18 – The marked difference between me and him

The forest was dark. As expected, considering night was starting to fall, it gave off an eerie atmosphere. Closer to a horror game than reality, especially considering the unknown monsters laying in wait.

Because of that... despite the fact that Lia and Sylvia were definitely fine no matter what happened, both the girls were hugging my side trembling.

Of the two though, Lia was trembling more.

I glanced down at her and said, "Is it that terrifying? You were fine sleeping out in the fields the other day."

"S-Sorry, Goshujin-sama. It's just..." Lia swallowed and looked around. "...It's scary." She quietly whispered.

Sylvia put on a brave face and said, "Th-There's nothing to be scared of! I-If anything shows up, w-we just have to kill it? Right?"

I nodded. "That's true. And you have nothing to fear while I'm here."

<Sentinel Shield> would ensure that any attacks on either Sylvia or Lia would be redirected to me. Moreover, <Detection Shield MK II> would let me know if anything was watching us.

And while there definitely WERE things watching us, it seemed like <Intimidate> was keeping them at bay.

Lia snuggled closer to my side. "Goshujin-sama... I-Is it really okay?"

Sylvia swept her gaze across the darkened forest, trying in vain to see what was going on. "It should be fine... it will be fine. There's no need to fear. Master is here... right. Nothing... nothing will jump out from the dark..."

*crack*

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

I let out a sigh as a dozen presences immediately locked onto Sylvia.

Lia tensed. "G-Goshujin-sama."

"Mm... It's fine." I held out my hand and said, "You two have worked hard enough today."

It was an unplanned but very welcome synergy.

<Detection Shield MK II> highlighted every entity looking at me.

<Sentinel Shield> automatically redirected all 'damage' to me, but in the process, it also redirected all intentions to attack.

Which meant...

'I can see them.'

All the enemies planning to harm us were as clear as day to my eyes, showing up as crimson outlines.

And since I could see them...

"Close your eyes."

Lia and Sylvia immediately obeyed, shutting their eyes.

I flicked my wrist and cast- No, 'executed' <Lightning II>.

For a split second, the air seemed to be filled with energy. A faint buzz filled the area.

And then violet light burst forth. Static electricity intensified enough to be comparable to lightning.

When the light died down, the crimson outlines had vanished. And when I held out my hand to use <Laser> at a low intensity like a flashlight, there were glowing cinders where the outlines had been.

"Hm... Too effective. It's like casting Expel or Poof in Dragon Quest..."

Considering that I didn't get an experience message from that either, it was definitely just a 'get out of a stick situation' card rather than an actual training method.

After I waited a bit to make sure that nothing else popped up... and that the forest wouldn't catch on fire (it didn't) I said, "You can open your eyes now."

Lia opened hers first and looked around at the glowing embers in the distance. "Wow..."

Sylvia opened her eyes next and gasped. "Master...! You're amazing!"

"Mm." I clenched my hands, which tingled a bit from using <Lightning II>. "It's inefficient. This isn't worth using in battle."

I could tell immediately. Unlike other attacks, it was definitely indiscriminate. If I aimed wrong, it could hit Lia or Sylvia. Not only that, but I'd been lucky this time, but it was definitely something that could cause collateral damage.

...But it was definitely effective.

'Considering that trashy king's knights all use metal armor...'

It might be enchanted to block magic. But this wasn't 'magic' anymore. It was just applied physics utilizing mana as a trigger for a physical phenomenon.

But in any case, that resolved the immediate issue.

"Come. Let's set up camp." I immediately headed over to the forest clearing.

Lia and Sylvia hugged me on either side, walking with me.

As we moved, Lia said, "Goshujin-sama...?"

"Yes, Lia?"

"If you can use magic like that, why do you need us?" Lia looked up at me with her crimson eyes, glowing like soft rubies in the night.

Sylvia was hesitant, but she spoke up as well. "Yes, Master. If you can use such powerful magic... do you... truly need us?"

Doubt. Hesitation. Fear that they would be discarded.

I could hear it in their voices.

