The Substitution of the Shield Hero

The effects of feeding the young girl the Transcendent Elixir of Rebirth were immediate. A pure rainbow light covered her body and visibly began restoring it.

The slave trader gasped. “Sir Hero!” He immediately turned towards me and said, “What kind of divine potion is that?! No, why are you using it on a mere slave?!”

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s an experiment. And before you ask, no I’m not selling it.”

“But-“

“Are you going to fight me over this? Think carefully before you answer.”

The slave trader paused and then let out a long sigh. “…Forgive me, Sir Hero. I was caught up in the atmosphere.”

“So long as you realized it.”

I turned back to face the broken girl… or formerly broken girl.

The light was dying down. It seemed that the elixir’s effects were finishing up.

The slave trader turned to examine her as well and then his eyes widened, enough that I could see them behind his wide sunglasses. “A miracle…”

If I didn’t know any better, I’d agree.

Before, there was a broken girl kneeling in the cage. Horrific wounds and scars riddled her body, the result of long maltreatment and abuse, physical, mental, and...

Well. It was obvious what her state was.

But now, none of that was visible.

Instead, there was a beautiful young girl. She was naked, as she was before taking the elixir, allowing me to see her bare and unblemished body. That blackened and bruised skin was healed, returning to a pristine pallor like pure white jade. Her burned scalp and torn ears were restored, revealing cute fox ears and silky silver threads. Her arms and legs were restored as well, along with a fluffy white tail hanging above her bare bottom.

The slave trader turned to face me. “…Sir Hero. If you ever intend to sell that medicine-“

“You’ll be the first to know. But more importantly…” I faced the young fox girl and called out. “Are you awake?”

She stirred, her closed eyes slowly opening to reveal a pair of amethyst orbs. She looked around, confused, before focusing on me. “You-“ She spoke and then her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. When she did, her eyes widened even further as she stared at her hands.

With trembling lips and watery eyes, she slowly patted the rest of her body. And finally, she reached up to her head and gently brushed her ears.

That was the last straw.

The young fox girl broke out into tears. Even so, she turned towards me and grabbed my chest. “Thank… you.” She muttered those two words between sobs and kept repeating them. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you-“

“Enough.”

I grabbed the young fox girl’s shoulders and then pushed her back. Afterwards, I quickly sketched out a rough dress and synthesized it.

“Hoh?!” The slave trader exclaimed from behind me, but I ignored him and handed it to the young fox girl.

“Put this on and then follow me. We’re leaving.”

The young fox girl took the dress with trembling hands, as if it was the most precious thing she ever received. Staring at me with watery eyes, she smiled and nodded before starting to dress herself.

It didn’t take long, and then I had another girl walking behind me and holding the hem of my shirt.

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I noticed Raphtalia open her eyes to peek, but quickly shut them when she noticed me watching.

The slave trader shook his head in amazement. “How unfathomable. I can’t help but wonder now how our Wise King made such a poor decision as to have you as an enemy. If you were an ally…”

“Well, there aren’t any what ifs in this world, are there?”

“Indeed, there aren’t. Well then… I don’t suppose you want to purchase anything else today, Sir Hero? After all, your funds…”

“Not right now. Maybe soon.”

The slave trader sighed. “I suppose that was too much to hope for. But then again, you’ve spent quite a bit already. Allow me to guide you out. It’s the least I can do for such an honored guest.”

===

Finally, I was outside the slave tent. I never realized just how great it was to have fresh air… even if it was dirtied by being in the city slums.

The girls seemed to enjoy it as well.

Raphtalia was a bit subdued, but she smiled a bit when she sniffed the air.

The fox girl on the other hand was more expressive, staring at everything with a bright smile.

Since no one was around, I decided to get introductions out of the way first. That ‘slave a’ and ‘slave b’ thing was annoying me.

“So, tell me your names. You first, raccoon girl.”

She coughed, and then muttered, “Raphtalia.”

I nodded. “Lia then.”

She frowned at the shortened name, but simply nodded.

I turned towards the fox girl. “And you?”

She stopped looking around and turned to face me. “I… don’t remember my name, Master.” She smiled. “You may call me whatever you wish.”

Hm. She seemed pretty educated and polite. Was it the result of the noble upbringing? Still, not remembering her name huh? Since the crest didn’t trigger, she wasn’t lying.

