The Substitution of the Shield Hero

The news spread like wildfire, mostly because the people of Libertas helped spread it.

Zeltoble had fallen.

The world was punishing its inhabitants due to the presence of slavery.

The waves had pushed forward and erased each and every slave owner and merchant in Zeltoble, as well as those who exploited the normal working class.

And the proof of it lay with the distorted monstrous sculptures left behind.

Some said that it was a single night, and that the creatures were turned to stone because of day light.

Others said the creatures would continue to move if there were any with a heavy heart moving around Zeltoble's ruins when it was dark.

Others still said that countries like Four Bray, Shieldfreeden, and Siltvelt would be next if they didn't abolish their slave trade and permitted slavery.

Those in Four Bray thought it was ridiculous, and that even if 'divine punishment' DID come, they were powerful enough to handle it.

Those in Siltvelt thought that it was divine punishment for causing the Legendary Shield to vanish (although the general populace wasn't sure about the truth of whether it did vanish or not). But even then, they kept their human slaves, unwilling to let the grudges of the past go.

As for those in Shieldfreeden... the people in charge immediately abolished slavery, made immediate amends, and started sending emissaries to Melromarc to affirm their change in direction.

Of course, since Shieldfreeden had been created by those who were dissatisfied with the noble intrigue in Siltvelt from the start, as well as filled with refugees from various other countries, including humans, it wasn't much of an issue to restructure things.

Slavery in Shieldfreeden had been more of a prison sentence than a commodity like elsewhere, and the people there already barely tolerated it, so there wasn't much resistance to its abolishment.

All of that to say...

===

"We're heading to Siltvelt next." I smiled and looked around the room.

It was my office, of course.

I didn't trust the security for these sorts of discussion everywhere else.

Mostly because I'd made sure the office was physically sound dampened and had white noise embedded between the walls from a noise emitter to ensure information didn't leak and to bypass magical or paranormal means of eavesdropping.

It wasn't paranoid if people could literally be in your walls, after all.

But anyway...

It was the day after I met Mirellia.

If we were counting, it was exactly ten days since the wave where everything hit the fan and the Legendary Shield got deleted from existence.

And because of that, for Melromarc at least, the Dragon Hourglass showed eleven days left until the next wave.

...I wasn't too sure if the math was right or not, but since the Dragon Hourglasses were the gospel truth on when the next incursion event- I mean, 'wave' occurred, that was what we were going off.

So, since time was running short and the other countries were either panicking or going into isolationist defense mode since they were undoubtedly going to face a wave soon too, I had called a strategy session with my team.

Nina, Mina, and Bahamut were seated at a smaller table on my right, looking as serious as I was.

I think they were in that 'copy Dad' phase... it was pretty cute.

Lia was leaned against the wall, idly fiddling with a bone-white knife made from a dubious material that I decided it was best not to ask about.

Sylvia was standing at the ready, a pen and notebook in hand to take notes.

...I wasn't sure how she had those, but considering that this world had some weird mixed technology due to the constant waves, I assumed she picked it up somewhere in Zeltoble.

S'yne was sitting off to the side with Rishia, the pair knitting a set of matching onesies for the kids.

And then Mein was leaning against the door to my office, idly twirling the Seven Star Staff in her hand-

'Huh.'

I stared at Mein again.

...Was it a coincidence?

Those parted bangs, the green eyes, using a staff...

Considering the other old-school JRPG influences...

'...Was Malty an Angela expy the entire time?'

The princess from a magical kingdom who was forced into exile... Although Mein had red hair, if she had Mirellia's hair color...

Mein looked at me and said, "...What is it, Master Naofumi? Don't tell me you have another ridiculous idea...? Or are you finally coming onto me?" She let out a teasing smile and winked.

"Huh. This world is really unoriginal."

Mein blinked. "What?"

"Nothing."

Although I was starting to understand why the incursions... Or 'waves' kept happening.

'This world is barely unique. No, considering all the expies everywhere, it definitely isn't unique...'

But that was just a fun fact.

It didn't change too much.

...I'd need to look into if Mein could class change into a Sorceress, and if she could progress into a Grand Diviner or Archmage.

And maybe Mystic Queen if the progression lines were the same as Seiken Densetsu 3...

No, no.

Focus.