So I answered immediately. "Of course I do. It costs less energy to swing a sword than to do this."

That was the truth.

While I could get creative and clear out potential squads of knights with this, and while it technically didn't use mana or MP...

I felt it just now.

There wasn't avoiding the physical cost of it. Because it was 'physics.'

My right hand tingled a bit from the static discharge. And though I'd been lucky enough to be wearing non-conductive armor... and my shield apparently didn't count as metal, there was a chance it could backfire.

...Which reminded me that I should probably get other elements prepared as well.

But either way...

I ruffled Lia's hair, then Sylvia's and said, "You two need to grow stronger. That way I can reserve my energy for the monsters that need real force to overcome."

Things like a dragon, or that spirit tortoise due to arrive in the future...

Those are what I should be handling, not mobs like these.

Especially since my trump cards were only effective when left as trump cards.

Sylvia's violet eyes sparkled and her fluffy white tail wagged a bit behind her. "Oh! So Master wants us to solve the little things!"

Lia nodded in understanding. "I understand, Goshujin-sama! It's not that Goshujin-sama is weak, Goshujin-sama is too strong!"

Sylvia smiled at Lia and said, "That's right! Master might accidentally blow up the kingdom, so we need to get strong enough so he doesn't have to!"

"That..." I started to reject Sylvia's words. But... After thinking about it a moment, I realized they were... technically true. So instead, I said, "...That is something to keep in mind, yes."

Lia puffed out her chest and said, "Leave it to us, Goshujin-sama! We'll grow big and strong and fast so that you don't have to work hard!"

Sylvia nodded her head. "That's right, Master! Lia and I will make sure that you don't have to fight! Then you can just make us yummy food and be happy!"

I laughed. "That would be nice. But for now..." I walked over and shifted my stats around so I could pull down and mold trees into a makeshift shelter.

Some stripped bark, woven branches, interlocked logs...

Done.

After that, I made some blankets with <Synthesis> and monster parts we'd acquired before laying them out for Lia and Sylvia. "Here. Rest."

Sylvia looked at the bedding then at me. "...Master. Are you not going to sleep?"

"Not right now. I will when you two are strong enough to protect me."

Sylvia's eyes widened. They trembled a bit, like she regretted that she was weak. But she pursed her lips and nodded. "...Understood, Master."

Lia looked upset too. But she nodded. "...Okay, Goshujin-sama. But... don't stay up too late...?"

I smiled at them and said, "Sleep. My time to sleep will come. But not yet."

After a bit more needling of the two girls, they went to bed, hugging each other.

It was adorable. Made me wish I had a camera, actually...

But I set that thought aside and let them rest.

After sitting at the entrance in the complete darkness, I checked my loadout.

===

Iwatani Naofumi?

Occupation: Hero of the Shield

Level 1

Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Armament), Parallel World’s Clothes

Skill: Parallel System, (New!) Ominous Aura

Magic: None

===

Shields:

Homeostasis Shield Mk II: A shield that emphasizes the user’s health and maintaining a peak performance regardless of any external changes. Prevents lethal blows as long as there is 25% health or more remaining. All negative status effects are nullified. Regeneration fixed at 10% health per second. 100 capacity.

Potential Amplification Shield: A shield that focuses on improving the abilities of the user’s allies. Latent growth is increased by ten fold. 100 capacity.

Sentinel Shield: A shield specialized in defending. Defense multiplied threefold. Automatically redirects all damage to the user’s allies to the user through the usage of quantum entanglement and mana resonance. 100 capacity.

Detection Shield MK II: A shield specialized in detecting hostile and malicious intent as well as potential dangers. User can detect all falsehoods within sensory range. Focused intent, hostile or otherwise, is detected within a mile radius. 50 capacity.

(New!) Shattered Veil: A shield born from the broken covenant. Although this shield is desperately suppressed by the Shield Spirit, it represents a crack in what should have been inviolable. Damage calculations now apply the defense stat for damage. When equipped, the artificial limitations placed upon you as the Shield Hero are removed. Cannot currently be equipped. Once equipped, cannot be removed. Two strikes remain.

