Come, come~!" She was a bit heavy set, but she wasn''t so large that she''d have problems moving. As she gestured for him to follow, she turned on her heel as she padded happily on over to the station.


    Blinking a bit at her insistence and cheerful demeanor, Takehide glanced to his party members, who simply nodded and gestured their hands out towards her. They were telling him to follow after her, knowing exactly what she was going to do.


    "Place your hands by either side of the orb and we''ll begin," the magic shop owner instructed as she hovered her hands over the orb.


    "Oh uh, okay," Takehide was usually lacking hesitation, but magic to him was unknown. Even if he could picture himself charging at his enemies with a flaming spear, it didn''t mean he didn''t think of the chaos that may ensue. Resting the sides of his hands against the countertop, keeping his book tucked under his arm, he leaned forward in anticipation.


    Aside from a slight glow of her hands, which was hardly any form of a light show, nothing happened. "Takehide-dono, your magic affinity is Transmutation magic," the Shop owner announced with a smile across his lips.


    "Transmutation...?" Takehide''s vision of running around with a spear enchanted with fire was doused out by the rushing cool of disappointment. "Is that any good?"


    "Hmhm..." The Shop Owner chuckled to herself seeing that puzzled look on the Hero''s face, seeing as he was apparently hoping for something else. That or he was unenthused by the divining magic she had displayed to determine his affinity.


    "Transmutation Magic is powerful," Rino supported as she smiled up to the Hero, flexing the brim of her hat between her fingers. "You''d be able to fly and make objects and creatures move or change depending on the spells you use."


    "Flying sounds useful..." Takehide glanced at the colorful Mana Points gage that was in the corner of his eye. A light sigh escaped his lips as he thought about the things he could do with the affinity. "And spears are known both as polearms and throwing weapons, using telekinesis could very well change the tide of a battle."


    Cackling aloud this time, the shop keeper who was dressed a witch with wooden rose-shaped ornaments on her dark attire, placed a book down on the counter. "This book has a number of spells at the Tzuvait (intermediate) level."


    Looking to the book, that the woman had placed on the counter, he noticed quite quickly it''s a simple yet intricate design. It had black case binding, like a hardcover book from his world, and had what appeared to be a thin wavy silver metal decoration enveloping the book itself. At the same time, the parchment itself seemed rudimentary thick compared to the books from the store he had previously visited. "Is that a Grimoire?"


    "Yes... It is. There are easier ways of learning magic, however, they are more costly. There are magic orbs that have sealed spells in them that allow their wielder to learn them. This though is as much as I can sell to you at the moment," she let out a light sigh as if she was dissatisfied that she couldn''t be of any more help than this.


    "Sadly I cannot read, but buying the book now would be an investment," Takehide smiled lightly towards his two party members that remained.


    "I''ll help as much as I can," Rino enthusiastically raised her fist in the air, looking forward to spending more time with him. Likely wanting to be praised and flirted with for the most part.


    "Don''t look at me," Elena huffed aloud as she gazed over the book, "I cannot read the ancient language."


    Then he turned to face the Witch, "As you can see, it seems I''ve been equipped with a pair of valuable compatriots."


    "Ah, yes. I can see," The Witch gave the girls a once over before pushing the book forward, towards the Hero. "It will be a hundred and twenty silvers. Is there anything else I can get you while you''re here?"


    "Hm. Do you have a potion of healing?" Takehide wanted to test out something with his spear since it could absorb items and materials. "And Rino-san, is there anything you''d like to get?" His eyes wrestled over her dark green attire as he asked, curious about what she could get here.


    "There is nothing else that I need here, Takehide-dono," Rino said with a soft smile across her lips as she was asked this question.


    "I have a few healing potions, how does twenty silvers a piece sound?" The Witch nodded as she walked over to the cabinet of the counter on the other side of the room. Leaning down, she opened the door and reached inside, plucking two potions before fixing her posture and coming back.


    "Good enough for me," Takehide was more interested in the effect they''d have on his spear.


    Opening his pouch, he placed one hundred and sixty silver coins, which left him with four hundred forty silvers in the end. Once everything he had purchased was placed on the counter, Takehide picked up one of the healing potions and drew his spear.


    "Takehide-dono?" Rino''s lips parted as he had the spear shorten to only one meter in length, a half-spear, which was approximately three feet in length. "What are you doing?"


    Without answering her immediately, he popped the potion bottle open with his thumb and tipped the vial over. Everyone watched as the healing fluids drizzled on down onto the red gem that was planted within the spear, the liquid vanishing into it like magic. Soon enough the spear gave off a green glow and only to Takehide did a screen of various spears appear before him.


    [ Healer''s Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Healer''s Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Ambient HP Regen(Party), Healing Touch, Healing Mist (AoE) ]


    With a splash of green light, the end of his spear morphed into a fluorescent green blunted spearhead. "Healer''s Spear, huh?" His eyes flickered over to his fellow members with a brow raised.


    Both of the party members observed the weapon after hearing what he had called it. Their eyes glimmered in amazement.


    "Well done Takehide-dono," Rino clasped her hands together, keeping her staff pinched in between her bent elbow and out to the side.


    "So it can turn into something like this?" Elena was rather impressed by the sudden change of the weapon, it had been nearly flawless and mesmerizing. She could now understand the power behind the Cardinal Weapon in person as she had studied the history of the nation as well as the church.


    "Makes me curious," the shop owner snickered softly to herself, "just what else can you put into that shield?" She asked curiously as she crossed her arms slightly, wondering what was to come next.


    "Rino-san, can you keep the magic book on you for now?" Takehide gestured towards the book that was on the table before glancing over to Elena. Giving her a slight nod, only to return his gaze to the shop owner.


    "Mmm..." Rino pursed her lips as she let out a hum in thoughts. "Um... Only if I get to call you Takehide-sama," she bartered awkwardly after a few seconds as she pointed to the Hero.


    Takehide himself was caught off guard when she laid out the condition clearly, despite her awkward tone, as she tried to barter. Though he was getting used to being given the honorific of ''dono,'' he was not exactly expecting her to ask if she could give him a greater address. Though he was sure that most people would be using it towards him anyway due to the world''s religion, or the state''s religion alone. So as he thought about all that, he simply smiled as his body relaxed from suddenly becoming tense. "Of course," he roughly brushed it off unceremoniously before grinning smoothly, "As long as I get to call you Rino-chan."


    A light red flush appeared across her face, "Eh?" She gasped somewhat delayed as it settled into her mind. Without much more than a word, she snatched the book from the counter and held it to her chest.


    Elena rolled her eyes at this, seeing how Takehide had teased Rino in return. "Takehide-sama, Rino-san, Will you two stop flirting with one another already?" She kindly joined in, "We have places to be."


    "Right," Takehide nodded as he heard her words before pausing, noticing she too had changed the honorifics when she addressed him. Flags were lighting up in his head, a tingling sensation running along the side of his face. ''Wait, why did she change honorifics too? Are they both into me?''


    "W-we weren''t flirting!" Peeped Rino as she leaned towards the door.


    "Pretty sure that was flirting," Takehide shrugged his shoulders, his hands in the air. Taking the potion off the table, he bowed his head once more to the shop owner as a form of thanks.


    "Do not bow your head so easily, Spear Hero-sama." The Witch said with a light sigh, "All the same, I now thank you for your respect, and your business. I will be sure to see you again, in my shop, yes?"


    "Indeed, and I''ll keep that in mind," Takehide noted as he tilted his head to the side as he headed for the door. He couldn''t count how many people he had formally bowed his head to in the previous world. Teachers, colleagues, employers, people who did him favors, and the like. Was bowing one''s head the same as taking a knee? He was rather curious about the aforementioned.


    Heading back to the castle, they came to a pause as Takehide came to a halt. Not too far ahead of him was Naofumi, dressed in a set of rather cheap-looking armor. It didn''t take him long to recognize the type of armor he was wearing either, his game-like vision granted by the spear identified it as chainmail.


    "They seem to be getting along well," Elena crossed her arms slightly.


    Rino was frowning seeing this, she wasn''t quite sure how she felt about the Shield Hero. However, she knew how she felt about Lucy, and already knew how close she seemed to be to Myne. "If she is anything like Lucy, she''ll explode at the first thing she sees that she doesn''t like. Before the other Heroes came into the Throne Room, the two of them sounded like magic duplicates of one another..."


    "Talk about disturbing..." Takehide clucked his tongue against the back of his front teeth, "To the castle then." Without further delay, the three of them began making their way back to where they started, both of them walking at either side of him.

 Source of Thy Power

    Being forced to trade her armor for rags, the Daughter of a Lord that was sworn in as the Queen''s Right Hand, Eclair Seaetto, stared at the wall of her six-by-six feet wide cell. The air was damp, it was hard to breathe. She was in a place where sunlight did not reach. A place where nightmares roamed and suffering transpired for crimes one did or did not commit. Unfairness and unruly, this place was none other than the dungeon.


    A soft shiver escaped Eclair''s lips as she looked to the ceiling for solace that never came. Destined to become a Knight, given the duty to protect the Demi-Human people of her territory, she had everything stripped from her. Her father was murdered, killed during the first wave and her territory was pillaged by Slavers as well as her country''s own Soldiers. In the end, she was just another heretic by word of the Church of the Three Heroes.


    "No matter how many times you look at the ceiling, you''re never going to find the salvation you are looking for," Echoed the voice of the big burly man in the cell beside hers, draped in shadows.


    She was sure this man was here for heinous crimes against the people, but one could never truly tell. Though since he was covered in the shadows of darkness, she couldn''t quite make out his features other than his bulging muscles.


    "I did not work so hard only for my life''s work to be stripped from me... To be told I wasn''t worthy of Knighthood..." The woman grimaced as she shifted on the lonely wooden bench that creaked weakly from her uncomfortable movements.


    "Who knows," Laughed the man, "Maybe your precious Shield Demon will rescue you."


    "He isn''t a Demon! The Shield Hero is just like the others!" Eclair defended the man who her father would''ve looked up to if he were still alive.


    "Hah, whatever you say little lady. Not much it''ll do to say that here!" The man was amused, if anything he was only striking up a conversation just because he could. "I heard from the wardens while you were asleep, that the King and the First Princess summoned the Heroes," a small smirk formed over his lips, "All four of them."


    "All... Four of them?" Eclair rested the back of her head solemnly against the stone wall of the dungeon. Her eyes traveling back up to the ceiling once more as she thought of the ramifications of doing such a thing. How many people were going to die if all the Heroes only fought in one country?