I could confirm my theories about whether the waves caused so-called fictional worlds to bleed over into this world later.

For now...

I laced my fingers together and said, "As I was saying... we're heading to Siltvelt. From my understanding of things, they still refuse to abolish slavery... so we're going to cause a little divine retribution. Well, either that, or some shenanigans."

Mina stuck up her fist and said, "Beat the bad guys!"

Nina nodded. "We should help people."

Bahamut just smiled.

As for the others...

S'yne frowned and said, "Slavery is bad. As a hero... it's not something we can allow."

Sylvia nodded. "I agree. Even if the humans did bad things, doing bad things back to them isn't right."

Lia nodded. "Yes. If they were that mad, they should have just killed them. It would have been kinder."

Rishia paused in the middle of her knitting and looked concerned. "K-Kinder? By killing them...?"

Lia looked at Rishia. Then she let out a soft smile and said, "Yes. Death ends things. Keeping them alive... it's very cruel. Satisfying, but cruel."

"S-Satisfying?!"

I tapped my fingers on the table and said, "Let's focus, guys. And don't worry, Rishia. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Rishia shook her head. "N-No. I was just surprised, Lord Naofumi." She set down her knitting needles and said, "...I believe in you. If you say it is necessary, then it must have been necessary. You aren't someone who will do bad things just for fun."

Mein coughed.

I deliberately remained quiet and said, "We'll make the world a better place. Don't worry."

Rishia smiled.

Sylvia looked mildly concerned for Rishia.

I understood why.

Out of every person in the room, Rishia was the only one who hadn't really been to hell in back... and really the only normal human in the room.

Mein didn't count since she was... well, Mein.

And I DEFINITELY didn't count because of my parents. Not to mention the dubious class that <Parallel System> had marked me as...

In short, Rishia was the token normal, happy-go-lucky, and mentally healthy individual.

It would be best to keep her that way.

Hope spots were important, after all.

...Then again, blind faith was also a useful mental shield. And Rishia looked like she definitely blindly believed whatever I did was good...

No, no. Getting side-tracked again.

Focus, me.

"And to start with making the world a better place, we'll eliminate slavery. It's not about making everyone equal, not yet. But at the least, obedience shouldn't be magically enforced."

Mein looked amused and said, "Just enforced through veiled threats and fear instead, huh?"

"Now, now, Mein. I never said that."

"You didn't NOT say it either."

I stared at her. Then I said, "You really are your mother's daughter, huh? Is Melty sweeter? You and your mom are practically the same when it comes to your sharp tongue."

Mein paused. "...Huh? We're similar? Really?"

"You didn't notice?" I looked amused. "Were you so busy being a rebel that you didn't realize you were picking up your mom's personality traits? Just failing in skill level?"

Mein frowned. Then she paused and glared at her staff. "Hey! I'm not stupid! Or oblivious! ...Okay, maybe I WAS, but I'm not- Shut up, you! Ugh!" Mein clicked her tongue and threw her staff out the window, only for it to reappear in her hands. "...Stupid Seven Star Staff."

Lia raised her hand and said, "Naofumi-dono... So, are we going to war with Siltvelt? Or just going to survey it?"

"Well, war is a bit much." I glanced out the window towards the distance, where citizens of all sorts were chanting my name. "...Mostly because the moment I declare it, all of Libertas is going to run off before I can even explain when to start."

Sylvia chuckled and said, "Did you finally give up on the name, Master?"

I sighed. "...At this rate, if I don't let them call the country Libertas, they're going to name it something like the Iwatani Federation, Naofumia, or Iwatania... so Libertas it is."

Fanatics were terrifying.

Useful. But terrifying.

Mein rolled her eyes and said, "What else did you expect, Master Naofumi?" She held up her hand and started counting off. "You saved them from slavery, healed all their injuries, gave them resources to carve out a new life, and performed so many miraculous feats that the only reason they aren't ordaining you a god is because you adamantly refuse every time and insist on you being a human."

"Because I am a human. Semantically. But anyway." I looked back at Lia and said, "We're going to swing by and take a look. I think they should have gotten the information about me being the ex-Shield Hero, so we should get a warm welcome at least. We'll use that to our advantage and feel things out." I paused. "...And if Four Bray's attacks on Melromarc just so happened to be redirected to us while we're there so that it looks like Four Bray is waging war on Siltvelt... well, that's just bad timing, right?"

