Chapter 51

Today is the day the armor I ordered from the old man at the weapon shop is ready.

When the store opens, I’ll show up.

“Oh, An-chan. First thing in the morning, huh?”

“Yeah, how’s it going? Is it done?”

“Yeah, sure. By the way, An-chan’s pot is making quite a stir, but for some reason, people think I made it.”

“I don’t know. Go after the guy spreading the rumors.”

“You’re too much, An-chan….”

The old man brought my armor from the back of the store.

It’s not a bone mail made by crushing the bones of a Chimera and a Dragon, but rather a leather suit with bones sewn on in a punk fashion. It’s like that.

It looks like the costume of a generic thug from the end of the world.

Incidentally, a leather suit is officially called riding gear or racing gear, but that’s just a side note.

“Old man, do you really want me to be the boss of thieves that much?”

It might be because the original material is a barbarian’s armor, but please change the direction.

“Huh? What are you talking about, An-chan?”

I have to wear this… even though this is a fantasy world, why are all the outfits I wear so reminiscent of the Showa era?

I’ll check the performance just in case.

“By the way, what kind of armor is this?”

“Custom-made has gone too far, I don’t even know what it is. Barbarian’s Armor +1 is fine, right?”

“I think this is more than just a +1 modification. The rotten dragon’s skin reminds me of something else, you know.”

The design has changed too.

Before, it was a denim-like generic thug from the end of the world, but the black luster of the rotten dragon’s skin looks like rubber.

The chest is only slightly metallic.

What is it? It’s like you’re telling me to ride a bike.

There are no bikes in this world, so it’s like riding a Filo and going on a rampage? No, don’t do that!

Barbarian’s Armor +1?

Increased Defense, Shock Resistance (Medium), Fire Resistance (High), Dark Resistance (High), HP Recovery (Weak), Magic Power Increase (Medium)

Magic Defense Processing, Automatic Repair Function

It has all sorts of resistances.

Automatic repair… I can understand the performance just by the name. It will probably repair itself if it gets torn.

With such high performance, I’ll probably have to keep wearing this… armor, which I don’t even want to call armor.

“What? Have you seen this armor somewhere before, An-chan?”

“You know I’m not from this world, right? In my world… it looks like the outfit you wear when riding something faster than a horse or Filo in this world.”

“So, sir, you’ll ride Filo in this outfit!”

Filo’s eyes are shining brightly as she looks at me.

“An-chan, it sounds perverted when the bird girl says it.”

The old man mutters, half-closed eyes, with a look of exasperation.

“Shut up!”

Is the old man at the weapon shop trying to annoy me as much as possible when he makes armor?

“What’s wrong, An-chan?”

…No, that’s not it. It’s just that there’s no malice at all.

“Well, I’ll take it.”

Raphatalia says it looks cool, but when I walk through town, I stand out… with this outfit.

…It’s no longer armor but clothing. Very sad.

Anyway, the preparations for the wave are going smoothly.

Raphatalia’s black mark has healed completely thanks to the powerful holy water used every day. I was relieved that it healed somehow.

It apparently has an effect that makes wounds heal more slowly, so I wanted it to heal as soon as possible.

The accessories for Raphatalia and Filo were completed on the day of the event.

“So, here are the accessories you requested.”

“Hai!”

“Yes.”

“First, Raphatalia.”

I hand Raphatalia a jade bracelet.

“Thank you.”

“The effect is a slight increase in magic power. It can slightly compensate for the decrease in magic power due to the magic defense processing on the armor you’re wearing.”

“I’ll take good care of it.”

“Are you really okay with just that? I could make something more stylish and focused on appearance.”

“What are you talking about? Where do we have the time to decorate ourselves with such things?”

Hmm.

If that’s what she thinks, there’s nothing I can do.

“Next, Filo.”

I hand Filo an amber hairpin.

I put a bit of effort into the design so that it looks like a feather decoration when Filo is in her monster form, with the feathers held in place.

“The effect is a slight increase in agility.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“I did my best with the materials I had. If you need another one, I’ll make it, so bear with it.”

“No problem. I’ll show you the full potential of this accessory.”

“Yeah! Filo will do her best too!”

“I’m counting on you.”

We prepared according to the schedule. We had a brief discussion with the volunteers, and everything is ready.

I’ve already talked to Filo about the wave. At first, Filo was wondering what a wave was, but I made her understand that it needed to be resolved.

We have the medicine ready. The carriage is… broken, and a new one hasn’t been made yet, so we’re using a cart instead.

Anyway, my role in the wave is different from the other heroes; I’m supposed to protect nearby towns and villages. I don’t even need to participate, but if I don’t, I don’t know what kind of punishment I might receive.

00:05

Five minutes left.

When we’re transported, I’ll sense where we are and give instructions to the volunteers.

The shield will be the Chimera Viper Shield…

00:00

Time’s up!

A loud, glass-shattering sound echoes throughout the world.

In the next instant, the scenery changes dramatically.

