Chapter 11

After finishing our meal, we stepped out of the shop and headed for the grassland.

On the way, Raphatal seemed to be in a good mood, humming a tune.

However, as soon as we reached the grassland, she started trembling with a frightened look in her eyes.

"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you from any monsters."

At my words, Raphatal tilted her head as usual.

"Look, I don't even feel pain when I get bitten by those weaklings."

I showed her a few of the Balloons I had hidden under my cloak, and Raphatal jumped in surprise.

"It doesn't hurt?"

"Not at all."

"Really..."

"Let's go."

"Um... Ahem..."

Her cough was concerning, but I figured she'd be fine.

We picked herbs in the grassland and headed towards the forest.

There they were, coming out.

Three Red Balloons flew out from the forest's undergrowth.

I made sure Raphatal didn't get bitten while I let the Red Balloons bite me.

"See, just stab them with the knife like we did earlier."

"Okay!"

Raphatal, now a bit more enthusiastic, stabbed the Red Balloons from behind with a determined thrust.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After this battle, Raphatal's level increased to 2.

The conditions for the Red Small Shield have been unlocked.

Red Small Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Defense 4

I immediately changed my shield, and Raphatal stared at it with wide eyes.

"Master, what are you...?"

She doesn't know I'm the Shield Hero. Well, she's a demi-human and a slave.

"I'm a hero. The Shield Hero."

"Like the legendary one?"

"You know about it?"

Raphatal nodded.

"Right, I'm a summoned hero. One of four... and the weakest!"

I clenched my hands so hard my nails dug into my skin, and I took on a somewhat resentful attitude.

Their faces flashed in my mind, and I felt nothing but murderous intent.

Seeing Raphatal's frightened look, I decided not to say anything more.

"For now, our job today is to slay monsters in this forest. I'll hold them off, so you stab them."

"Okay..."

She nodded more readily, perhaps getting used to it.

We explored the forest, and I stood at the forefront, letting Raphatal defeat any enemies we encountered.

We met our first non-Balloon enemy along the way.

Rumash.

It was a white, moving mushroom with sharp eyes, about the size of a human head.

I tried hitting it, but it felt the same as a Red Balloon.

I let Raphatal defeat it.

There were also other enemies called Blue Mush and Green Mush.

The conditions for the Mush Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Blue Mush Shield have been unlocked.

The conditions for the Green Mush Shield have been unlocked.

Mush Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Plant Appraisal 1

Blue Mush Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Simple Recipe 1

Green Mush Shield

Ability Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Apprentice Alchemy

These bonuses seemed to be skill-based, not stat-based.

Alchemy... a useful skill for selling potions.

By the end of the day, Raphatal's level had risen to 3, and mine to 5.

In the evening, we walked through the grassland and headed to a riverbank for the night.

"Ahem..."

Raphatal followed me without complaint.

We'd need to focus on earning money for a while.

Upon reaching the riverbank, I took a towel from my bag and gave it to Raphatal, then gathered firewood and started a fire.

"Go wash up. If you get cold, warm yourself by the fire."

"Okay..."

Raphatal took off her clothes and started washing in the river.

I began fishing and preparing dinner while keeping an eye on her.

This area was known for Balloons, so I had to be cautious.

I looked at today's harvest.

A good amount of grassland herbs.

A good amount of herbs not found in the grassland.

A decent number of Balloon balloons.

A decent number of various Mush.

Four types of shields unlocked.

Yeah, the efficiency was clearly different.

Buying a slave was the right decision.

I decided to try alchemy.

I called up the simple recipe.

It listed combinations of herbs I could make.

For equipment, I could probably use a flat rock and pebbles from the riverbank. I'd try a recipe that required a mortar.

There must be a trick to it, but it wasn't in the simple recipe.

Grind, grind, grind...

I tried to mimic the combinations I had seen the shop owner use.

Heal Pill created!

Heal Pill Quality: Bad → Slightly Bad. A pill that accelerates healing of wounds when applied to the wound.

An icon floated in front of me.

Good, it worked.

The shield was reacting, but I didn't let it absorb it yet.

I tried some unknown combinations as well.

Sometimes they failed and turned into black garbage, but it was surprisingly fun.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of the fire crackling.

Raphatal, who had finished washing, was warming herself by the fire.

"Are you warm?"

"Yep. Ahem..."

She seemed to have a cold. The slave trader had mentioned something about that.

Come to think of it, one of the potions I made was a cold remedy.

Common Cold Remedy Quality: Slightly Good. Effective for mild colds.

"Here, drink this."

I was a bit concerned about the "mild" part, but it was better than nothing.

"It's bitter, I don't want to... ugh..."

Raphatal clutched her chest in pain, having foolishly tried to be stubborn.

"Here."

"O-Okay."

Shaking, Raphatal gulped down the potion I handed her.

"Haa... haa..."

"Good job, you drank it all."

I patted her head, and she looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Ah, her raccoon ears were so fluffy.

When I looked at her tail, she blushed and clutched it, refusing to let me touch it.

"Here, dinner."

I handed her the cooked fish and returned to my alchemy work.

I've always enjoyed this kind of delicate work.

The sun had set, and I continued alchemy by the light of the fire.

Hmm... it was interesting to see all the different things I could make.

After Raphatal finished her fish, she started to doze off by the fire.

"You can go to sleep."

Raphatal shook her head repeatedly at my instruction.

Was she throwing a tantrum like a child... or was she a child?

She'd probably fall asleep on her own.

Come to think of it, the common cold remedy seemed to be working; she hadn't coughed since.

I tried a few more potions and checked the ones I could make.

I absorbed the poor-quality ones into my shield to change it.

Potion Shield conditions unlocked.

Poison Shield conditions unlocked.

Potion Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Potion Effect Increase

Poison Shield

Unlocked... Equipment Bonus, Poison Resistance (Small)

Both shields were connected to the Leaf Shield and Mush Shield. The Potion Effect Increase was a bit unclear.

I wasn't sure if it increased the effect of potions I used or the ones I made.

Either way, it was good.

Today's harvest was definitely helpful.

"No... help me..."

Raphatal started making strange noises in her sleep.

She was having a nightmare.

"No-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

The sound was so loud it made my ears ring.

This was bad; it might attract Balloons.

I rushed to Raphatal and covered her mouth.

"Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm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