    "Yeah... And the Shield De... Shield Hero is ignorant of the world compared to the other Heroes. Apparently the Spear Hero stands up for him," he said leaning forward with his hands clasped together, irons keep him from leaving his bench. "I suppose that''s good for our country. He''s going to need all the support he can get."


    Narrowing her eyes forward, Eclair planted her gaze upon him once more, "Who even are you?"


    "I''m just a friend, Seaetto-dono. Just a friend..." The shadowed figure leaned back into his own wall, she could feel his gaze creeping over her.


    Eclair scoffed at the idea of this man being her friend, as she had no idea who he was. To her, all he could possibly be is some inmate looking for company, or a mysterious ally. She saw him as the former, a lonely existence trapped because of his own mistakes.


    "You''re not the only one who had lost people in the First Wave, girl." His voice sent chills down her spine as it had become rough, but it wasn''t as if he was threatening her life. "I will kill the men... The men who took my girls with my own bare hands. Then, then I will find them."


    "You''re from my father''s land, aren''t you...?" Eclair narrowed her gaze.


    "I was married to a demi-woman, you see," his uneasy smile could be felt through the darkness that hid his face. "A woman who was far more than I deserved." Even unseen, his feelings of dread washed over those around him, "She was killed during the First Wave; all I have left is my little girls."


    "You have my condolences," Eclair lowered her head as her mind went back to how she failed to stop the slavers. So many innocents were forcefully relocated and some even placed into slavery.


    "It is the Church of the Three Heroes fault. If the Queen was still here... We wouldn''t be locked away in these cages..." Sniffling the man leaned forward as he stared at the barred door of his cell, his bald head and shaggy goatee visible. He had dark patches under his eyes and bloodshot eyes, he didn''t look all that good health was despite his build.


    As her eyes trailed down from his face, her gaze rested upon the blooded rag, stained by puss, that was wrapped around his left leg. Due to the dampness of the dungeon, she could hardly smell the existent hint of infection in the wound.


    "When the Queen returns," Eclair said in a low voice, "we will have a chance to prove our innocence. Then we''ll be free to get justice, to save our home, and our people."


    "And if she doesn''t return?" Skeptically the man looked to the Knight who was across from him, "Or if she is on the side of the King? Why else would she let this man run rampant?"


    "The Queen would never do such a thing," Eclair defended valiantly, "She is the true ruler of this Kingdom. The King, after summoning all of the Heroes, has betrayed the world with his actions."


    "Glad you think so..." Laughed the man as he lowered his head, resting his elbows on his knees as he slowly drifted into silence.


    "What is your name?" Blinked the former Knight, but there was nothing. He said nothing and did nothing. She couldn''t even see if his shoulders were moving, or if he was breathing anymore. A frown cursed her lips as she glanced aside in shame, only to hear the sound of snoring emitting from his cell. "Seriously...?"


    Meanwhile, in the warden''s office, the door leading in from the hall was shoved open after a brief jiggle of the knob. Three individuals came walking into the room, one of which being Takehide and the others being what remains of his party.


    "This is the Castle dungeons?" Takehide''s gaze tracked a mouse that had shot out from under a desk and into a hole in the wall. Compared to the lavish hallways, this place seemed the most unkempt, stacks of parchment appeared completely untouched.


    "Yes, Takehide-sama," Elena said as she kept her hands folded behind her back as they ventured into the center of the room.


    His eyes then narrowed on a crystal ball that sat on the table. "The warden seems to be out..." Unlike everything else in the room, that ball was the only seemingly magical object. It was likely a scrying tool like in the fantasy games he had played. What a bothersome device.


    Rino giggled inwardly seeing his reaction to the ball. While he didn''t get the wrong idea, she didn''t think it was currently in use. The Mage then walked over to the knob a set of keys was hanging upon. "Carelessness?"


    Without much hesitation, he strode across the room, picked up the cloth resting under a stack of parchments, and draped it over the crystal ball. He was at least hoping that such a quick action stopped anyone from watching through it if that was how it worked. The Hero then glanced side to side, there were three doorways. The one he came through, and then there were two others which lead to two different places.


    "Hm..." Resting his gaze on the room that was partially open, he walked over to the door beside the desk. Pushing it the rest of the way until he could see inside, there were countless shelves of confiscated belongings. Armor, weapons, clothing. There were plenty of commoner-looking clothes, but there were some more noble-looking ones by the armor in the far back corner.


    Taking a step back, he moved back over to the desk and narrowed his eyes on a book that laid open. It appeared to have a list of names on display, but he couldn''t read them at all.


    "Looks like you''ve found the roster," Elena said before narrowing her gaze on a particular name. "Seaetto?" Her eyes flickered over to the locked door leading further into the dungeons.


    "Who''s Seaetto?" Takehide looked to Elena curiously, seeing the troubled expression on her face. Opening his help menu, he started to scan through the information that was available. Based on what he was seeing, it was very similar to the guide from the game he never played.


    There was an inventory that could hold an enormous amount of items and could be expanded upon should he go out of his way to collect the correct materials. The crafting of items from materials absorbed or taken into the spear could also be explored. This meant he could learn explicit recipes and manufacture them just by gathering the materials.


    A small grin formed over his lips as he thought about the healing potion earlier. He could boost the entire herbal-based economy and crash it by mass-producing healing potions and the like.


    Suddenly, as he used his inventory system, the pouch of silvers vanished and appeared on the screen he was looking over. It worked, revealing the entire total of coins that was in the bag.


    His eyes then flickered over toward Rino, eyeing the books he had gotten, before being dragged right back to Elena as she spoke.


    "Seaetto-dono is the Lord of the Seaetto Territory and the Queen''s Right Hand... He was said to be dead following the first wave." Elena Haven was confused and that echoed in her voice.


    "If he''s dead, then it''s likely to be a family member," Takehide shrugged lightly as he thought about the probable laws of succession. He even compared it to historical information from his past world, where Kings had locked away their own nobles, all in order to obtain their wealth and lands for themselves.


    "A family member...?" Elena caressed her chin as she kept one hand at rest behind her back.


    "Which key do you suppose will open the door?" Rino asked as she turned towards Takehide and Elena, "Takehide-sama, Elena-dono?"


    "We probably shouldn''t go in there without the warden, or someone might get the wrong idea." Takehide let out a slow and drawn out sigh, clearly not really wanting to follow his words. He then narrowed his gaze on the room containing all of the confiscated items again. "But I assume going through the confiscated goods won''t hurt..."


    Takehide made his way into the room, his eyes coursing over all of the materials that were there. After highlighting a few vials, he found there were some healing potions and holy water amongst the belongings. He walked over and grinned, placing two of the healing potions into his spear''s inventory along with the single vial of pure holy water.


    He then paused as he noticed another vial, one that was on a counter close to the door. It was black and strangely labeled. As his system highlighted the object, he quickly found that it was a Slave Seal potion.


    Walking over to it, he plucked it off the counter and pursed his lips. Popping the cork, he poured a large portion of the fluid onto his Spear in order to see what would happen.


    [ Slaver''s Spear Unlocked ]


    [ Slaver''s Spear ]


    [ Bonus Ability: Increased Growth(Small) for Contracted Slaves. ]


    "Not exactly what I was expecting from a magical enslaving seal," Takehide clucked his tongue against the roof his mouth before sighing. Shifting his gaze about the room, he narrowed on a nearby spear that looked like a sword with a surprisingly long pole.


    There was no time like the moment, as swift as the wind, he grasped the long shaft of the weapon. Half expecting a negative reaction, he watched as a new notification appeared.


    [ Noble Swordstaff Unlocked! ]


    [ Noble Swordstaff (Magic Iron) ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Increase in ATK +10, DEF +5. ]


    [ Bonus Skills: Armor Pierce (Small), Greater Slash (Small) ]


    "Now that is more like it..." Takehide snickered as he looked over the weapon before resting it back in place. He was rather enamored with the sudden jump in his stats from simply copying the item. His eyes wandered around the room, but he didn''t find any other polearms with blades on them. Though there were plenty of other valuables and armaments that he likely couldn''t use.


    "Takehide-sama," Rino walked into the room as she spoke, "Someone''s here."


    Turning his head, Takehide looked to the man standing behind the Mage. "Hello there," he kept the head of his spear held up high. From what he could see, this was the warden. He was dressed in black attire and metallic grey armor, his face adorned by a greying mustache, and he wore an armored cap upon his head.


    "Spear Hero-sama, I am Vendal, the Royal warden. Your party members have informed me you''d like to recruit from the Dungeon?" He had a polished and polite air about him, it wasn''t just because he was speaking to a hero.


    "Yes, that is correct," Takehide responded with a glimmer of compassion in his eyes.


    "Right this way then, O''Hero." He gave a grand gesture towards the door before heading out into the main office to collect the keys to go to the holding cells.


    Takehide raised a brow slightly as he looked to the book on the desk, finding that it had been closed by unknown means. "Will you be informing the King of this encounter?"


    "No," Vendal responded as he looked to the Hero, raising a bushy brow at his question. "It only needs to be recorded in the roster that you unsurprisingly saw on my desk. If any questions arise, that is what those people look at."


    "Ah," Takehide could see that the one known as Vendal didn''t like the taste of the word King being used. It was likely he was a supporter of the Queen if he wasn''t mistaken. No one thought to care about the warden, did they?


    "Anything, in particular, you are looking for, Spear Hero-sama?"


    "Please, call me Takehide," He scratched the back of his neck at being called by title.


    "My apologies, Takehide-sama," Vendal sighed before plucking the keys from the hanger and unlocked the door leading into the holding cell area.


    "I''m looking for warrior types, agile, durable, and strong," Takehide informed with a light smile across his lips, quite interested in finding out more about the Noble being held there.


    "The majority of criminals are reset to level one," the warden looked to the man with a brow raised, "However there are plenty here with skills that could put down those greater than themselves..." Stepping forward, the older gentleman lead the trio into the dungeon, going down several steps before reaching a cobblestone foundation.


    Following after the man, Takehide''s sights were set forward. The place was dimly lit and the air was comparably damp to the office. It had the chance of doing a great number on the lungs if someone was continuously left in here without dry air. He could only imagine the sheer amount of bacteria that was generated in this place.


    "Come to think of it, I thought you already had three party members, Takehide-sama," Vandal''s voice could be heard echoing down the corridor lined with barred cells. "Do you really want to recruit people from the Dungeon? There are some heinous criminals down there..."


    "One of my members left my group soon after due to a disagreement," Takehide informed the warden, "besides as a Hero I can recruit who I please."