Spells:

Intimidate: Convey murderous/killing intent directly into the user’s mind through a medium. Can be done with words, glares, or mana itself. 5 capacity.

Restoration II: Through parsing the genetic code and ‘status’ of a target, reject all negative status effects and damage and restore the body to an optimal state. Mana can be infused to increase restoration speed. 25 capacity.

Lightning II: A powerful electric bolt is created using the understanding of static electricty and mana transformation. 10 capacity.

Laser: Forms a laser from ambient mana. The intensity is directed at the user’s will. 10 capacity.

Capacity 400/1000

===

'I see...'

<Shattered Veil>... It was a shield that I didn't create. At least, one I didn't design. But it was one that was born from the circumstances I had been forced into.

I knew it from the start, after all. I wasn't Naofumi Iwatani. Being a pushover who was defenseless because he didn't know how to fight or do anything... that wasn't me.

If anything... the weapon that would have been suited for me was the sword. I was someone who actually knew how to use a blade in reality, after all. Not to the extent of being a master swordsman, but enough to be dangerous with one.

'Maybe that's why they gave me the shield.'

I had the vague sense of it already. If I had been given the sword from the start, I would have immediately attacked the king for that disrespect.

No, I would have fucked off from the start.

Because this was a forced draft. None of us had asked to be summoned as heroes, but we were being told 'it can't be helped' and 'go do your job.'

I hated it. Hell, ANY American would hate it.

I didn't know why the others were so fine with being isekai'd, but I sure as fuck wasn't.

"Every month, right?" I murmured to myself, remembering what the king said.

The waves of disaster came every month.

That meant that, every month, I would be forcibly teleported to wherever the hell that wave was. Me, along with my party... which meant Lia and Sylvia too.

A peaceful life was out of the question. At least... that was what THEY thought. But...

'...If the wave doesn't end, then a new one doesn't start, right?'

Just like in other games, you had to clear one wave to get to the next.

If you let it stick around, the world simply wouldn't progress. You'd be stuck.

But at the same time, you'd be able to fuck around and do whatever you want.

'Should I just take Lia and Sylvia with me and run?'

It was a viable tactic. Optimal, even.

I cared fuck all about this world. The people clearly were trash. At least, the people in Melromarc.

Oyaji was nice. And the merchant and pharmacist were okay too.

But it was on the level of a decent shop clerk.

We weren't friends. And I could care less if they dropped dead.

The same wasn't true for Lia and Sylvia.

I had taken them under my wing. For better or for worse, they were my responsibility.

Even if they weren't, they were sweet girls. I wanted to make sure they had enough happiness to make up for what they had gone through.

Of course, that was impossible to completely come true in this chaotic world...

So long as the waves of calamity existed, we would keep getting swept up into the battles.

'...For now.'

I needed to observe the mechanics. If my suspicions were correct... No. If the note about <Shattered Veil> was correct, then my presence here was an 'Oath.' Since I was pulled here against my will, I must get something in return.

It wasn't magic, but a cosmic balance.

That was my sense of it, at least.

And right now, the world had already been given one strike.

Two more, and I would be set loose. If they went against me two more times and broke the covenant... whatever that was.

I could sense it.

<Parallel System> wasn't something given to me by the legendary shield. It was something that came with me. Mine. An innate and inherent ability, like how the real Naofumi was immune to alcohol.

The moment <Shattered Veil> activated, I would lose the legendary shield and be disqualified as the Shield Hero. That much was obvious already from reading between the lines.

And as a result...

'I could do what I wanted.'

I would probably lose the status corrections that let me pull off the stunts I did. Shifting points around to maximize strength, for example, would probably be off the table.

But I could use weapons then. ANY weapons.

And with <Synthesis> along with the other subsectors of <Parallel System>...

"...That's for the future." I murmured.

No point in getting ahead of myself.

There were still two more weeks before the first wave.

And that would determine my actions going forward.

For now though... let's adjust my loadout.