“…Alright. Then your name from now on is Sylvia.”

The beautiful young fox girl, Sylvia, muttered her name over and over under her breath as if trying to burn it into her soul. After a moment, she nodded and gave me a bright smile. “Thank you, Master.”

I stared at the two young girls, my new slaves.

They stared back.

Rapthalia… Lia stared at me with cautious but hopeful eyes. Sylvia, on the other hand, stared at me with eyes sparkling with adoration.

It was an interesting feeling. Was this how it felt to be a father?

Either way, I grabbed their hands, Lia in my right and Sylvia in my left. “Let’s go get you girls properly geared up.

===

“You…” Oyaji was dumbstruck when I brought Lia and Sylvia into the weapon shop.

“What? They need equipment.”

I might be able to use my crappy equipment, but if I was going to be training them to properly fight, they needed real equipment, not my disposable temporary gear.

After staring at the girls for a while, Oyaji let out a deep sigh. “Is this country really that corrupted, or did you become rotten to the bone? …Whatever, I’m getting money out of this either way.” He sighed and said, “What are you looking for?”

“Beginner’s equipment. Probably daggers or short swords, as well as some light armor. Also some ordinary clothes if you’ve got any. Price doesn’t matter, but make sure it’s something that wouldn’t build an overreliance on equipment.”

“Hm… Alright.” Oyaji went around and picked up the various equipment.

At the same time, Lia stared at me. “Goshujin-sama… why do we need equipment?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you yet, didn’t I? You two are going to be fighting with me.”

“Fighting?” Lia paled.

Before she could say anything else, Oyaji came back carrying a bundle of knives.

“Here. These are all basic knives. They’re pretty durable and should be a good beginner weapon, all under 10 silver.”

I nodded and made Lia and Sylvia go through holding each knife to find one they were comfortable with.

When they did, Oyaji handed over some clothes and a mantle before guiding us all to the changing room.

“Alright girls. Go change.”

Lia and Sylvia grabbed their clothing and then went inside to change.

That left me and Oyaji.

“…Oi, lad. Are you really going to make them fight?”

“Of course. That’s the reason I bought them.”

Oyaji stared at me and frowned. “…Even though you can do it on your own? You might be the Shield Hero, but that doesn’t mean you’re weak. I’ve seen how many monster drops you bring in to exchange.”

“Why should I be fighting by myself? Those other heroes have companions. I’m simply buying my own and making sure they can’t betray me. It’s a much easier solution than having to get rid of a body later because they had the bright idea to run off with gear and free experience.”

Oyaji sighed.

At that time, Lia and Sylvia walked out of the changing room. Lia had changed into a plain brown sweater with blue jeans, while Sylvia was wearing a beige blouse and denim skirt.

Both of the girls walked over to me, though with varying expressions.

I handed both of them their knives and then knelt down to their eye levels.

“Lia. Sylvia. From this point onwards, we will be fighting monsters together. Do you two understand?”

Lia nodded, but her gaze was frightened.

Sylvia nodded as well, but she still seemed hesitant.

Good. Since they knew that ahead of time, they wouldn’t be caught off guard by the slave crest for trying to not fight.

“Now then…” I reached into my mantle and pulled out an orange balloon. “Lia. Kill this.”

“Hii?!” Lia screamed in shock and dropped her weapon. “N-No.”

“It’s an order.”

“I-I can’t.” Lia shook her head. But then the slave crest flared. Lia started coughing and grabbed her chest.

I stared apathetically. “Come on. It’s only going to get worse the longer you don’t kill this thing.”

Lia coughed, her face distorting in pain. With great effort, she firmly grasped her knife and then turned to face the balloon.

“You…” Oyaji stared at us, stunned.

I ignored him and held out the balloon in front of Lia’s face. “Kill it.”

She finally steeled herself and then swung her knife.

It bounced off.

“Harder!”

“E-eh? Hah!”

Lia stepped forward and swung her knife again. This time, the balloon popped.

[An ally has defeated an enemy]

[Exp 1]

[Companion Exp 1]

I nodded and then patted Lia’s head. “Good job.”

“E-eh?” Lia stared up at me with wide eyes, completely confused.

I turned to Sylvia and pulled out another balloon. This one was tougher, a red balloon. “Your turn. Sylvia, kill this monster.”