    "You... You''re not wrong," An affectionate scoff escaped the old man''s lips, but soon he seemed to sigh as his shoulders sulked in surrender. Leaving his hesitation behind, the warden led them into the dungeon, a torch in hand. "Can you be a bit more certain with the type of prisoner you''re looking for?"


    "Someone proficient with a sword and armor, to make up for the lost member," Takehide replied in kind. His tone was respectful and at the same time he didn''t hold back on pressuring the warden.


    "Takehide-sama, it smells in here..." Rino whimpered.


    "We won''t be in here long, Rino-chan," Takehide reached over and plucked her hat off of her head and placed it on top of his own. "That''s more like it," the Spear Hero tittered to himself.


    "M-my hat!" Rino hugged the two books from earlier close to her chest along with her staff, pouting as she had no free hand to take her hat back.


    "From flirting to teasing," Elena sighed and shook her head as she palmed her face, "It''s like I''m watching a drama in the theatre."


    "I can take those books too," Takehide closed one eye as he reached over to take hold of the two books. She didn''t resist as he took them from her arms that she had been cradling in. It appeared she wanted to be exceptionally careful with his belongings, which warmed his heart.


    Placing them in his spear''s inventory, he turned his gaze forward as he stepped into a puddle of rancid fluids.


    "Spear Hero...? Is that the Spear Hero?" A voice sounded hushedly from their cell.


    Takehide''s eyes flickered over to a woman in ragged blouse and shorts that covered her torso and thighs. She had an agile physique and a muscular tone to her arms. It was clear she trained her body, though while she appeared deceptively experienced, she didn''t seem all that strong due to her level reset.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Hearing the snoring, his eyes also moved towards a man who was much larger than himself with bulking muscles and a bald head. He reminded him of some sort of monk as he lacked a shirt and only wore a pair of abused shorts. Though the one thing that came to his sights was his steadily lowering hitpoints.


    "What is your name?" Takehide asked as he turned his attention towards the girl with pink hair and blue eyes. She was standing at the edge of her cell, her calloused fingers grasping at the bars.


    "My name is Eclair Seaetto, Daughter of the late Lord to Seaetto." Though her eyes seemed pained, she wasn''t going to beg for her freedom.


    "Although she has been imprisoned for Treason and Desertion of her post, she is highly skilled." Vendal''s gaze drew over to the Hero once more, "If you are going to take her, I suggest getting your hands on a polymorph potion. The Church has marked her as a heretic."


    "Oh?" Takehide frowned hearing the last part.


    "I can use magic to conceal her true appearance," Rino offered wit ha smile across her face, "Illusion Magic is actually one of my specialties."


    "Is that your real appearance then?" Takehide asked as he turned his gaze to the shorter brunette with a brow raised. She looked rather cute without the hat that he was now wearing on his head. He was sure he could make her look even better by adding some accessories too.


    "What makes you think it isn''t?" Rino dragged her left foot side to side awkwardly as she clasped her hands in front of herself. She had gotten flushed in the face and a bit anxious all of a sudden, with her big green eyes she looked up to him. "It''s my true face... Don''t you like it...?"


    "O-of course I like it," Takehide nearly fell over himself without even taking a step forward.


    "You two should get a room already..." Elena pinched the bridge of her nose.


    Eclair stood there similarly irritated, her brow twitching at the sight of the two flirting while she was still standing in a jail cell. If he was here to recruit, that meant she had no choice but to get a Slave Seal in order to go with him. Though she wasn''t entirely aware of this, due to her not studying the history of her own country as she had chosen to train instead.


    The old jail warden took in a deep inhalation of air before sighing out loud, "Young love is nice and all, but Takehide-sama. You have a limited time here," he gestured towards the two cells.


    "I''d like to take the pink-haired woman here, and the bald man in the cell beside hers," he pointed towards the man with the puss oozing wound.


    "I''ll get a healing potion," Vendal stated, but before he could turn around he watched as the spear in the Hero''s hand transformed into a blunted verdant green spear. His eyes then widened as a green burst of healing energy emitted from the tip, his arthritis ceasing to hurt as much. As he turned from the Hero, his eyes centered on the man sitting in the cell to find he was no longer snoring and his leg was healed completely.


    "Hm... What was that...?" The groggy prisoner glanced up from where he was seated, his eyes narrowing on the pink-haired girl before fixing his eyes on Takehide. "The Spear...? Did he just heal me?" Witnessing the green blunted spear shift back into its bi-pronged form, his eyes widened.


    Eclair was amazed by this, having never seen a spear cast such an ability similar to healing magic. "Takehide-sama, you are looking to take me out of here, are you not?"


    "Yes," Takehide responded automatically as he stared through her now.


    "I can train you in techniques that will fit your spear," Eclair spoke confidently despite being demoted, considering she had been told she was not worthy of Knighthood.


    "As your decision is now final, Shall I go get the Slave Seal?" Vendal, the Warden, asked.


    "What?" Eclair blinked hearing the Warden speak of getting the slave seal. She took a step back from the cell door, finding the fact that she wasn''t going to be given a choice if she went with him. Her right to defy him would be revoked!


    "I won''t make you do anything that you won''t want," Takehide''s gaze rested upon her for a few seconds before looking to the warden, "As you will." With a gesture of his hand, he watched as the warden walked away from the group. He then walked over to stand between the two cells.


    "My name is Orson," grumbled the man seated on the bench, seemingly glaring at the Spear Hero. "I won''t tolerate being called Slave, you, or anything similar to that."


    "I would never ask you to surrender your Identity," Takehide nodded to Orson. He seemed to be somewhat similar to a tank''s build when looking at him from a game''s perspective. Though he could be something much more.


    "So now you say your name?" Eclair sighed as she looked to the man, then back towards Takehide, not necessarily wanting to surrender to his will.


    "Now, tell me. When I release the two of you from this prison. What do you want to do? What are your goals?" Takehide asked as he glanced towards the entrance of the cell block, then back to the two of them, signifying a time limit on the answer.


    "I need to find my family, my kids. My wife was killed in the first wave, and my children were taken by those bastard Knights!" Orson proclaimed, revealing that the Knights of the realm the villages belonged to, had raided their own people.


    A sickening sensation came over Takehide learning a bit more of the happenings after the first wave that had decimated the Kingdom. "We will be traveling, so finding your children should they have been sold, will be something we can actively do when we''re not leveling."


    Orson nodded, knowing very well that he couldn''t get anything done in his current state unless he was leveled up. "I will do anything to see my children again, Takehide-sama."


    Nodding to Orson once more, Takehide rested his gaze upon the pink-haired woman who appeared pleasantly stunned by his honorable proposal.


    "I would like to report to my Queen of the happenings that have occurred and ask for immediate action to be taken," Eclair lowered her head as she remembered the last moment she had with her father. "And I wish to put down those who were enslaving the people my father lorded over... I, however, do not want to be placed under a slave pact to achieve my ends..."


    "Hunting them down will have to wait," Takehide gave her a sympathetic gaze, "The church will try to put you down if you''re too active in that task. Or all of us if we were to make ourselves known." His eyes shifted towards the doorway once more as he saw the warden returning.


    "I will try to reason with him, not to give you a Slave Seal, but I do have bonuses that will allow extra growth should you make a slave contract with me." Takehide summarily informed her and the rest of his crew without much hesitation, if anything he spoke quickly.


    "Seriously?!" Rino squeaked as she immediately looked to him, her eyes wide as if internally musing on the idea of being his slave. Whilst it wasn''t all that good of an impression if it were someone else, her opinion of him was relatively high. He also said he wasn''t going to force them to do anything and that was relatively nice.


    Elena ran a hand through her hair thinking of what could come of this, "Are you asking if all of us would be your slaves?" She was rather proper with this question, not fond of the idea, but at the same time rather fascinated.


    "It''s a choice for you all to make, for the most part," Takehide said just as the Warden returned to them. Turning to look to the Warden, he looked over the senior jailer, "Think you could circumvent the Slave Seal for the Noblewoman?"


    "Er..." Vendal looked to Eclair who wasn''t begging him, but she gave the impression that she was awaiting his answer on this. "As it seems, there isn''t enough of the seal for two uses. I could get more..." The Old man narrowed his gaze on the Hero as if it was his fault, though he had no idea where the liquid had gone. "If you insist on taking her out of here as she is, I suppose I''ll go along with it."


    "Thank you," Takehide bobbed his head in an approving manner, "You are a man of virtue."


    "I wouldn''t go that far..." Uttered the man as he handed the Hero the tray which held the prepared Slave Seal potion, an ink bowl, and two brushes and a knife-like tool. The Warden then walked over to Orson''s cell and unlocked the door.


    Orson narrowed his gaze on the smaller male before dropping onto his knees.


    Vendal then took the tray from the Hero and placed it on the bench as he further prepared the ink. "Takehide-sama, your hand please." He drew the knife from the tray, "I need some blood."


    Nodding his head as he narrowed his gaze on the bowl that was partially filled, Takehide approached and offered his non-dominate hand.


    Vendal grasped the Hero''s wrist and held it over the bowl before pricking his finger. As the blood dripped into the black ink-like fluids, he releases the hero''s hand and mixed it into the potion with the shorter brush. He then picked up the bowl and dipped the longer brush.


    Eclair, still in her cell, watched from the sidelines as the Warden went ahead to paint the painful slave seal upon the male''s chest.


    "Ugh..." Purple electricity arched from the glowing sigil which was being drawn upon his chest. His lips contorting in pain, but rather than scream out loud he gritted his teeth as the seal was completed, "Nnnnnngh!"


    Though not a second later, another screen appeared within his sights. It was something akin to Slave Contract Management which allowed him to control the conditions of the pact. There were a number of contingencies he could choose from, and he was forced to choose at least one, or the seal couldn''t work. The only reasonable one seemed to keep him from lying without punishment, so he check-marked that choice in order to meet the requisite.


    Watching the tall man pant, information appeared before the Spear Hero.


    [ Orson of Lurolona Lv.1 has formed a Slave contract with the Spear Hero. ]


    "There, it has been completed," The Warden announced as he placed the brush down onto the tray before stepping out of the jail cell. Fiddling with the keys, he approached Eclair''s door and stuck the brass key in and twisted it aside. With a heart-fulfilled click, the cell door creaked open and he stepped aside. "Collect yourselves and meet me back in the office area. Make yourselves quick," Vendal reminded them of their limited time window, before walking back towards the office area.


    Walking over to the empty vial, Takehide picked it up off of the tray before looking to Orson who was already on his feet. "Are you feeling any better?" The Hero gestured towards his leg.