Mein gave me a blank stare. Then she slowly said, "How are you not evil?"

I stared at my alignment marking in my status menu. The one that used to be True Neutral but was now undoubtedly Chaotic Neutral.

...And probably because I was having a *bit* too much fun enjoying the schadenfreude of such a shit world collapsing from the inside out.

Then I said, "I think on balance, I'm mostly good. So it counts."

"...On balance, he says." Mein muttered. "...Mostly good, he says..." She paused. "...Oh. Son of a bi-" She eyed Mina, Nina, and Bahamut, then quickly corrected herself. "Son of a harlot." She looked at me and said, "Cruelty isn't necessarily evil. Is it?"

I smiled.

"...Are you sure you aren't a nameless trickster god from another dimension?"

"I'm fairly sure that there's a lord of mysteries with that authority already and I definitely do not want to get into a competition with him, so definitely not. Besides, I don't do tricks. I play with semantics and axioms."

'...Which is probably why my abilities ended up this way, huh?'

The fact that so many of my abilities deleted conceptual warfare and stuck to rigid physics, as well as the fact that I could still use conceptual effects...

'Huh. I wonder if I accidentally achieved Apotheosis already and reached the functional equivalent of divine authority?'

Semantics and axioms were basically what gods warred over. Well, minus energy outputs.

...It would also explain all the weird classes everyone got assigned with <Parallel System>.

And <Parallel System> itself, if it was what I thought it was.

"But in any case." I looked at my team... well, for all intents and purposes, my family.

Uncle Chris always did say that your teammates were practically your family.

He was mostly a bad rolemodel, but that I could agree with.

I looked at my family and said, "We'll head off to Siltvelt by foot at first light tomorrow. If my calculations are correct, we should get there either just as their wave begins, or in the middle of their wave since Beloukas mentioned they had an accelerated count on their Dragon Hourglass... which means we get to be the heroes." I smiled. "Or villains. We'll see how they treat us first. Being a third party is always fun like that."

Mina flew into the air and said, "Yeah! Villains!"

Nina solemnly nodded. "Heroes... Yes."

Bahamut just smiled.

I noticed and then hummed, wanting to test something out. "Boy."

Bahamut paused and looked at me. "Yes, Father?"

I tilted my head. "...Yeah, it seems better than son. Also, Bahamut, Boy. Both with a B..." I paused. "Huh. Okay, maybe I need like a week of proper sleep to correct my sleep debt. Because I'm starting to feel like I'm getting way too silly recently..."

Sylvia sighed. "I've been telling you for days now, Master. 90 minute naps sporadically throughout the day is not healthy."

"The uberman sleep schedule and polyphasic sleep theory says otherwise."

Sylvia sighed.

Lia giggled.

Mein facepalmed.

S'yne just nodded, as if everything made sense...

And then Rishia shyly raised her hand and said, "I-If you need help sleeping, I could always give Lord Naofumi a lap pillow? I heard those help...?"

Mein snorted. "Sure, if we're going with that, then Master Naofumi might as well just use me as a proper body pillow. As if that would help-"

"Bet."

Mein froze.

I looked at her and said, "What? Cat got your tongue?"

Mein turned a deep red and said, "E-E-Excuse me?! Seriously? What?" She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest. Then she remembered that I'd already seen everything she had to offer back in the throne room and uncrossed them. But she still looked embarrassed and said, "You're joking. You have to be joking. There's no way-"

"You're right. I'm joking."

Mein froze. Then she chucked her staff at me.

It immediately froze in mid-air, refusing to go any further.

Huh.

'Note to self: Legendary and Vassal weapons definitely have a sense of self-preservation... Legendary Shield excluded.'

But after that, I chuckled and said, "Alright. I'm feeling refreshed." I got up to stretch and said, "Come on, kiddos. Let's go on a walk. I have to make sure you guys know how to keep yourself safe before we head there."

Mina immediately flew to my left shoulder and said, "Okay, Papa!"

Nina flew to my right shoulder and said, "Yes, Father! Training!"

Bahamut jogged to my side and nodded. "Let us go, Father."

Now...

