Chapter 25

Well, what should we do from here?

Just as I was thinking about that, I remembered the recovery potions left over from the wave.

I had prepared them just in case, but since we didn’t use them, it would be better to sell them to the apothecary for some money.

“Let’s go to the apothecary, and then the armorer, I guess.”

“Sir Naofumi, since you won’t be receiving any more aid, you should tighten your purse strings. Acting like this will only strangle yourself.”

“I know.”

“At the moment, we’re not lacking in equipment. Consider purchasing what we need when the time comes.”

“...”

Hmm, this makes sense.

However, the equipment we have is cheap compared to what the other heroes have.

At this point, it would be wise to get better weapons for Laftalia to fight stronger enemies...

“It’s only been a few days since we got new weapons. Think about how your father would react.”

“Hmm...”

Indeed, the old man at the armorer has done a lot for us. Since he’s giving us a trade-in deal, I don’t think the difference in strength would be significant with my current funds.

“Alright, I’ll save up for now.”

“Okay!”

It’s not a bad idea to buy everything when we have more money to spare.

“Then let’s go to the apothecary.”

As I declared, I went to the apothecary, and the shop owner greeted me with a familiar smile.

“What’s up? What’s the matter?”

Usually, he has a stern face when I buy potions, but seeing him smile sends a chill down my spine.

“Well, I wanted to thank you for helping my relative from Reuto Village.”

“Huh?”

Both Laftalia and I tilted our heads in confusion.

“My relative from Reuto Village came to thank you for your help and asked if you could lend a hand if possible.”

“Oh... I see.”

When the wave ended, the people from Reuto Village all thanked me. It seems one of them was the apothecary’s relative.

“So, as a thank you, this time—”

The apothecary took a book from the shelf and handed it to me.

“What is it?”

“It’s a book of intermediate potion recipes, collected from higher-level recipes than the ones you usually bring. I thought it was about time for you to try them.”

“...”

I slowly opened the intermediate recipe book. It was a bit worn out and had some issues with the binding, but I could see the text.

Yeah, I can’t read it.

“I, I’m grateful. I’ll give it a try.”

I should thank him for his kindness.

There are probably potions in here that can be sold for a high price.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Ugh, the pressure of not being able to reciprocate someone’s kindness is stimulating me.

I had given up on reading the language of this world, but maybe I should learn it...

“The guy from the magic shop said you should come too.”

“The magic shop?”

“Sir Naofumi, it’s a shop that deals with books for learning magic.”

“Oh, I see.”

So the place I thought was a bookstore is actually a magic shop... Come to think of it, there were crystal balls in the back.

“Which shop is it?”

“It’s the big one on the main street.”

...Ah, the biggest or second biggest bookstore in the town.

“So, what are you here for today?”

“Ah, this time—”

They bought the recovery potions at a higher price than usual.

With that money, I bought new equipment and went to the magic shop as instructed.

“Oh, it’s the Shield Hero. My grandson was in your care.”

“Huh...”

I don’t know who he’s talking about, but it must be someone from Reuto Village. The old lady at the magic shop welcomed us politely.

She was a bit plump and wore a witch-like outfit.

“So, what do you need from me?”

I looked around the magic shop, which I had thought was a bookstore.

There were old books lined up, and many crystals were placed behind the counter.

There were also wands, and the place definitely had an atmosphere of dealing with magic.

By the way, how do you learn magic in this world?

“Before that, is the Shield Hero’s companion just the young lady next to you?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

I nodded after making eye contact with Laftalia.

“Then please wait a moment.”

The old lady took a crystal ball from behind the counter and started chanting some spell.

“Alright, Shield Hero, would you mind looking into the crystal ball?”

“Ah, sure.”

What is this supposed to be?

As I thought this, I peered into the crystal ball.

...It’s glowing, but I don’t see anything special.

“It seems... the Shield Hero is suited for support and recovery magic.”

“Huh?”

She was diagnosing our magic aptitude!?

If she had told me earlier, I could have understood... Well, it’s not right to complain, but the explanation was a bit rushed.

“Next is the young lady in the back.”

“Ah, yes.”

I stepped aside, and this time Laftalia peered into the crystal ball.