    Orson nodded, "Thanks to your Spear, I won''t be dying before I see my children again."


    Grinning at this, he walked out of the cell with the vial in hand and knelt down over the foul-smelling liquid settled on the cobblestone floor that acted as a foundation to the prison. Without a second thought, he scooped stuff up with the bottle before standing up and pouring it onto the red gem of his weapon.


    [ Noxious Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Noxious Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Poison Target, Enhanced Bleed(locked), Infect Wound(locked), Slow Healing(locked). ]


    "Quite interesting..." Takehide liked the idea of using something that would give him an edge against his enemies. Especially the poisons that could incapacitate them or stop them from effectively fighting back.


    "Let''s go," Eclair threw a hand in the air, gesturing for them to follow her out.


    Takehide and the rest of the party just looked to the woman, cocking their brows. As they looked at one another a few seconds later, they simply shrugged. Without another thought, they followed her towards the exit of the cell block.


    As they entered the office once more, they were greeted by a counter of belongings that weren''t necessarily theirs. A brown mantle and rugged set of armor situated next to a woman''s armored dress and a pair of pants along with some boots.


    "These aren''t mine..." Eclair said as she separated herself from the party, looking over the items. "Though..." Her eyes moved towards Takehide with a thankful smile across her lips, "I suppose it wouldn''t be a good idea to wear my armor."


    "You can reclaim it," the Warden commented, "When the Queen returns and your name is cleared." With that he simply sat down at his desk before peering over at the crystal ball, raising a brow. "Huh, I don''t remember covering that," a small chuckle left his lips.


    "Must''ve forgotten," Takehide winked lightly.


    Eclair collected her things and went into the room that held all the confiscated items and closed the door behind her. What she was doing spoke for itself as the sound of clothes dropping to the floor could be heard.


    Orson, on the other hand, proceeded to put on thick half-plate armor that covered his torso and his shoulders. He had baggy blue pants tucked into some well-worn boots. Once he was fully prepared, the large man appeared garnered the impression of an adventurer from looks alone. He then proceeded to grasp the Swordstaff that had been laid out on the counter as well, bringing it to his side.


    "So that was yours?" Takehide grinned as the man nodded in response. Transforming his staff into the same Noble Swordstaff, he chuckled, "Looks like we match."


    Orson''s brows raised causing wrinkles to form over his glossy forehead. "No kidding..."


    Rino and Elena Haven snickered at the older male''s response to their leader''s antics.


    "Anyways," Takehide looked to Rino, "If you can get that Disguise magic going, I''ll call you Rin-tan from now on."


    "Oh, oka¨C," as if something had broke she froze for a few seconds before her face was assaulted by a zillion flaming suns. Burning red as she blushed, "Wait, what!?"


    Elena covered her mouth as she kept herself from laughing at the promise of nicknaming her colleague. Though that was hardly enough to sate the power of her laughter as her other hand held onto her abdomen as she hunched forward. She was laughing far too hard and she couldn''t stop. Personally she thought it was hilarious, but at the same time, she felt a slight tinge of jealousy there.


    "Ugh! Why are you teasing me so?" Rino held the sides of her head as there was no way she could get rid of the blush that was overriding her face.


    "Because you''re adorable," Takehide placed her hat back upon her head and she immediately tugged down the front edge of her hat to hide her face.


    Elena''s laughter gradually came to a stop as she straightened herself out. She breathed out shallowly as her mind registered Takehide''s eyes that have been set on the girl with lesser status. "And what about me?"


    Just as he was about to say something, the door to the item room swung open and Eclair came stepping out in her new attire. Looking over herself, she sighed softly, wistfully thinking of taking a bath the moment she came across one. "Mage, are you ready to cast the spell?"


    "My name is Rino," The Green Mage asserted as she lowered her hands from her face, her face still burdened by a bright red heat she had no control over. With her staff in one hand, she approached the pink-haired woman and tilted it towards her as she went to activate her magic. "As the source of thy power, I order thee," she continued to recite the rest of her spell, "I have read and deciphered a law of nature. Disguise my Target!"


    As the incantation came to an end, a burst of golden magical energy enveloped the failed Knight. Her pink hair turned black, her skin became paler, her nose gained a sharper form, and her chin more angular. One of the most notable changes, however, were her eyes that turned a dark violet-blue. Eclair''s face hadn''t been the only thing to change, as her attire temporarily changed into a plain padded jacket, pants, and boots. She looked like nothing like she had before and now emitted the air of an adventurer.


    "That was... Impressive to say the least," Takehide chuckled as he really did not expect such a thing to happen. She was definitely using illusion magic as she had said she would, "Rin-tan."


    Rino''s face got a bit hotter as he actually called her by the silly nickname.


    Eclair sighed as she examined the illusion that had taken place over her person. "Is that actually appropriate behavior befitting a hero...?"


    "Probably not," Takehide shrugged, "We only live..." he paused as he thought about his words that he was going to share. If he had finished, Takehide was sure he was about to lie, as this was technically his second chance at life after a death at the hands of another.


    "Once?" Elena raised a brow, "If she gets a nickname, we should all get one."


    "I''ll pass," Orson rolled his eyes at the girl''s claim.


    "Hmhm. Okay, Ore-kun. How does Ella-chan sound?" Takehide asked as he crossed his arms after he placed his spear onto his back under the crossbelt that went from his shoulder to his waist.


    "Tch, I thought I said pass!" Orson grunted.


    Letting her arms fall to her sides, Elena rested one of her palms against the grip of her rapier''s hilt. "Good enough," a soft smile formed over her lips as she felt her sense of ego increase.


    Rino sucked on the side of her cheek watching as this went on, feeling uncomfortable now.


    "Well, I suppose we can go to the church now before setting out to level up," his eyes fixated on Eclair, "Are you partying up?" He asked curiously, only for her name and status to appear on the management screen that appeared in the left-hand corner of his vision. Eclair Seaetto, Level One.


    "I''m coming," Eclair narrowed her eyes on the male just as the rest of them all grouped up behind him, following them out of the office area.


    As he did so, he opened the help menu that he had in the right-hand corner of his vision. Information pertaining to more of the functions of the weapon were found here.


    Though as he was reading about the inventory, monster drops, and other strengthening methods pertaining to his weapon, he felt something his shoulder hit against something hard. Coming to a stop, he closed the screen and glanced over to see a petite form standing not too far away from him. It was a woman in a blue dress, who wore her brunette bangs over her eyes.


    "Ah, sorry my friend, I wasn''t looking where I was going," Takehide was the first to speak.


    "Beware, if you go too far out in the open, they will notice. So watch where you''re going degozaru," the woman said a tad rudely before grasping the corners of her skirt and stomping off.


    Takehide frowned at the words that were given to him. They had been spoken so quietly and harmoniously, it almost made his tongue feel too bitter to speak with. "That was unexpected..." He mumbled under his breath as he thought back to the Shadow from before, and then towards the book he had seen. If he gets too close to Naofumi, would that put him at risk? His eyes traced over to his party members, and an even deeper frown appeared across his lips. ''Does the threat possibly extend to my party? Would the Church actually kill the Heroes over this? Doesn''t the salvation of the world mean anything to them?'' The purposeful death of the Heroes had the potential to end the world. A cold chill filled him at the thought that he was going to die again.


    Rino padded on up next to him, looking up at his sour expression. He made it too clear to her that he was bothered, without even saying a word. "What did she say? Are you alright?"


    "To watch where I was going," Takehide found himself lying as he placed a hand on the top of her head, crushing the pointed top of her hat. He didn''t know who was watching, or who was listening. "It... might be a risk, if I were to take you to the church," his eyes shifted to Eclair.


    "I understand," Eclair nodded her head, though she didn''t seem all that submissive to the idea.


    From there they trailed after him out of the castle and towards the direction of the church.


    Out on the stone streets that made the flattened foundation of the town, it only took them several minutes to finally spot the three spires belonging to the Church of the Three Heroes. It only took a quick few more moments before they arrived in the outer courtyard leading in.


    "What is with this architecture...?" Takehide wondered aloud, staring at the triangular makeup of the spire-like towers protruding from the cathedral-like facility. As his eyes drifted downward, he watched as a nun of some sort walked by holding an amulet matching the faith of the three heroes. A light sigh left his lips as the four of them then ventured forth.


    A few more minutes and they were stepping into the main hall, stain glass windows decorating the back of the room only reachable by stairs that lead to an elevated platform. His eyes traced over the surrounding area, noting the semblance the place had to the Christian churches of old. Though mostly from Italian brochures he had gotten from a tourist in his past world.


    "This place is almost uncanny..."


    Hearing the sound of clapping echo throughout the room, his eyes jumped over to a man wearing a golden hat, white robes, and spectacles. It was the pope to the Church of the Three Heroes. "You are the first Hero to have arrived here to say such a thing," Biscas said almost proudly, "It is a pleasure to meet you... I am Biscas T. Balmus, the Pope of our state''s Faith."


    "Takehide Eno," the Spear Hero responded with a light friendly chuckle.


    The Pope''s gaze traveled over the hero before trailing over his party members. He knew of two of them, but it seemed the third one had changed? No matter, his spies hadn''t seen or reported anything to him as of yet. The fourth was also a surprise, finding it amusing that the Hero still went out of his way to recruit more people to his party.


    "Is there something I can help you with, O'' Hero?" The Pope asked with a charismatic smile across his lips, one that so charming that it almost made Takehide want to puke at the sight of the old man.


    "I am here to obtain more Holy Water, for my spear." He tapped the weapon against the floor harmlessly.


    "Oh? For your spear you say...?" Biscas seemed elated that the man was interested in obtaining holy water for his Legendary Weapon. "May I ask why?"


    Takehide''s expression changed at the asking of this question, "I want to be prepared for whatever might come with the waves and my ventures in between."


    "I will have one of my disciples prepare you some Holy water," He declared to the Spear Hero, before gesturing for them to accompany him. He then nodded to one of his disciples that were within the room to tell them to get the Holy Water. "As you''ve come here before the rest, I would like to show you the Dragon Hour Glass ahead of time," he said as he began to walk towards one of the many different passageways.


    Taking after him didn''t come with any problems. Takehide was partially expecting him to turn around and smite them or something, but none of that happened. Though he didn''t show his anxiety, nor did he reveal his sense of relief. Soon they entered a large room with a consecrated enormous hourglass, roughly seven meters tall, with red sand.


    His party, along with himself, stared at the object in awe as it was the first time they had seen it in person. As Takehide went to step forward, however, he was immediately connected to the sacred object. That was when a timer consecutively appeared in the upper edge of his vision, dictating when the first wave was going to appear.