To triple check and make sure that my (arguably) biological children didn't possess world-ending magic or skills that they might accidentally use on instinct...

===

After Naofumi left, the other girls stayed in the room for a bit longer.

Lia watched Naofumi lead the children off and smiled. "Naofumi-dono is a good father."

Mein snorted. "I think that teaching your children how to commit mass destruction is far from being a good father."

Sylvia tucked a strand of her snowy white hair behind her ear and said, "And you think you can speak on what good fathers are?"

Mein paused. "...Fair."

Rishia smiled and said, "Well, I think Lord Naofumi is a good father!"

S'yne continued her work on the onesies for the children and said, "You also think he would be a good father to your children... so I think your opinion is also invalid."

Rishia turned a deep red.

Mein laughed. "She's got you down to a tee..." She looked at Rishia, amused. "Why do you even like Master Naofumi anyway?"

"He's strong, competent, rich, and even was kind to someone like me when I didn't have anything while still working as a tavern maiden!" Rishia puffed out her chest and said, "And even when he was betrayed, he didn't treat me poorly! Or anyone else too! He's a great person!"

Sylvia nodded. "Master is definitely a great person." She paused. "...But definitely not a good person..."

Lia giggled. "Yep! Naofumi-dono is not a good person... but he helps people for fun. So I think that's better than a good person, right? Because he's choosing to do it with no strings attached?"

Mein stared at Lia.

Lia tilted her head. "What?"

Mein slowly blinked and said, "...You are not alright in the head, are you?"

Lia blinked back at Mein. Then she shrugged and said, "Probably not. But I'm here. I'm happy. And if I DO want to cut people, Naofumi-dono gave me a sword that lets me do it without consequences! So it's all fine, right?"

"...I hate that I can't argue with that." Mein sighed. Then she paused. "...And I hate that I'm slowly getting smarter. Ugh. Is this what they mean when ignorance is bliss? I'm already starting to miss being a dumb bitch. Life was so much easier when I didn't understand the implications of all of this..."

Sylvia laughed. "Too late for that. Unfortunately, we're all stuck with Master."

Rishia tilted her head. "...But can't you all leave? You aren't Lord Naofumi's slave anymore, right?"

Lia blinked. "Why would I leave? Naofumi-dono's like my big brother."

Sylvia nodded. "I like Master. I'm not going to just leave." She paused. "...Though he makes a good point about whether I'm just liking him because of growing up so fast. We'll see. If I cringe at myself in about a month, we'll know."

Lia winced. "...I'm already cringing about it. Ugh... to think I kept fantasizing about doing 'that' with Naofumi-dono..."

Sylvia pointed at Lia. "So you WERE thinking about it!"

"STOOOOOP!" Lia covered her face, turning a bright red. "It's the hormones or whatever! It's natural! He was the only guy around! Stoooooooop. It makes me feel icky thinking about it!"

Mein doubled over, covering her mouth as she laughed.

S'yne let out a soft chuckle as she kept knitting.

Syvlia noticed S'yne was still knitting and said, "What are you making, S'yne?"

"Oh." S'yne nodded and said, "Mister Naofumi mentioned spinning clothes out of clouds into flowing attire, so I'm trying to make equipment for the children. It's better if they're safe, right?"

Sylvia eyed the half-finished onesies. And she also eyed the ridiculous amount of magical power woven into each onesie. "...Well, more protection is better than less, I suppose. And it's more than we had when we were small."

Lia regained her composure and then laughed. "I remember that! Naofumi-dono had to keep making us new clothes, and he kept complaining about us growing too quick..."

Sylvia paused. "...Growing quick... Wait. Why aren't the children growing quick? Aren't they demi-humans like us?"

S'yne paused too. "...That's right. If the girls are Skywings, they should be grown up by now since they're level 20."

Rishia looked sad. "No more cute toddlers...?"

Mein rolled her eyes. "Please. Haven't you guys noticed? They're definitely Master Naofumi's real kids somehow. They all look like him."

Silence.

Then Lia gasped and said, "DOES THAT MEAN NAOFUMI-DONO- MMPH!?"

Sylvia quickly clamped her hand over Lia's mouth and said, "Lia, no. Even if it might be true considering the strange things Master does."

Mein shook her head and sighed. "Kids..."