“Hmm. As expected, the young lady of the Raccoon species is suited for light and dark magic.”

“Is that common knowledge?”

“Yes... The Raccoon species is good at using illusions based on the refraction of light and the ambiguity of darkness.”

I see, the Raccoon species is similar to raccoons and tanukis. In my world, tanukis in Japan were believed to trick people.

Maybe this world is similar in that aspect.

“So, what’s the point?”

“Here, this is what the old lady at the magic shop wanted to give you.”

The old lady gave us three books.

More books! I can’t read, so why are they so kind to give me books?

“I’d like to give you the crystal ball, but that would make my life difficult.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you know, Shield Hero? If you release the magic sealed in the crystal ball, you can learn the corresponding magic.”

What!? So even if I can’t read, I can use magic?

“A long time ago, the country ordered a large number of these for the heroes, but the Shield Hero didn’t know, did you?”

“No, I didn’t.”

That bastard king. He probably gave them to the other heroes later.

Seriously, the intentional exclusion makes me want to kill him.

“Learning magic is quite challenging, but if you take it seriously, you can learn ten spells in a month.”

A crystal ball can teach one spell, and a magic book can teach about three spells. That’s assuming you can read. Well, he said a month, so there might be more.

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s enough that you’re giving us the magic books for free.”

Laftalia smiled and responded, and I nodded.

“Roughly, how much magic can you use?”

“All of them are beginner-level spells. Higher-level ones... would you like to buy them?”

“Ah, yes.”

They’re in business too. Since they’re giving us these out of kindness, I can’t be picky.

“I’m grateful.”

I might have used a bit of a formal tone, but we received the magic books from the magic shop.

“Huh...”

I couldn’t help but sigh.

I’ve never been a big fan of studying. What should I do with my low grades?

I know. I should try to decipher these books and learn the recipes and spells.

How do I put it...

I wish the shield had a ‘Foreign Language Translation’ function.

The potion recipes might be in the shield. I think I can find them if I look.

But, the effort to find the corresponding shield and the effort to learn the language and read the books... which one is better?

The latter has the advantage of being able to try other things and the price.

“Let’s learn magic together.”

Laftalia spoke to me enthusiastically.

“I can’t read the language of this world...”

“Yes, so let’s learn together.”

“Well... I guess so.”

It wouldn’t hurt to learn while making potions.

“By the way, when is the next wave coming?”

“Huh? Ah, wait a moment.”

I fiddled with the icon in the corner of my vision and called up the wave’s arrival time.

It’s 45 days and 14 hours from now.

“45 days?”

It’s not every month! Well, it’s not two months either... Thinking about it, the country summoned us after the incident.

So, the time might be more than I thought.

Considering the time it took for Laftalia to become a slave and meet me, it’s a natural result.

A month... it’s a broad range.

“Well, having time is a good thing.”

Considering what we can do in that time, it might not be enough.

“Anyway, are we done with our business here?”

“Yes... We’ve re-registered the slave mark, disposed of the weapons and armor, and received the books, so there’s nothing for now.”

I confirmed with Laftalia.

It would be a waste of time to forget something and come back.

“Then, let’s eat and go level up.”

“Yes.”

I was surprised by breakfast this morning. My sense of taste had recovered.

Good food gives you energy.

The mortar shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The beaker shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The pestle shield’s condition has been unlocked.

Mortar Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, new alchemy

Beaker Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, liquid alchemy bonus

Pestle Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, gathering skill 2

After finishing our meal, we left the town and headed towards Reuto Village.

There are suitable monsters in the area beyond there.

I don’t know the secret hunting spots that other heroes know, so I have to either ask the locals or explore on my own.

Finding a suitable spot on the map is quite challenging, but it’s also rewarding.

I’m not competing, but it’s a bit frustrating to be behind those other heroes. However, defeating unknown monsters and making the shield grow is not a bad thing.

I’m omitting a lot of details, but various shields are appearing. Most of them are for ability enhancement.

The increase in defense is probably because it’s a shield. Other stats like agility, stamina, magic, and SP are also increasing.

Thanks to this, I was almost unscathed in the last wave.

On the way...

“By the way, can the wave enemies be absorbed by the shield?”