    "So, this is the Dragon Hourglass, huh?" Takehide parted his lips a bit, not searching for an answer to the rhetorical question. His help menu and his past world knowledge from the screenshots of the game already made sure he knew what it was. Though seeing it in person was quite different than looking at a two-dimensional image displayed upon a computer screen. There was one of these in each country, and in order to be teleported to the different waves, he needed to register to them.


    "Pardon me, O'' Hero." A woman of the cloth walked into the room and towards the platform where the hourglass was situated and where his party was standing. "I have the Holy Water."


    Takehide turned to face the woman, seeing an item placed on a tray. His very sight appraised the object, revealing it to be a vial of Holy Water of the purest grade. Maneuvering his spear in one hand, he reached out with his other hand to grasp the bottle. Pouring the sanctified liquid onto the gem, he watched as the sphere absorbed the fluids. As the absorption was completed the Legendary Weapon gave a radiant glow that would even make the moon pale in comparison.


    [ Holy Vanquisher Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Holy Vanquisher Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Smite Evil, Cure Curse, Increased Damage to Undead, Holy Aura ]


    "Will that be all?" Biscas asked as he stepped forward to observe the boy''s weapon, but he didn''t touch it even as he visually observed its shining appearance.


    "Mhmm..." Takehide eyed the man for a few seconds before nodding, "We''ll be going. We''ll have to get grinding if we want to get to higher levels." Saying this, he closed one hand behind his back before shifting on his heel and progressing for the exit. "Though I may return for more Holy Water..."

 A Subtle Push

    Erhard, a man with a shaved head and a body full of scars, was sharpening a blade in the backroom of his shop. He gave off an aura of a seasoned adventurer, retired, and profiting quite well from his trade of trading weapons. The crude scraping sound of his weapon against the wet stone filled his ears. Even as the front door to the Weapon Shop was pushed open. After a few seconds, he heard the sound of feet piling in through the store''s front door. "Hm?" Pausing his work, the blacksmith stood from his stool and placed the weapon back into the refurbishing pile. "Now, who could that be?" A smug grin rang slyly across his lips as he stepped out of the back room and into the area behind the counter.


    "Hello there," Takehide spoke as he was observing a spear sticking out of a barrel along with various other polearms. The fingers of his right holding open a book that was near its end in his palm. His other hand outstretched to touch the weapons but stopped himself just a little off from making contact with the items.


    Rino was smiling at his side, watching over the item he was once appraising with his eyes.


    Elena, on the other hand, was padding on over to the selection of swords with Eclair not too far behind her. They were looking into the weapons to see if there was anything particularly cheap they could get their hands on.


    Orson, out of all of them, remained by the front door of the shop with his swordstaff in hand. It was as if he was guarding the store against intruders. Truthfully, he just had no reason to venture any further into the shop. His eyes watched the leader of the party, contemplating what the next move will be that he''ll want to make before he makes it.


    Without much more thought, Takehide finally glanced to the side, decisively studying the blacksmith who now stood there with a face of surprise.


    "You''re another one of those heroes, aren''t you?" Erhard brushed his hands off on his beige overalls, before crossing his arms over his off-white T-shirt. "You''re friends with the Shield Hero?"


    Closing one eye, Takehide simply smirked coyly in return, "Depends on whom it concerns."


    "In that case, my name''s Erhard," A grin returning to the store owner''s lips as he spoke. Standing behind the counter he gave the other members of the stranger''s party a once over. There was a burly man who had a similar style to himself, though there was a mustache with that facial hair of his. Erhard only had an Amish-styled beard, but no mustache. Then his eyes went over to the three girls in the party, his eyes centered on the mage for a few seconds, then over to the Noblewomen. "Quite the party you got there, I''m assuming you''ve come here in order to get some gear¡­ Is there anything special you''re looking for?"


    "Some light armor, possibly half-plate, and a relatively good spear," he flexed his hand slightly as he used his interface in order to change his spear''s form to the Healer''s Spear.


    "Whoa there! How did you do that?" Erhard blinked seeing the weapon change shape, never having seen something quite like it before. Though that didn''t mean he was completely ignorant about the Vassal and Legendary Weapons.


    "I can copy spear-like weapons simply by touching them, all heroes can," Takehide was telling him this as more of a warning of anyone who may try to steal his things.


    "You''re¡­ Not going to go around stealing my work are you now, kiddo?" The smith kept his arms crossed though he didn''t let that grin of his leave his face. From what he could see, Takehide was an honest fella.


    "No, but I''ll pay you a portion of the cost of anything I copy," Takehide shrugged his shoulders, "Considering you''d still be left with the merchandise even after I copy it."


    "Fair enough," huffed the blacksmith as he heard the boy talk of how he was going to retain anything he copied. It meant he could quite literally copy his entire inventory of spears and all he''d be losing is the potential of the purchases the kid could have made like a normal person.


    "Now the armors, You have anything between one hundred and two hundred silvers? I''m looking for something that can be overlayed," he gestured to his uniform that he was wearing.


    "Hmm¡­" Looking over the otherworldly uniform the boy was wearing, he narrowed his gaze on the crested badge that decorated his chest. It was as if he was someone of authority from his previous world, and as his eyes moved along the other attachments to his uniform. Erhard quickly noted to himself that Takehide may as well have been part of a combative organization of some sort. "I think I have just the thing," his eyes rested on the girl with the dark hair, "Anything for the ladies?"


    "Do you have any used items? Swords in particular?" Elena asked curiously as she raised a brow at the man.


    "Er¡­ Yeah, I should have some in the back. I''ll bring a number of them out," his dark black eyes narrowed on the Green Mage who was scrutinizing a reinforced mage robe resting in the corner. "Hm, anything for the Mage?"


    "My name is Rino," she looked over to the man with her head cocked to the side, her body shifting to rest against her staff. "Do you have any magic daggers?"


    "I think I have a few magic iron daggers in the back, I''ll bring them out with the rest of the items," the man then proceeded to retreat into the backroom. Erhard brushed his hand over a few short swords that were sturdy and had already been refurbished. "I could sell these for about fifty silver each¡­"


    His middle-aged eyes narrowed on the spear that was hanging along the wall, its katana-like blade was a pearly white magical alloy with a gilded serpentine water dragon engraved upon it. This was an item that belonged to a friend he used to adventure with. A faint smile composed itself across his lips as his mind went back to the good ole'' times when he had close friends to travel the world with. Reaching out, he pulled the weapon off of its display plaque and placed it on the table by the door. "I''ll get a good deal with this one," He snickered as he began going through his light armor selection next.


    Erhard put together a light armor set consisting of a long quilted reinforced padded-jacket, off-black in color with silvery studs that cut off just below the thighs. This was accompanied by a piece of skirted iron torso armor and a comparable blue pair of reinforced pants. For the arms, hands, and legs were armor tipped leather boots and a pair of armored glove-like sleeves which extended to the forearms.


    After a short period of time, he had all of the items lined up on the counter. Together there were three daggers, two short swords, and the powerful spear that was engraved in his past. Next to those, separated, was the armor and clothing pieces to be examined by the man.


    Elena didn''t waste any time as she teetered on over to the counter and gave the items a look-see. Whilst the items were used, they were good for backup weapons. A smirk formed over her lips as she felt Rino brush up beside her to look at the magic daggers.


    Without a doubt, Eclair had already picked up a Knightly sword. She knew that it was the right weapon the moment she grasped it and examined the blade. While it was slightly chipped, the weapon had the ability to serve just like any other.


    "This dagger is nice," Rino reached forward and grasped the center dagger. It had a black hilt and a bluish-grey straight-edged blade, it appeared good for stabbing and slashing. Her eyes seemed to glimmer as she noticed it gave off a faint glow to it as she picked it up. "Hehehe¡­"


    Elena, on the other hand, examined one of the short swords that had a blue fabric coiled around the grip of its hilt. The blade itself was a short slender and sharply-pointed two-edged blade, a rapier-like the one at her hip. "This would be a perfect backup weapon," she uttered to herself before looking to Takehide who was removing his belts.


    Takehide placed the belt from his uniform as well as his badge on the counter in front of him. It didn''t take him long to start putting on the armor which was reserved for him. He slipped the jacket over his uniform and fastened it onto his person, followed by the half-plate that surrounded his torso. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he proceeded to put the belts back on over top of the armor.


    "So far I like how it looks," this Spear-bearer chuckled to himself as he then applied the armored sleeves over the jacket. In a way, he appeared almost like a Samurai dressed in heavily westerner-influenced armor, clearly showing the mixed ethnicity of the armor''s design. It made him wonder if there was another country that was just like Japan that followed such an aesthetic.


    "It does seem to fit you rather well," Erhard scratched his chin, "That will be One hundred ninety silvers." His eyes trailed over to the pants and boots which were still on the counter. "So what is that badge for?" His eyes rested on the samurai-police insignia.


    "I used to be a civil officer, where I was summoned from that is," Takehide replied as he placed the badge into his inventory. He then glanced over towards the Spear that Erhard then placed down in front of him from the other part of the counter.


    "Your total will be two hundred and sixty silvers. Fairtrade?" The Blacksmith asked as he watched the man slip his black leather boots off and pull the reinforced pants on over his slacks.


    Once he put the armor tipped boots on, he watched as a notification appeared and Takehide''s eyes briefly narrowed.


    [ Knightly Armor ]


    [ Physical Defense +30 ]


    [ Physical Strength Buff (Small) ]


    [ Magic Resistance (Small) ]


    [ Self-Repair Function (Medium) ]


    "More than fair, my friend." Takehide nodded as he very much trusted the man due to his immediate friendliness and good business sense. Reaching out a hand, he grasped the spear, his eyes widening as the information appeared before him.


    [ Kutenrou Dragon Tooth ]


    [ Kutenrou Dragon Tooth (Mithril) ]


    [ Mastery Level: 0/30 ]


    [ Tier Rating: Rare ]


    [ Special Abilities: Dragon''s Breath, Dragon''s Claw, Truth Sense ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: ATK +30, AG +15, DEF +10, Fire Resistance Up 45% ]


    "Th-this ought to be well over a gold coin in value!" The hero needlessly blurted out, assuming that a single gold coin was worth a thousand silver. His eyes shakily narrowed onto the Blacksmith who, in his mind, was grinning like the devil.


    "The spear itself was never for sale," Erhard admitted as he retracted the weapon from the boy''s grasp. "I had it on display in the back¡­" His eyes danced over the weapon favorably, "It reminds me of the good ole'' days where every day was an adventure."