We calmly look around.

“This is….”

Yeah. It’s near the village where a man was trying to bring medicine to an old woman suffering from an illness.

From the town, it would take at least a day and a half, even if you hurry.

Looking up at the sky, I can see cracks running through it, like a wine-red color.

“Shield Hero!”

The volunteers are also summoned and run towards me.

And I, along with the other three heroes and their—

“Filo! Kick the lances of those who are trying to charge at the cracks. Be careful, though.”

“Hai!”

Following my instructions, Filo takes off her shoes and runs!

She catches up to the reckless ones.

“Eh—?”

The lances are turned around and kicked by Filo into the others.

“““Waaaaaah!”””

We approach the group that was sent flying like bowling pins. It feels good to see the annoying woman fly too.

Thanks to Filo’s controlled kick, they don’t seem to have taken much damage.

“What are you doing!”

The lances start to accuse us.

I ignore the lances and glare at the sword and the bow.

“That’s what I want to know, you idiots!”

“What the hell!?”

“That’s right! We need to defeat the enemies that surge from the wave!”

I’m beyond angry and just exasperated with the idiot heroes.

“Listen first, then we’ll go defeat the enemies.”

I give a look to the volunteers to head towards the nearby village.

They nod and run off to the village as I instructed.

“So, you’re trying to interfere with us!”

“No!”

My shout surprises the tree, who blinks in surprise.

“Calm down and think. I don’t get aid, so I won’t fight the main body of the wave. My job is to protect nearby towns and villages. Do you understand that?”

“Ah.”

“You’re a failure as a hero.”

“Yeah, yeah!”

Their followers also start to heckle me.

“Next, you guys. Your job is to defeat the enemies that surge from the main body of the wave. I don’t know if defeating the boss will end the wave or if attacking the cracks will work, because we haven’t tried it yet.”

“It’s linked to the boss!”

Tree answers, getting defensive.

I don’t really care about that.

“But, we have another important job… don’t you get it?”

“What?”

Even Ren doesn’t seem to understand. Isn’t this world similar to the game you know?

Why don’t you get it? I even said it with a hint of sarcasm.

“Hey, what happened to the knights!”

The three heroes close their eyes tightly at my voice.

“They’ll come later.”

A magic flare-like light rises as if to show us.

“This is a day and a half away from the town by horse or Filo! Will they make it in time, you idiot!”

“Well, what should we do then!”

“You’re the ones who are supposed to be well-informed!?”

I point to the volunteers running towards the village.

“By the way… how did they get transported together?”

“…Are you serious? The formation function… don’t you know about it?”

“They’re companions? You must have recruited a lot of them recently.”

“No… I appointed one of them as a sub-leader in a formation and had them form a party. Then, I had them all transported at once.”

Could it be… that these guys don’t know anything about the wave?

“Let’s confirm. Has anyone checked the help or anything about the wave?”

…No one raises their hand.

“There’s no need to check the help or tutorial of a game you’re familiar with, right?”

“That’s right. We know this world well.”

“Yes, so let’s prioritize suppressing the wave quickly!”

“Then, what do you call the wave in other games?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s go quickly!”

Tree ignores my question and runs off.

“Genkou, you understand the meaning of my question, right?”

“Well… an instant dungeon?”

“No, it’s a time attack wave.”

Ren… that’s not it either.

“It’s a guild battle, or a team battle, or a large-scale battle!”

In the game I used to play, there was a big event among players once a week.

Using the formation system, it’s expected that the heroes alone can’t handle the situation.

In fact, during the last wave, if the knights hadn’t arrived in time, I would have had to retreat and cause more damage.

“…You guys, even if you understand everything, you’ve never run a large guild, have you?”

This requires coordination.

Of course, the ace player, the hero, should lead, but to minimize damage to other targets that need protection, we need the cooperation of the world’s inhabitants.

It’s strange that you don’t understand this.

“I used to run a team.”

Genkou answers.

His eyes are fixed on Filo in her monster form, probably afraid of being kicked.

“Then why don’t you understand?”

“It’s not necessary.”

“Huh!?”

“It’ll work out somehow.”

Hmm… you must have left it to someone like a secretary or a sub-master.

“I wasn’t interested in that kind of thing.”

Ren… yeah, that type is usually bad at talking to people before even getting to guild battles.

He acts cool.

I’d be curious to know how a large guild with a master like that could function.

“Anyway, we’ll do our best this time, but next time, make sure to coordinate with the knights!”

I shoo them away, urging them to head towards the main body of the wave.

Ren and Genkou run off, not hiding their displeasure with me.

Hey, don’t spit on the road!

“So, let’s head to the nearby village!”

“Hai!”

We get on the cart, and Raphatalia and I rush to the nearby village.

“Ah-choo!”

When we arrive at the village, enemies surge from the wave. There are black condors, black shadow wolves, and goblin-like creatures, as well as lizardmen.

However, the humanoid-like creatures don’t have a fixed shape, and they look shadowy.