I had forgotten about it since I came back, but I want to try it for the shield’s growth.

As we approached Reuto Village, I found quite a few wave monster corpses.

The dimensional locust shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The dimensional junior bat shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The dimensional corpse eater shield’s condition has been unlocked.

Dimensional Locust Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, defense 6

Dimensional Junior Bat Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, agility 6

Dimensional Corpse Eater Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, item decay prevention (small)

I tried to break them down to see if other shields would appear.

However, it seems that most of the conditions for this series are not met, and only one was unlocked.

The bee needle shield’s condition has been unlocked.

Bee Needle Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, attack 1

Special effect: Small needle shield, bee poison (paralysis)

I guess that’s it. As I walked, I saw the villagers removing the Chimera’s corpse.

“Hey”

“Ah, Shield Hero”

The villagers welcomed me happily, probably due to the recent events.

“Was this the wave’s boss?”

Looking at the Chimera’s corpse, I muttered.

It’s hard to describe, but there’s something different about the Chimera compared to the other monsters in this world.

It’s hard to pinpoint, but the color or something feels different.

“It’s terrifying.”

“...Yeah.”

I agreed with the villager’s words.

The other heroes or the knights probably took the materials, leaving the skin and flesh removed.

“Can I have some too?”

“Of course, we were having trouble disposing of it. If you want, we can process it into equipment for the village.”

“That’s not bad, but there’s not much usable parts left.”

The skin is already removed and can’t be used for armor. The meat and bones... and the snake part of the tail.

The head part was not cut off. It seems to have had about three heads...

“Let’s try to absorb what we can with the shield.”

The Chimera meat shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The Chimera bone shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The Chimera leather shield’s condition has been unlocked.

The Chimera viper shield’s condition has been unlocked.

Chimera Meat Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, cooking quality improvement

Chimera Bone Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, dark resistance (medium)

Chimera Leather Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, defense 10

Chimera Viper Shield

Ability not unlocked... Equipment bonus, skill “Change Shield,” antidote synthesis improvement, poison resistance (medium)

Special effect: Medium snake fangs, hook

The last one has some useful bonuses and high defense.

However, to change it, you need a high level, and you have to unlock a few Chimera series shields.

It’s fine to leave it for later, but it’s likely to be the main shield for the next wave.

“What about the rest?”

I asked the villagers.

“We’ll just bury it, so feel free to take it.”

“Hmm...”

It feels a bit wasteful, but the remaining parts are mostly meat and bones.

The bones are durable, but the meat can be dried.

It’s not edible, but it could be used as ingredients for magic potions.

However, I don’t know who would buy them, and they might rot. If they’re improperly preserved and regrown, it could be scary.

The bones are a bit more reassuring.

But... I think it’s a bit excessive to be so cautious.

“Then, let’s take as much as we can.”

“But it’s a lot of meat and bones.”

“Can the village keep it for us?”

“Huh? If the Shield Hero says so...”

“Well, the meat can be dried, and if you leave some, you can sell it to merchants or those who want it. It should help with the reconstruction funds. If you say it’s the meat of a wave’s big catch, someone might buy it for research.”

“Indeed, that might be possible.”

The villagers, who wanted reconstruction funds, accepted my proposal.

We absorbed the easily decaying parts into the shield, and by the time we reached Reuto Village, it was almost dark.

The village was half-destroyed, and the survivors were living together in relatively undamaged houses.

Thanks to the innkeeper, we were able to stay in a room at a relatively safe inn and rest that day.

“...I’d like to help with the reconstruction, but I don’t have the luxury to think about others...”

Today, we relied on the people of Reuto Village.

The villagers were grateful for our help in disposing of the Chimera’s meat and bones, but it felt a bit wrong to be provided with free meals and lodging.

“Yes, it would be good if we could benefit the village as well.”

We asked one of the villagers who could read and write to write a table for reading the language of this world.

To put it simply, it’s like a hiragana chart. In English, it’s like the alphabet chart.

Then, I asked Laftalia, who could read a little, to pronounce which letters correspond to which letters in my world, and I replaced them in the decoding table.

Probably, with the addition of words, decoding will be quite challenging.

But, it’s better to learn it just in case.

While making potions, I struggled to learn the language.