    "Oh, isn''t it still though?" Takehide seemed to have immediately calmed down as it seemed he wasn''t going to be charged for the weapon. At least not as much as its actual cost. Though he was wondering what the blacksmith wanted for it, considering he already had him touch it. In a way, it felt like a trap, but at the same time, a favor.


    "If you feel that way, then five hundred silvers the next time you come back," Erhard gave a hearty laugh, he was joking of course. "I look forward to your continued service, Ta-chan."


    "T-Ta-ch-chan!?" Rino nearly exploded as the blacksmith gave the hero a nickname right off the bat. She was completely overwhelmed by a man playfully calling her leader by such a name.


    "Rin-tan," Takehide glanced over towards Rino with a small grin across his lips.


    "Cute, first full day in the world and you''re already flirting with the natives," Erhard snickered.


    With a mischievous glance towards the blacksmith, he continued to speak towards his companion, "It''s alright. No need to get excited over a little nickname, let the old man have his fun."


    Clinging to her staff, she nodded to the two men, before sharing a gaze with the floor, "Okay¡­" A faint smile kept her lips busy as she went along in thought.


    "Oi, Ta-chan, I''m not that old." Erhard huffed in feigned annoyance.


    "Then how old are you?" A clever gaze was placed on the blacksmith who returned the question with a soft glare of his own.


    "That''s none of your business, boy." Erhard crossed his arms over his chest before turning his eyes to look over the girls of Takehide''s party once more. He seemed to be surrounded by a lovely lot. A soft chuckle escaped his lips before his sights matched that of Orson who was standing at the door and he raised a brow. "Wait¡­ Don''t I know you...?"


    Orson nodded with a grunt, "I''ve bought arms from you before," he tapped the butt of his polearm against the wooden floor panels. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Erhard-san."


    "... I see," Erhard shifted his head away to the side lightly. The total he had asked for was all there, had immediately expelled from the spear onto the counter before he collected the coins that Takehide intended to give to him. Not too long ago he remembered the man had come in a few weeks ago with two Demi-human girls in tow. Seeing them no longer by the man''s side, made him understand what likely had happened before. A sigh escaped him, one he couldn''t even hope to stifle. Walking over to the nearby barrel of maps, he retrieved one of them and placed it in Takehide''s hand. "This one is on the house," he grinned down at the Hero, not wanting the lad to get lost for whatever reason.


    Takehide snickered as he looked over the map that had been given to him by the esteemed blacksmith, and former adventurer. "Thank you, Sir."


    Elena jabbed the new weapon she had been gifted by the Cardinal Hero, swiftly making use of it against the air. A smug look crossed her face as she admired the slender blade, how it had just enough spring with each lunge she made. "This is perfect for a substitute."


    Rino bent her petite form over, lifting the brim of her robe and slipping her dagger into her left leather boot, hiding it from view with the skirting of her green mage robes. Standing straight up, she did a little jig with her feet before swaying to herself with the staff still in hand. A light hum of contentment emitted from her lips, reverberating in her throat, in such a comfortable manner.


    "Anyways," Takehide watched as Erhard was putting his recent earnings into a lockbox, "the next time you see the Shield Hero, I want you to give him something." Placing the book that he had been reading earlier down on the counter, he slid the Japanese book across the counter to Erhard.


    "What''s this?" Erhard stared at the foreign Japanese characters that littered the front cover, "Some sort of spell book from another country?"


    "It is something that might help Naofumi-san through what is coming," Takehide frowned knowing that he couldn''t be seen actively helping the Shield without paying a price.


    Erhard quickly caught on that the Spear Hero wasn''t going to answer his second question, but simply nodded as he looked over the book again. "So, you plan to help your friend from the sideline?"


    "If that is what keeps him alive," Takehide tipped his head to the man as he turned to walk towards the door as his companions flanked him at either side. "I trust the Heroes, and I trust my friends, and I believe I''ve found a friend in you. I can''t see you disappointing me, Erhard-san."


    "You flatter me," the scarred man snickered as he put his lockbox back into its hiding place, slipping the key to the box into his beige work clothes. He then placed the book on top of the box before standing up to witness Takehide reach the door. "I won''t let you down," he winked with his strong calloused hands placed at his hips.


    "Of course," Takehide responded with a thumbs-up as Orson pressed the door open, holding it as he and the rest of the members of the party left the shop. With less than four hundred silvers left, it was time to replenish their coin shortage.


    As the door began to slowly close after Orson released its wooden form, Takehide turned his head to glance back into the shop. Erhard''s eyes were still on him and his group. Only right before the door went to close did he hear the man venture into the backroom. After a few seconds of just standing there as the ambient sound of the world took hold, he could hear the song of metal grinding against a sharpening stone.


    Turning his head to face forward, the young Hero looked to his party and gave a nod. Holding his spear idly at his side, using the Dragon Tooth form, he raised the weapon to the air before marching off in the direction of the other heroes.


    At a brisk pace, Takehide''s party moved through the fields of orange balloons.


    His eyes followed the little red triangular symbols that appeared over hostiles heads. "So much like a game, but not a game¡­" He found himself muttering to himself as he shifted one foot behind the other.


    Sounds of popping emanated from all directions. Heroes were grinding away at these little buggers that seemed to be of orange rubber-like balls for bodies and angry eyes along with sharp chomping jaws. Despite their visible ferocity, he doubted their strength, even in swarms. There was a curiosity to them, of how they had even evolved, where they had come from. Modern science most likely wouldn''t even be able to explain their existence.


    A chuckle escaped Takehide''s lips at the thought of a dumbfounded scientist, "Perhaps I should''ve asked him for a bestiary along with the map¡­"


    With a twist of his leg, he swung the blade of his polearm, slashing diagonally to wipe out three lunging monsters. His weapon was much faster and far more agile than he thought, the creatures popped soon after he swiped his weapon through their feeble forms.


    He had taken them out in one hit, and golden numbers appeared in the form of experience.


    [ +35 EXP ]


    [ +32 EXP ]


    [ +44 EXP ]


    "Not bad¡­" His eyes traced over towards the other members of his party, seeing the numbers of experience they had gained as well. It was the same amount as himself, though Orson seemed to get a bit more due to his settings. A small grin formed over his lips at the sight. "Alright, let''s get into formation and try to group the enemies together! Time to collect some Aggro..."


    Elena stood beside Rino, her rapier sticking out in front of her grasped in one hand. Confidence warped her face in pride to some degree, ready to attack enemies that dare approached her charge.


    Orson moved to stand beside Takehide in order to work alongside him."Time to get poppin'' huh?" The old man made a dad joke, "Guess I''ll show you what this old man is capable of!"


    "Me first!" Rino butted in, raising her staff in the air horizontally with both hands, keeping them evenly spaced from one another as she recited a prepared spell. "Tzuvait Windpulse!"


    A sudden gust of wind went in every direction. Soon enough he could hear them, bouncing on the dirt and gliding over the grass. Angry, a number of orange balls began to encircle them in swarms.


    "So you had one of those kinds of spells on you, interesting¡­" Takehide snickered as she had taken the aggro of several creatures in a rather small area. "Nice intermediate spell, Rin-tan."


    "Thank you, Takehide-sama," Rino flushed greatly to his compliment. "I will do my best."


    Eclair grasped the hilt of her weapon as she chose this moment to draw her Knightly short sword. Its metallic form slipped from the scabbard smoothly, clipping against the edges as she stood between the spear using members of the party. The noble then took on a battle-ready stance, one leg bent forward and the other supporting in back. With a satisfied smirk, she rested the bobble of the hilt against her hip, keeping one hand on the grip to take down their weak foes.


    Seeing all of the little red pings above the monsters made Takehide feel as if he couldn''t be snuck up upon, at least not easily. As they came, he covered Eclair''s flank while she covered the center. The monsters wanted to target the mage, but with Elena''s quick footwork and use of the rapier, it only took a couple of jabs for the monsters to pop.


    Experience rained upon them, and they continued this for hours. Leveling had become easy with a group this large. In the first couple of hours, they had gained several levels.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Systematically they had moved from patch to patch, luring these monsters to their previous positions and into their grasp. Once they were slain, they collected the numerous shredded remains that littered the grounds together as a unit.


    "We have hundreds of these things, we''ll probably get a silver or two out of this," Elena said as she held a piece of the sunny sky above, seeing through it ever so slightly.


    Reaching over, Takehide inserted a handful of the orange pieces into the spear.


    [ Orange Short Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Orange Short Spear ]


    [ Equipment Bonus: Defense +2 ]


    "Huh, not bad¡­" Takehide commented as he looked over the meager gaining from absorbing the item. The defense wasn''t a bad perk, but it wasn''t really as numerous as his previous gains prior.


    Eventually, after having killed dozens upon dozens of the monstrous orange balls, they began to give looks toward the nearby forest. They had all gained at least five levels since they started. Only as they were beginning their trek towards the direction of their next ''harvest,'' did they come to a stop as they heard the popping of other orange monsters; not of their doing.


    Not too far away was Ren, his group was standing around and watching as he used his rather lacking sword skills to wipe the floor with the orange monsters. It was fascinating to see, even as his group cheered him on along with a group of peasants. However, it was rather dull as well since his party wasn''t doing all that much, likely ordered by Ren himself.


    "I suppose he probably ordered them to standby until he needed them," Takehide could recall from this morning that Ren had said he was more of a loner.


    "Yeah, that does sound likely," Elena frowned as she sheathed her weapon.


    Eclair simply shrugged at this, slipping her weapon back into its warm scabbard as if tucking it into bed. Her mannerisms and how she carried herself were far more elegant than Takehide had expected despite her noble status.


    Kneeling down, he shoved his fingers into the soil and picked up a handful of dirt from the farmland they were standing in. Takehide then proceeded to feed the dirt to his spear until there was a sudden notification.


    [ Rich Soil Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Rich Soil Short Spear ]


    [ Bonus Ability: Soil Enrichment I ]


    "Are¡­ You going to keep feeding everything you see into your spear?" Asked Orson as he stared at the brown-colored edge of his weapon that now matched the dirt.


    "I suppose," Takehide didn''t care all that much what he placed in, but it helped him gain more abilities. The more he could do, the more he could be of use to his friends and to himself. A warrior needed these tools to continue to be loyal to his friends, whether or not they saw him as such yet.


    Squatting on the spot, he kept one hand on his spear as he stared at a small collection of white mushrooms. Without thinking, he reached down and plucked them from the ground one at a time. Once his hand was full, he fed one at a time to his spear as he brought the jeweled end down to his level. He kept doing so until another notification appeared.


