The Substitution of the Shield Hero

I immediately opened my eyes and looked towards the distance. Back towards Melromarc.

"...Did something happen?"

<Detection Shield Mk II> wasn't activating.

But for some reason, I felt a vague sense of unease... Not quite anxiety, but definitely tension.

"Master?" Sylvia's voice echoed from the room nearby. "Did you say something?"

Alarm bells were ringing in my head.

I didn't know why.

But my gut was telling me that just sitting here in the bath and relaxing would lead to something irreversible.

So I quickly got up, used my inventory to quickly dry myself and change into clothes, and then walked out into the living room of the village chief's home.

Lia was sitting at a table nearby, sharpening her sword. When she saw me enter, as well as my expression, she frowned. "What's wrong, Goshujin-sama?"

Sylvia was sitting on the rocking chair at the other side of the room, knitting a scarf from some spare wool. Seeing my expression, she quickly put it away and stood up, resting her hand on her sword. "Master? What are-"

> An enemy has initiated combat! Be warned!

An alarm bell in my head. <Detection Shield MK II> activating and warning me of an enemy attack.

At the same time, <Sentinel Shield Mk II> activated, automatically drawing the invisible attack towards me.

I didn't know what was going on. But I grabbed Fragarach and swung.

The moment I did...

"What the hell?!"

...The sound of shattering glass and chains echoed, revealing a tall man in a billowy robe holding a shattered kusarigama, its chain falling apart on the ground with soft clinks.

No words were necessary.

Sylvia drew her blade in an instant and moved to pierce the unknown assailant's heart. But-

"Hmph. Not gonna work!"

...The man laughed as a golden shield sprang forth, blocking her attack. "I don't know how you guys detected me, but-"

I swung Fragarach again, aiming at the man's neck.

He looked at me, amused. "<Absolute Shield> will-"

*schnick*

The clear sound of cleaved flesh.

The man's eyes widened in surprise.

A soft thud as his decapitated head hit the ground, rolling a few feet. Then his body tipped over, leaking blood all over the ground.

As it did...

> Your opponent is from a different world!

> Nullifying conceptual armaments!

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Absolute Shield] has been nullified!

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Self-Resurrection] has been nullified!

> By defeating the Vassel Hero of an invading world, your capacity has increased!

> Current capacity: 10,000 => 11,000

> Notice! Killing otherworldly heroes will not grant experience to your allies!

...A flurry of messages emerged in front of my field of view.

"...Well, shit. DEFINITELY not in the web novel."

I held out my left hand and used <Condensation>, <Oxidize>, and <Earthbend> to get rid of the body and mess by converting it into charcoal and various minerals. Then I stored everything into my inventory along with the shattered weapon.

Sylvia immediately moved to my left side, her violet eyes scanning the surroundings.

Lia moved to my right, sword raised and on full alert. "Goshujin-sama... Wasn't this place supposed to be safe?"

"It is. Whoever... WHATEVER that was approached us in a way that bypassed normal means." I stayed on guard as well, Fragarach still held in my hands while I kept a low guard.

One second.

Two...

After a minute, and after only hearing the sounds of the villagers' cheerful banter and conversation outside, I relaxed.

But damn...

'...Is this a part of the wave too?'

I had only read the NovelFire, and I had heard that the light novel and anime were VASTLY different. Enough to be a completely separate body of work. But...

"...I didn't think that there would be invading heroes."

There was Glass. That Fan Hero, if I remembered right.

But this person?

Completely new. Foreign.

I glanced at my inventory and the item that was clearly marked <Otherworldly Vassal Hero Weapon - Kusarigama (broken)>.

Sylvia didn't sheath her sword. But she relaxed a little. "...Should we relocate, Master?"

Lia nodded, looking at me with concern. "If this place isn't safe... should we head back to the forest, Goshujin-sama?"

"No." I shook my head. "...This may sound callous. But at least here, we can buy time with the villagers' lives."

As long as we were around people, these otherworldly assassins... if there were more.

As long as there were witnesses, they would have to tread lightly and use stealth to reach us without alerting anyone.

And as cold as it was to say it, my life, as well as Lia's and Sylvia's mattered more than these villagers.

But if we did as Lia suggested and headed off alone... if we tried to spare these villagers by moving.

Then whatever hidden party this was could probably send anyone they wanted. Especially if it was in a remote place like the forest we had been in before.

It was clear that I had caught this guy off guard. And he was probably just a scout.

But if there were more, and people who didn't arrogantly rely on their abilities but had gone for the kill from the start...

Lia pursed her lips, clearly not liking the thought. But she slowly nodded and said, "...I understand, Goshujin-sama."

Sylvia's fox ears twitched, listening to the surroundings. Then she said, "...Should I set up an illusion spell?"

Lia's eyes lit up and she said, "Yes. I can help with that. Goshujin-sama, should we?"

"...No. Not yet." I paused, mulling over the situation. "...Let's save that as a trump card. Right now, I think this was just a probing force."

I couldn't be sure of who was watching us.

There wasn't anyone in the immediate vicinity, or I'd sense it. But just in case, it was a good policy to not reveal too much.

Right now, the sharpest weapon I had was surprise and information blackout.

Still...

Wait.

If there was an assassin here for ME.

And if my system labeled his weapon as <Otherworldly Vassal Weapon>... and also since it gave me capacity points for killing him...

"...Those three stooges are in danger."

Lia blinked. "Three stooges, Goshujin-sama?"

Sylvia's violet eyes widened. "The other Legendary Heroes!"

"Dammit."

As much as I disliked those guys and thought they were fools...

I didn't know what would happen if they dropped dead.

And I ALSO didn't know what was going on since this was CLEARLY not the NovelFire, so those were the only sources of intel I had.