Their names are displayed as Dark Condor, Black Wolf, Goblin Assault Shadow, and Lizardman Shadow, with the prefix “Dimensional” added.

The shadow-named creatures, which are close to humanoids, disappear like ghosts when defeated.

They are quite eerie.

The types of monsters are completely different from the last wave, and there doesn’t seem to be any pattern.

Anyway, I’ll leave all the complicated stuff to them.

And then…

“Ah-choo!”

The old woman I gave medicine to is making strange noises. She’s fighting well with a hoe in her hand.

The volunteers are also confused by the old woman’s appearance.

“Oh, Saint! Thank you! Ah-choo!”

The old woman bows to me and then strikes a monster that surges from the wave with her hoe.

She’s quite strong, and there are quite a few monster corpses around her.

“Come on, say thank you.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you very much.”

The old woman’s son, as usual, bows to me.

“Anyway, the enemies are surging from the wave, so please evacuate.”

The volunteers are guiding the villagers to evacuate. They are also fighting the enemies, but it’s quite tough.

We join in the fight against the enemies.

“Ah-choo!”

The old woman is efficiently slaughtering the enemies.

Is this the movement of someone who was almost dead a month ago?

“Thanks to the Saint’s blessing, I’ve regained my old strength. Ha-ha!”

Looking at the old woman’s son, he’s fighting as hard as he can, though not as well as his mother.

He’s barely managing to fight with the volunteers, but he’s not on par with his mother.

“I used to be a famous adventurer. I’m at the same level as my age now! Ah-choo!”

“Granny, don’t overdo it!”

Is she one of the strongest here, like a one-man army?

While I’m stopping an enemy’s attack, she’s taking them down at a pace that rivals Filo.

It’s reassuring, but I’m scared she might collapse like a dead battery when the fight is over.

“What did I give that old woman to drink?”

“Hmm….”

Raphatalia looks at the old woman in bewilderment at my question.

I’ll interrogate the old woman’s son later.

For now, I need to treat the injured.

“Anyone injured, come to the cart. Everyone else, retreat to a safe place from the defensive line.”

I give instructions and treat the injured when I have a chance.

“Ah-choo! Saint, there are some tough ones mixed in.”

Looking at the Dimensional Lizardman Shadow, there’s a significantly larger one among them, about twice the size of the others.

“Raphatalia, Filo, let’s take down that one.”

The volunteers are struggling with it.

“Hai!”

“Hai!”

We run towards the large one.

The black, large sword of the Dimensional Lizardman Shadow is raised.

I step forward and raise my shield.

A loud clang and sparks fly.

The snake fangs (medium) effect activates, poisoning the enemy.

However, the effect is weak. It’s probably not very effective against this kind of reptilian enemy.

But that’s not my goal.

“E-ryah!”

Raphatalia stabs the Dimensional Lizardman Shadow in the abdomen, startling it.

“D-ryah!”

Filo’s clawed kick shatters the face of the Dimensional Lizardman Shadow.

It falls over backward.

“Amazing….”

A volunteer mutters.

“Good! You, go to the nearby village to minimize the damage.”

This village should be fine with the old woman, six volunteers, and the resident adventurers.

There are other villages nearby, and we need to get to them as soon as possible.

“I’ll leave some medicine. The ride is terrible, but let’s head to the next one!”

The volunteers get on the cart at my command.

“Go!”

“Rah!”

Filo starts running with the heavy cart.

When we arrive at the next village, the volunteers look quite exhausted, but there’s no time to worry about that.

The damage is more severe here, with houses burning and villagers injured.

“Hurry and start the rescue!”

“H-hai!”

We continue to fight the enemies surging from the wave while waiting for it to end.

“…It’s taking too long!”

Three hours have passed.

We’ve barely managed to handle the nearby villages, and now we’re dealing with the endless surge of enemies from the wave.

The evacuation is progressing, and the number of casualties among the villagers has been minimized as much as possible.

But if the enemies attack the evacuation sites, it will be a disaster. The battle is still ongoing.

It’s taking way too long.

What are those heroes doing?

“Hero, leave this to us and go support the other heroes.”

A young volunteer who wants to fight with me suggests.

“There’s no point in going….”

It’s their job to defeat the main body of the wave, and I don’t want to be scolded if I go there.

“But….”

The volunteers are looking quite worn out. They’ve been fighting for three hours, and their stamina is running out.

I’m quite tired too, and the same goes for Raphatalia and Filo…

“Hahaha!”

Filo is laughing as she kicks a Dimensional Goblin Assault Shadow.

Yeah, Filo is still fine. She’s a ball of stamina.

“Can you handle it?”

“Leave it to me!”

She still seems to have some energy left.

“Then, I’ll check on the situation. I’m counting on you.”

“Hai!”

“Raphatalia, Filo, let’s go!”

“Understood.”

“Hai!”

We leave the nearby village to the volunteers and adventurers and ride Filo towards the main body of the wave.