===

Shields:

(New!) Homeostasis Shield Mk III: A shield that emphasizes the user’s health and maintaining a peak performance regardless of any external changes. Prevents lethal blows as long as there is 50% health or more remaining. All negative status effects are nullified. Regeneration fixed at 25% health per second. 300 capacity.

(New!) Potential Amplification Shield Mk II: A shield that focuses on improving the abilities of the user’s allies. Latent growth is increased by twenty fold. 200 capacity.

(New!) Sentinel Shield Mk II: A shield specialized in defending. Defense multiplied threefold. Automatically redirects all party-wide attacks as well as negative effects to the user through the usage of quantum entanglement and mana resonance. 300 capacity.

Detection Shield MK II: A shield specialized in detecting hostile and malicious intent as well as potential dangers. User can detect all falsehoods within sensory range. Focused intent, hostile or otherwise, is detected within a mile radius. 50 capacity.

Shattered Veil: A shield born from the broken covenant. Although this shield is desperately suppressed by the Shield Spirit, it represents a crack in what should have been inviolable. Damage calculations now apply the defense stat for damage. When equipped, the artificial limitations placed upon you as the Shield Hero are removed. Cannot currently be equipped. Once equipped, cannot be removed. Two strikes remain.

Spells:

Intimidate: Convey murderous/killing intent directly into the user’s mind through a medium. Can be done with words, glares, or mana itself. 5 capacity.

Restoration II: Through parsing the genetic code and ‘status’ of a target, reject all negative status effects and damage and restore the body to an optimal state. Mana can be infused to increase restoration speed. 25 capacity.

Lightning II: A powerful electric bolt is created using the understanding of static electricty and mana transformation. 10 capacity.

Laser: Forms a laser from ambient mana. The intensity is directed at the user’s will. 10 capacity.

(New!) Oxidize: Forces an exothermic reaction upon a designated target to induce rapid oxidization. 25 capacity.

(New!) Condensation: Accumulates water molecules from a designated target, ripping them free into pure water. 25 capacity.

(New!) Earthbend: Manipulate the molecular structure of a mineral at a designated target. 50 capacity.

Capacity 1000/1000

===

'That should do it.'

Upgraded shields to increase the speed Lia and Sylvia grew, more countermeasures to keep us all safe, and then three new spells. Fire, water, and earth... nominally.

But it was more versatile than that since I'd gone granular.

Fire was actually oxidization... but so was rusting.

I couldn't 'burn' metal with my magic, but I could rust it.

Condensation... I was just thinking about a means to get pure drinking water when we were out in the wild. While I could hold some in my shield, it never hurt to have options. Moreover...

'Dessication should be possible.'

Although I didn't know the extent it would work on living targets... it should at least be a surprise attack.

Lastly, Earthbend.

...I couldn't think of a better name.

But this was basically a means to bypass synthesis when it came to structuring materials. Not only that, but it should let me mine ores and refine them without a forge. Coldforging, in a way.

Of course, it would take practice. Since it would rely on my ability to use the magic instead of the system, it was more of an art than a science.

But that was more than enough for me.

As long as the quantity of tools in my disposal increased, so too would the odds of us all surviving.

But in the long run...

'I still need to figure out a way to defeat that goddess.'

I had a theory. A 'proof' that I could test in the worst case scenario. Something that should work in a world where 'systems' held sway because of its universal applicability.

But I didn't want to think about that too much yet. The moment I pulled it out, everything underpinning this planet could possibly break.

Not to mention that a depowered goddess with no cheating conceptual abilities might still just be a crazy powerful entity with raw energy at her disposal.

So better to not poke that bear until I was sure I could kill it in one go.

"...Alright." I glanced back at Lia and Sylvia.

Seeing them sleeping peacefully, I nodded to myself and murmured, "For them, at least."

I'd fight for them. And only them.

...Morning was a fair time away from now though. Since that was the case...

I glanced over at the nearby pond. Since I was bored...

"Hm. Let's test it."

...I decided to see if I could make a proper bath.

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