I couldn't let them die before I at least got that information out of them. So...

"I got more capacity, might as well use it."

...It existed, right? A <Portal Shield> that let a user return to people they designated as allies. I remembered Naofumi using it in the NovelFire.

Didn't know if it was accurate here, and I wasn't the shield hero anymore anyway, but with my system, I should be able to make it.

Now, I just had to implement it without having any compilation errors...!

===

Portal Shield Mk I: A shield that utilizes the bridge between the user and a target born from the relationship and memories that exist between them. Time cannot be fooled, but space can be folded. The user and his party may warp to the side of an allied force after targeting the allied force and declaring the activation word "Warp." 1000 capacity.

Current capacity: 1995/11000

===

'Thank god.'

I was crunched for time, but it worked out.

Maybe.

Was it because I was bruteforcing a ridiculous phenomenon? Because the system had accepted my hasty implementation? Or because since I wasn't the Shield Hero anymore?

For some reason, the cost of the shield had gone up. But it didn't matter. What DID was that it worked and that I had it.

"Get ready, Lia, Sylvia!"

I swung my left arm out. Light blossomed like a 3D printer, reforging Shattered Veil into a shield on my left arm that looked like a mirror. And within it, I saw Ren desperately defending against a blurry figure wielding a shamshir while both Itsuki and Motoyasu were laying behind him, burned and unconscious.

"Yes, Goshujin-sama!"

"I'm ready, Master!"

"Alright! Then... <Warp>!"

Just like in the wave, the surroundings blurred as space bent to shift us through it.

But unlike in the wave, I didn't stay still. Instead, I immediately swung Fragarach roughly where the shamshir-wielder would be when we arrived.

"Ehehehe- What?!"

The attack from the shamshir-wielder that would have gone towards Ren's neck suddenly swerved towards me.

I deflected it with my shield, causing my shield to crack from the impact.

'Huh? Does it have durability now?'

Something to note for later.

But I had more important concerns at the moment.

I took a step forward and swung Fragarach at my opponent.

The moment I did...

> Your opponent is from a different world!

> Nullifying conceptual armaments!

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Absolute Shield] has been nullified!

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Translocating Light] has been nullified!

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Disarming Shot: Earth Evasion] has been disabled.

.

.

.

> Your opponent's conceptual ability [Self-Resurrection] has been nullified!

Did that guy see the same messages I saw?

The shamshir-wielder's beady eyes widened in a panic. His cloak fluttered as he tried to jump back, his brown hair waving in the wind.

But-

"Lia!"

"Got it, Sylvia!"

-My companions were faster.

Lia darted right and pivoted on her left foot to spin and cut at the man's legs.

Meanwhile, Sylvia darted out to the left before springing to the right with a thrust towards the man's heart.

Seeing the opening, Ren moved forward as well, his sword glowing blue with... a Sword Art?

...Is this guy unironically Kirito?

But either way, Ren suddenly vaulted forward, spinning in the air and slashing horizontally, parallel to the ground.

A three-pronged flank without any means to escape.

The shamshir-wielder glared at me and said, "Don't think you've won! The Army of the Waves will-!"

Splashing blood. Tearing flesh.

And a second later, the shamshir-wielder's body fell to the floor in pieces.

Confirming his death...

> By defeating the Vassel Hero of an invading world, your capacity has increased!

> Current capacity: 11,000 => 12,000

> Notice! Killing otherworldly heroes will not grant experience to your allies!

...The system sent out a flurry of notifications.

Ren landed on the floor and let out a relieved sigh. Afterwards, he looked up at me and let out a faint smile. "...So you DO know the plot after all."

I blinked. "...What?"

"Eh?"

"No, what do you mean-?"

A pair of groans echoed from behind me.

Motoyasu slowly rose to his feet, his wounds actively healing as I looked at him. Probably from a skill. "...What hit me?"

Itsuki slowly pushed himself up too. Opening his inventory, he pulled out a glittering potion and drank it, his wounds fading in no time. Then he saw me and said, "Naofumi?"

"...Oookay." I slowly blinked. "...I think it's time we had a proper discussion. Ah, but first, the body. <Condensation>, <Oxidization>, <Earthbending>."

I got rid of the body and mess like I did the other one, storing all the drops in my inventory...

And then I noticed that Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu had all paled.

I blinked and said, "What?"

Did I do something weird?

Ren let out a nervous laugh, slowly edging towards the door. "...You don't... hold a grudge against us, do you?"

I tilted my head and said, "Not particularly. Well, Motoyasu's a dick, but it's not like any of you crossed the line with me. Yet."

Motoyasu swallowed and saluted. "Yes, Naofumi-dono! No line crossing! Completely understood!"

Itsuki quickly nodded. "Yes! Absolutely! Aniki, no worries from us! We'll stay right in line!"

I blinked. 'Naofumi... dono? And Aniki...? What the heck?'

Sylvia giggled. "As you should~"

Lia laughed and looked at me. "Goshujin-sama... I think they're scared of you!"

"...But why? All I did was-"

I paused, thinking about what it looked like from an outside perspective.

Specifically, the fact that I had a procedure for getting rid of a body so cleanly, the fact that I did it like it was a routine chore, and that I was moving along like nothing had happened.

And the fact that I had DEFINITELY announced myself as American when we met, along with all the stereotypes that entailed to an average Japanese guy...

...They probably thought I was a serial killer.

Motoyasu nervously tugged at his chainmail. The same chainmail he got from Mein. "...H-Hypothetically, Naofumi-dono... I-If a guy was given a gift from a girl he didn't know belonged to you..."

Itsuki immediately smacked his head to the ground in a deep bow and said, "DON'T TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE ME!"

I groaned and covered my face.