    [ Short Mushroom Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Short Mushroom Spear ]


    [ Bonus Ability: Plant Appraisal ]


    "Now that''s what I am talking about," Takehide grinned deviously to himself seeing now that he could appraise plants. This had the potential to make it easier to hunt for particular plants with properties that he wanted. Whilst he already had a poisonous blade he could use, there were plenty of other potent ones out there as he remembered plenty from his world. The main one on his mind was the Nightshade, a plant that belonged to the same family as potatoes. The ones that grow in a particular way above ground were poisonous, lethal to one''s nervous systems, and could be used to create hallucinations. All of these were useful in the battle against a foe that strength alone had too much trouble defeating.


    Standing up from where he was, he could see Naofumi off in the distance. Fighting beside him was the red-haired female with the emerald-colored eyes. A frown formed over his once grinning lips.


    Takehide felt like a dog that felt the instinct to protect his friend, but he couldn''t completely tell what he was wanting to protect him from. Myne, the woman, didn''t seem like a physical threat. The way she wore her smile, the way she danced around with her sword, it didn''t feel as if she had any bad intentions. It purely looked like she was enjoying herself.


    "Takehide-sama," Rino knocked on the armor plating that covered his abdomen, "Let''s go to the forest. I''m sure there are more things you can put in that spear of yours."


    Chuckling at her words, Takehide returned to smiling, "Sounds like a good idea¡­"


    The five of them turned towards the forest and began to move together. They kept within a few paces of one another at all times and didn''t spread out too much.


    Entering through the treeline, the group was gradually surrounded by trees, bushes and ferns. There wasn''t a lot of running room, and there were plenty of roots waiting to trip anyone who dared to retreat from battle. Listening to their surroundings, they knew this place was teeming with life, even if they couldn''t see it right away.


    "So¡­ Are we going to be looking for things to be absorbed into the spear?" Rino asked as she let her head delicately rest to the side, not yet upon her shoulder.


    Kneeling down into the dirt as they all came to a stop, Takehide went out of his way to tear a thick tuft of grass out of the ground. Looking it over as well as the roots that came out along with it, he raised a brow. "Interesting¡­" The back of his mind went to Bamboo, considering it was related to grass. The number of things that grass could be used for was massive, at least in a modern world, so he wondered what he''d get from grass alone.


    Feeding the thick tufts of grass to his spear, he watched as a notification appeared.


    [ Leaf Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Leaf Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Absorption Ability I ]


    "Was grass really worth putting into your Spear?" Eclair stared at him with a dull gaze.


    "Yes, actually," Takehide looked up to her with a grin of his own. "It ate it and seems to have enhanced a valuable skill," he stood up as he glanced over the nearby tree with green leafy plants growing around it. "Though I am curious if there are some that enhance harvest and foraging¡­"


    "Those are plants used for making healing potions and various medicines," Rino pointed out as her gaze followed him. "They''d be useful in the long-run, Takehide-sama."


    "Thank you," Takehide didn''t really need her to tell him about them, he already knew. As he walked over to the plants, he knelt down once more and began carefully picking them from the ground. So just as he had done with the grass only a few seconds ago, he started feeding them to his shield until suddenly another Spear was unlocked.


    [ Medicine Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Medicine Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Potion Efficiency ]


    Warmed by the notification, the Hero continued to pick the items in order to put them into his inventory. Making medicine and potions was something he wanted to try. Plus, making them by hand would allow him to absorb and copy his improved works.


    Standing up from where he had knelt down, he turned to look at the other members of his party. Eclair, Elena, and Orson were looking at the nearby bushes as they were rustling about.


    Rino, on the other hand, was just standing beside him, watching over everything he did. Personally he thought it was rather cute, but he knew she was doing more than just watching him. She was keeping tabs on the rest of the area, even if she wasn''t necessarily using her eyes actively.


    Tilting his spear downwards by a few degrees, he raised a brow and wandered on over to the bush his companions were all surrounding. Just as he stood beside Eclair, what appeared to be a rabbit monster came flying out of the bush directly at him. Leafs and sticks were sewn everywhere from the sudden leap, only for it to end with the sound of self-impalement.


    Everyone gawked at the fluffball in disbelief. They hadn''t even started hunting monsters and one just threw itself onto a spike. What luck is this!? Their gazes peeled away from the now crimson fluid covered, once pearly, white blade to rest upon the Spear Hero. With the spear moved back up to a fixed vertical position, the blood began trickling down the shaft and onto his hand.


    "You have got to be kidding me, did that really just happen?" Takehide couldn''t help but utter as he reached up with his free hand and pulled the corpse free. Resting it on the ground, he looked to Rino, "Can I see that dagger? It''s the closest thing we got to a hunting knife."


    Rino blinked and nodded, "Of course Takehide-sama," bending forwards he lifted her skirt and grasped the exposed hilt of the dagger. Unsheathing it from its hiding place, she handed the hero her weapon.


    Laying the rabbit corpse onto its side, he began to shallowly cut into the layer between the skin and the fat. His fingers could feel the softness of the creature''s pelt, a small smile resting uneasily on his lips. With a bisecting line going down its belly, he began to carefully skin the rabbit and within a short period of time, he held the pelt of fur to his spear.


    Like all the rest of the times, the jewel lit up hungrily and as he fed it the disembodied coat of white fur just disappeared.


    [ UsaHide Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ UsaHide Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Agility +3 ]


    With the rabbit now cut open, he could see the organs in that his spear had pierced which were the heart and lungs. He was thanking the maker that it hadn''t been anything other than those particular organs. Clumsily, he moved his hand into the rabbit as he rested his spear at his side. Despite his unskilled hunting abilities, he carefully cut the spine with the magic dagger and removed it from the body, taking the attached organs with it.


    At the sounds of breaking sticks, Takehide''s eyes immediately shot up to see Orson with several pieces of roughly sharp sturdy-looking sticks. They were still green, which made the male snicker under his breath. "Good thinking," the Hero handed Orson pieces of the edible organs to skewer. He then disposed of the inedible bits by shallowly burying them in a ditch.


    Orson gave a soft hum to himself, as he had gone hunting plenty of times to feed his family in the past. A warm shine met his eyes as he stood the skewers upon the forest floor, the fresh meat and organs suspended from touching the dirty ground.


    Not too long after he was finished with that, Takehide continued to cut the rabbit apart. Without even an ounce of hesitation, he even went on to feed its bones and meat to the Spear as it hungrily accepted the offerings. It didn''t devour the whole rabbit, but it took a nice chunk and gave a notification when it was full.


    [ UsaMeat Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ UsaMeat Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Dissection I ]


    Giving it a bit more bones from the rabbit monster, he got another notification.


    [ UsaBone Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ UsaBone Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: ATK +5 ]


    "I can get used to this," Takehide snickered to himself as he wiped his bloodied hands in the dirt after putting the rest of the rabbit in his inventory. His eyes fixed on the grass after a few seconds before he started putting that into his inventory as well, handfuls at a time.


    "What are you doing, Takehide-sama?" Elena knelt down beside him curiously.


    "Experimenting," he responded automatically without much thought before opening the crafting screen. There were a number of tools he could apparently make from the rabbit bones. Like a hunting knife with a plastic handle that enriched the meat of Usa-Monsters that were flayed with it. It combined the grass as ingredients, due to plastic being made from the classic green grain.


    When he looked over the other tools, he found he could also make bone marrow paste and various other objects. There was even white dye. As he continued down there was some green ointment that could be made from the green leaves he had been picking earlier.


    It seemed he needed to combine it with something else in order to make anything more. Thankfully after consuming certain objects back in the town, such as the potion and holy water, he had their recipes within his spear.


    Holding the magic dagger by its blade, Takehide held the hilt of the weapon out for Rino to take, "Here you go Rin-tan, you can have this back."


    Rino gave a likely disturbing smile, her eyes widened a bit, as she took hold of the hilt. The weapon was covered in the blood from the rabbit and wasn''t the least bit appealing in the slightest. Nonetheless, she wiped the blood off on the nearby bush before concealing it within her boot again.


    Takehide, all the while, used the crafting screen in order to create the hunting knife from the bones of the monstrously-sized Lagomorpha.


    "Orson-san," Takehide turned his gaze towards the man, "I would like you and Eclair to work together in order to get more rabbits. This is practice for working in pairs," he said as he stood up.


    "Yes, Master." Orson nodded to the man, a grin across his lips as he appeared to superficially recognize the Spear Hero as such.


    "Do not call me Master," Takehide nearly cried.


    "Young Master?" Orson asked with a stern voice.


    "Just call me Takehide like the rest of the party, Orson-san." Takehide didn''t want to be called Master despite its ego-tripping goodness.


    "Takehide-sama," Eclair stepped toward the Spear Hero, her illusionary eyes piercing right through him. "May I ask how much martial training you''ve had?"


    Takehide''s gaze rested upon the Knight, a brow raised. "I''d have to say I started martial training when I was ten, so about eight years, if not nine. To say the least, a grotesque fighting spirit is popular with my family." Of course, he was talking about martial arts, nothing really related to military strategy. However, he did spend four years in the academy learning how much teamwork, loyalty, and cooperation was necessary for a successful operation.


    Eclair smirked hearing that the hero was trained in the ways of fighting, though she still wondered just how prepared he was. It seemed she was going to find out in the days to come.


    With his spear out in front of him, he used the crafting system to make the hunting knife. The next thing he knew, the tool was raising from the jeweled handle first. Grasping it as the item emerged, he drew it from the jewel and looked over its workmanship.


    From what was seen, there was no indication that its durability was going to be very high. If anything the bones had a higher chance of being brittle. From closer inspection, the item even appeared to be modulated towards mass production in terms of quality. Just from that, Takehide knew it wasn''t the best knife there was, but it was enough to get the job done. The one thing that stood out, however, was that his weapon had consumed all of the grass he had put into the spear.


    Slipping the knife into his sleeve armor to be easily drawn when needed, he turned and glanced toward the direction of the Castle Town.


    "Takehide-sama," Rino had reached over and tugged on the studded jacket of the Hero''s.


    "What is it?" His eyes traced over Rino, before looking over Elena as well who were both eagerly looking at him. Though Elena seemed a bit less eager to enter combat again, she seemed up to the challenge.


    "What are we going to do?" Rino''s eyes gleamed from the evening sun as she inquired, as a way to answer his question; her upper lip laxly overlapping the lower as she did.