I held out the red balloon. Though it squirmed, I held it tightly, preventing escape.

“Y-yes, Master!”

Sylvia let out a breath and then swung her knife at the balloon’s body. Like Lia’s, it bounced off. However, Sylvia immediately swung it again. That happened for a few more strikes before the balloon popped.

[Exp 1]

[Companion Exp 6]

I nodded. “Good. We’ll be fighting like this for a while then until you two level up more. But for now, just keep fighting like this.”

Lia coughed and then nodded. She sheathed her knife around her waist and obediently followed me.

Sylvia did the same.

When I saw that, I passed the cost of the equipment to Oyaji and started walking out of the shop.

But before we left, Oyaji called out. “Oi. Lad… no, Naofumi. I’ve got something to say to you.”

I turned around to look at him. “Yeah?”

Oyaji scowled and said, “DON’T YOU EVER. DIE. DISHONORABLY! You hear?”

I scoffed and turned around. “Of course.”

Like that, I left the store along with my new companions, fully geared up for battle, hand in hand.

We immediately headed towards the meadows, but along the way we passed by street stalls and stores. While Lia held my hand and walked beside me, she restlessly glanced around the town.

Sylvia was looking around as well, but her gaze was more relaxed, filled with awe and amazement, as if everything was fresh and new.

We kept walking, but as we passed the food stalls, Lia’s stomach rumbled.

I paused. Right then, Sylvia’s rumbled as well.

Both of the girls looked away, pretending it didn’t happen. I sighed and then pulled them along to a nearby restaurant. From what I remembered, it should be decently priced.

A server called out to us when we walked in. “Wel-“ His voice caught in his throat when he saw Lia and Sylvia following me. “…come. I’ll lead you to your table.”

He seemed visibly displeased but did his job professionally, leading us to a table in the corner of the room.

Along the way, Lia stared at a mother and child pair. Specifically, she stared at the meal that the kid was eating.

Glancing over at Sylvia, I saw that she was staring at the meal as well.

The server sat us down and then asked for our orders.

“I’ll have the cheapest meal on the menu and these two will have whatever that kid over there is eating.”

Lia froze and turned to look at me with amazement.

Sylvia turned as well, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Really, such contrasting expressions… though I suppose that was because of how they became my slaves.

The server nodded. “Understood. That comes to a total of 15 copper coins.”

“Here.” I flipped a silver coin at him. Surprised, he almost dropped it. “Keep the change.”

The server’s dour expression brightened a bit and then he left to fulfill our orders.

At that time, people began to gossip. Whether it was because they realized who I was, or because of Sylvia and Lia, I didn’t know. Not that it mattered either way.

A soft whisper called out. “Why?”

“Hm?”

It was Lia. She was staring at me with eyes filled with wonder.

“What,” I said. “Did you not want to eat?”

Lia quickly shook her head. “Wh-why… would you let me eat that lunch?”

“And I’m asking, do you not want to eat it?”

I frowned and turned towards Sylvia. “What about you, Sylvia? Do you not want it either?”

“E-Eh?” Sylvia blinked and then shook her head, causing her silver hair to scatter. “Oh, it’s great, Master! I’m happy with eating whatever you allow me! Even skipping meals is no problem!”

I sighed. “Good enthusiasm, but I’m not going to make you skip meals. What good will you two be if you’re malnourished and hungry? I’ve invested too much in you two to just let you die now, you know.”

Sylvia rapidly nodded while Lia frowned.

“But, Goshujin-sama,” Lia started to say. “I-“

At that time, the server returned. “Sorry for the wait, dear customer.” He placed our plates on the table before us.

Mine was a plain salad with various veggies. As for Lia and Sylvia, it seemed that they got a little kid’s meal entrée. It was a mountain of what looked like fried rice, topped off with a tiny flag. Off to the side, there were a bunch of smaller appetizers, like fruits and veggies.

Lia froze and glanced at me.

Sylvia did the same.

I frowned. “…Again, do you two not want to eat?”

Lia shook her head. “I do. But… is this really alright?”

I sighed. “…Just eat already. Both of you.”

With that, they finally did. Lia gently plucked off the flag and then began eating the food with her bare hands.

Sylvia pulled off the flag as well, but unlike Lia, she used the silverware to eat her food.

I stared at the two for a little longer and then went back to eating my food.