    "Foraging for anything that could be remotely useful, including alchemic ingredients. Refining and adding to my collection of spears is paramount." Takehide knew this much from the game that he had seen back in his world. It was incredibly similar, especially even the layout of the world. The screenshots though couldn''t have given this place justice, making this place far more real than any virtual simulation he had ever seen. He was sure, though, that all of this was real and none of it was simulated or part of some sort of joke. Takehide had already ruled that out since he, for one, remembered dying.


    "Before we all split up, I want to remind everyone to stay within sight of one another. While we''re able to monitor each other''s vitals, we cannot take the chance of getting hurt or lost." Takehide announced to the group, causing them all to nod to him.


    Rino and Elena both turned on their heels and went looking around for just about anything that fit his parameters. Mushrooms, berries, flowers, insects; there was no end to it.


    Rino and Elena both used the outer skirting of their attires to carry the things that they''ve collected. Around the same time, Orson and Eclair were tracking down rabbits in the area, as well as luring out other creatures that may be hiding in trees or their own burrows. Rabbits tended to live in colonies, so if there was one nearby, then there was a chance there were many others.


    Takehide, on the other hand, was collecting sticks, broad branches, and rocks. Ultimately he was forming a pile of sticks in a pyramid-like structure. He surrounded it with the stones of varying sizes and made a small pit around it as well.


    A couple of hours and several dead monsters later, a collection of plush blankets made of monster fur skins rested upon the ground. The party had all gained at least a level, at max two. On top of them were monster drops and the items found during scavenging: Blue, red, and green spotted mushrooms. An enigmatic looking flower with purple petals that gave an ominous glimmer. Then there were plenty of other things like a dead butterfly, cocoons, and a partially crushed giant spider. Next to those was a pile of quills from a porcupine, a dead snake with a big lump inside of it.


    Orson appeared to have already deskinned the monsters, even gutted them for their organs, and wrapped the meats in large leaves found in the area. They were neatly packaged too, with handspun twine.


    "Orson-san¡­" Takehide narrowed on the warrior.


    "What is it, Takehide-sama?" Orson nearly snapped to attention when being addressed.


    Takehide pointed to the meat and creased a brow, "Can you teach me how to make twine like that?" Finding that it could make some things easier when it came to crafting his own items.


    "I don''t see why not, Takehide-sama." Orson looked to Rino, who nodded in a soft giggle.


    "Good," Takehide chuckled to himself before looking at Eclair who was looking over the fire pit he had put together.


    "You seem to know how to make an adequate campfire," Eclair noted, "Are you used to sleeping outside?" She asked curiously as she let her eyes trace over the Japanese male''s face.


    "Yes, my father used to take me camping prior to the colder seasons. We often went fishing, come to think of it," Takehide smiled as he thought back to his family. He personally didn''t want to know how they were taking his death, or if they had the chance to ever learn what happened.


    Squatting down in front of the blankets now though, he peered over all of the unique objects that had been brought to him. For as far as his imagination went, it felt like these items were almost offerings to a god. The thought though quickly passed as he reached forward with the spear to scan over the objects. When the jewel lit up, like a metal detector, he picked the target up and fed it to his spear.


    [ Butterfly Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Butterfly Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Paralysis Resistance I ]


    [ Mandragora Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Mandragora Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Plant Analysis ]


    [ Blue Mushroom Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Blue Mushroom Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Simple Recipe I ]


    [ Green Mushroom Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Green Mushroom Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Apprenticeship Compounding ]


    [ Red Mushroom Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Red Mushroom Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Foraging I ]


    [ Egg Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Egg Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Cooking I ]


    [ Animal NeedleSpear Unlocked! ]


    [ Animal Needle Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: ATK +1 ]


    [ Porcupine Bone Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Porcupine Bone Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: SP up (Small) ]


    Swaying slightly to keep his balance, Takehidde narrowed his eyes on the spearhead as the jewel lit up over the sticks. "Well, that was probably to be expected¡­" Reaching over he grabbed a handful of the dry wood and fed them to the spear. After he did that, he was given a notification just as he was about to start feeding some curious-looking rocks to the eternally hungering gem.


    [ Wood Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Wood Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Collection Skill I ]


    [ Stone Spear Unlocked! ]


    [ Stone Spear ]


    [ Bonus Abilities: Apprentice Sculpting ]


    "I suppose that will have to do¡­?" Takehide wore a conflicted expression as it seemed not everything could be placed within his spear. Especially as he was holding a handful of dead ants, there was no reaction from the spear. "At least now I know it isn''t all-absorbing," his eyes narrowed on the insects in his hand. "Perhaps I can make protein supplements out of them."


    Elena''s face twisted at his words, disgusted by the idea of eating bugs.


    Rino blinked at his ingenuity, however, knowing that protein was something good to have even if there was nothing to eat. "Rations?" She asked as she looked over the ants he was slipping into his inventory to craft later.


    "I suppose you could put it that way, they''ll definitely stop you from dying of starvation," Takehide snickered as Eclair nodded in agreement, even though he could only see her from the corner of his eye, he felt as if she was spacing out. "You seem to have something on your mind," he didn''t look at her, "Want to talk about it?"


    "Hm?" Eclair finally narrowed her gaze on the Hero as she had done times before, "It''s nothing of importance, I assure you. Let''s just get ourselves onto her feet."


    Takehide nodded to her words, knowing exactly what she was thinking about now. Whilst she had gotten away with not getting a slave mark, he was sure she was thinking of how she could feasibly clear her name. He was all too aware that the church was the main thing that stood in her way, and the only possible way for her to survive was by surviving until its inevitable dissolution. For the most part, he knew how he wanted to destroy the Church. The only way to do so was to eliminate its financial support and those who endorse it. In order to do that though, he needed power and skill, but to also betray himself if he wished to survive and remain loyal to his friends¡­ The other heroes and his party. The samurai grimaced at the thought that wounded his pride.


    As the Spear Hero, he knew what he had to do. So then, Takahide went about collecting everything that was on the blankets, including the blankets themselves, into his inventory. Even going as far as collecting the neatly wrapped meat as well as the items for the firepit.


    With everything packed away, the group made their way to the edge of the forest. There was nothing in their way, and as they peered to the sky they could see the sky was turning pink. Half of the sky had already surrendered to the night.


    "T-Takehide-sama," Rino stuttered as if she had something else on her mind, "We should hurry up back to town. The monsters get more active at night..."


    "Ah, Understood, then we should¨C" He stopped in his tracks after they had gotten several hundred paces outside of the forest. It felt as if someone was glaring at him? No, someone was glaring at Rino. Turning his head, his eyes were resting on a trio off to the right of his party.


    Naofumi was with the girl with red hair, named Myne, but next to them was Lucy with the purple hair and scantily clad attire. Lucy''s arm seemed to be hooked upon Naofumi''s. Had she slithered into his good graces? Quickly though he could see the glistening of Lucy''s gaze from the corner of her eye. She was looking at them with a smirk across her lips, and not a good one at that.


    "Now if only the Dragon''s Tooth had enhanced hearing¡­" Takehide mumbled under his breath as he could see they were talking. Myne was laughing and Lucy seemed like she was gossiping, subtly gesturing in their direction.


    "I feel bad for him," Elena was nearly blue in the face as she knew who Myne was.


    Eclair wasn''t so happy either seeing what was going on, a powerful frown across her lips.


    That was when Lucy and Myne both looked in their direction, this time directly. A scowl rapidly appeared on the redhead''s face. The two of them quickly turned and started to march toward Takehide, initially leaving Naofumi behind before he decided to tag along behind them.


    The Shield Hero seemed rather conflicted.


    "What are they planning now¡­?" The Spear Hero and his party all remained still, just watching them approach at their own free will.


    "You!" Myne called out, pointing directly at Takehide as if he had done something wrong.


    Takehide raised a brow feigning surprise, pointing to himself as if it was unclear but he was just messing with her, "Me?"


    "Give me back my money!" Lucy didn''t hesitate to shove two fingers against his armor plate, but he didn''t budge whatsoever. Even then her confidence didn''t falter, even as his shadow overtook her.


    "I never took any of your money," Takehide''s eye twitched.


    "H-He never took any of your money!" Rino squealed, backing him up.


    Elena simply remained quiet, watching the duo.


    "Haha! Very funny, my friend just told us you took her money and kicked her out of your party!" Myne scoffed at his denial of the charge, shoving her finger in his face. "You do know you and your party will be punished if you don''t return her cash! Sir Shield, tell him!"


    After a few seconds of just looking at everyone, Naofumi raised a brow, "Did you take their money?"


    "No," Takehide didn''t respond harshly, but his tone was almost robotic.


    Eclair was unimpressed by Myne and Lucy''s little show, crossing her arms and shaking her head.


    "That is that then," Naofumi let his arms dangle at his side with a fragile smile across his lips, "He didn''t steal your money. I have no reason not to trust him¡­" He said this with a light shrug.


    "Sir Shield! How could you!" Lucy cried as if she had been betrayed, "Why are you taking his side?"


    "Because he is another Hero, and he clearly has no reason to take your money¡­" He gestured towards the other members of the Spear Hero''s group. "He could''ve just asked for more from the King if he was really in a tough spot."


    Lucy scowled, seeing as the Shield Hero wasn''t taking their side. "I bet you were in on it!" She pointed to Naofumi, immediately turning on him as she hadn''t gotten her way.


    Naofumi blinked in confusion, "I haven''t seen him since this morning."


    "I don''t think that''s possible Lucy," Myne clung to Naofumi''s side, pressing herself into him as if siding with the Shield Hero. However, the smile she wore on her face said more than any words she had spilled out of her mouth.


    "You remind me of someone I used to know," Takehide narrowed his eyes as he remembered a knife buried under his arm. Ghost pains tingled throughout his bodily structure, but on the outside, he showed no signs of them.


    "Oh really?" Myne seemed to have liked what she heard, excitedly she turned her eyes to the Spear Hero. Her emerald eyes seemed to outcast all of those around him, placing her in his palm like a puppet. Yet in his mind-space, he had already cut the strings and smiled to her with a nod. "Yaaaaayyy!"


    Rolling his eyes, Takehide let out a soft breath.


    "I''m done with you guys!" Lucy announced, tears in her eyes as her arms were thrown down to her sides in a stringent manner. Quickly enough she was growling under her breath as she retreated alone back towards the fortress town.


    Little did Takehide know, was that she was smirking with her back to them. By the time she readopted a more erect and proper posture, she was already outside of his line of sight.


    "Hm¡­ Since that is done and over with," Takehide''s eyes stopped on Naofumi, "We''ll be heading back to town now." Patting a hand on the Shield Hero''s shoulder as they passed, Takehide and his party made themselves scarce.