The moon is still bright, the stars are shining, the breeze is blowing. It is a beautiful night. Why do I feel shivers running down my back, then?
The Shield Hero has laid her back against the giant tree, her legs splayed out for my viewing pleasure. Her big breasts are still covered by the miko nightgown, looking tempting as hell. We are going to have sex. I am going to lose my virginity in this horrible purgatory at the recorded age of 3 years, 8 months, 16 days, 9 hours and 18 minutes.
…Yes, it is a function of the System's Clock. I am not an autist who can read his own biological clock.
"Will! I've already cast every regeneration boosting buffs, defense multiplication buffs and acid resistance buffs I know on you! Let's fuck, you coward!" After the birth control protection, STD protection, internal organ rupturing protection… Okay maybe I've overdone it. Shield Hero is getting angrier and angrier at my paranoia – after it hits the peak she will either enter the Cursed Series Wrath Mode and tear me apart with torture implements or trigger the Heartbroken status effect and die after having lost the will to live.
"I… I am sorry. This is my first time. I am scared." If only I were a virgin rapemeat in a hentai, my voice would be a solid turn on. Too bad I am a depressed wreck of a furry catboy - it should be more of a turn off. Comparing our standing heights though, my head reaches until the half of her abdomen so I could fill the shota niche if I really reach for it.
Her voice softens. "Don't worry, I am a virgin as well. Please take care of me."
…She really is a virgin through and through – somehow she doesn't have any knowledge about foreplay and hasn't even heard about blowjobs, handjobs or footjobs. But as expected, she does know a Foreplay buff. …What a strange specimen.
"…"
I stop dawdling and grab her by the hips.
"Kyaa!" Ignoring the anime sound effect, I position my body. Left arm grabs her lower hip, right arm wraps around her arm. My head is firmly between her breasts so that she doesn't accidentally slap my face with those meatballs. I bring my cock forward, placing it at the opening of her moist slit.
"I am going to enter. Are you ready?"
"JAM IT-" Shield Hero's excited scream tells me of her enthusiastic consent and I thrust in.
She is really wet and well lubricated - my first intercourse is surprisingly easy. Her hymen should have broken long ago during the battle against the Wave, or maybe during her time as a dancer in her first world. Good thing, I hate blood during sex.
As I thrust in and out and build up speed, I look her in the eyes. No uncomfortableness, only pure bliss on her face – she is even screaming "Harder!". But since I am not sure if she really wants it or is just copying porno, I maintain my thrusting speed.
"You fucking bitch, go harder!" Oh yeah, she knows when I am half-assing it. This is our party leader, after all…
"That's it, good boy! Now go harder!" I pace my hips as I obey her command. …Is this sort of overexertion really good for virginal sex?
"Still fucking holding back on me? Gimme the hit!" Shield Hero's long legs scissor around my short ones, firmly locking them… Wait, seriously…
"Let's go! Let me show you the result of my bridal training! Now move those hips!" My legs that should have been firmly locked in place are controlled by a scissor-hold technique to thrust even harder.
I don't know what sort of bridal training teaches this technique! This isn't something from this world!
"Ah, that's just it, I am coming, I am coming! Come inside, put a baby in meee!" Shield Hero laughs crazily. I sense a hint of danger…
"…Yes!" Without holding it within anymore, I ejaculate. Sensing the liquid gushing out of me is weird yet satisfying feeling, since the last time I've felt it was in my past life.
The next moment, I grab Shield Hero and roll away to the side. The giant tree which Shield Hero had her back to… well, it seems that it just collapsed. Still on the ground, head in the grass we look over in the tree's direction. Upon the earth, a hairline crack is spreading. And it just swallowed Lowlife's corpse.
"What the fuck… Hahahaha…" Shield Hero can't stop laughing. Well it seems funny to her because there is no way she would die to a simple tree collapse.
"Eh, it isn't funny at all. Lowlife's corpse just got swallowed into a newly uncovered dungeon."
"Do you think we should go and claim it?"
"No, it is just a lv. 30 Dungeon. Tracking down the corpse and covering it up by destroying the dungeon will be a waste, let's just put a bounty notice for it. How about a Lv. 45 reward, just good enough for those gathering money for a Class Up?"
Shield Hero laughs at my reply before getting off my body. Surprisingly light for someone capable of such force. Thank god I wasn't at the bottom, I'd be a beautiful corpse joining Lowlife in the abyss.
"You were really fucking like a pornstar, damn."
"And you were really fucking like you hated my pelvis."
There is a weird silence once again. I get up, put on my clothes, clean up what's sticking to me and the smell… Just the routine. Feels weird since I am doing it for the first time in a while, though.
"Hey, I didn't think I'd be capable of doing such damage with my strength." Shield Hero looks at her hands before grinning. That's probably enough of a confidence boost.
"In a battle scenario… well of course you can't do even 1 damage to an equivalently levelled character. But this wasn't a 'battle'. DEF stat corresponds to 'Vitality' and vastly multiplies sexual proficiency apart from some other things. You could probably masturbate and create earthquakes."
At my reply, Shield Hero seems scandalized before remembering something. "…How do you know something like that?"
Oh, that's a good question. "I used to shadow Lowlife when he went whoring around, looking for a good opportunity to stab him. The tanks always got more game, I notice."
"Wait, he used to whore around as well? I pity his wives." Shield Hero is concerned about the strangest of things. I think his wives were happier without him around, remembering what transpired in the whorehouses.
…I think I need some cheering up.
"…Shield Hero, I just remembered a joke. What is worse than a small penis?"
"Lacking balls?" Not bad, but that isn't the Siltvelt reply.
"Nope, having a barbed penis."
"…What the hell kind of joke is that?" Shield Hero looks at me like I stole her lunch.
"This isn't a joke you laugh at but one you cringe at. One day you'll get it, I promise." Shield Hero looks quizzically at me before dropping the topic when I say 'promise'. Good girl.
…I hope she doesn't get it anytime soon.
Now, it is time to return 'home'.
-x-x-x-
I wanted to make this chapter somewhat longer, but it is just OK and I am tired. Putting memes in sex scenes is hard, next chapter dragon loli Gaelion lets go.
Also no heroine named, female Shield Hero until the end, let's go.
After collapsing the tree and unveiling the dungeon, we decided to rest since it was in the dead of the night. After teleporting to a nearby village, we immediately checked in to the inn for the night.
Now I hear the crowing of the rooster. It's morning. The night is fading. Looking outside from the village inn, the dawn brightening the sky and the land is a spectacular sight.
I've seen more spectacular sights, true. I've seen a dimension collapse into motes of dust, all lifeforms eradicated. I've seen corpses of forgotten kings rise again, leading legions upon legions of zombies to battle. I've seen a Demon King fall and harvested his corpse.
But nothing beats watching the dawn as a free man. For some reason this makes me feel as if I've been reborn once more. The soft caress of the warm sun is almost motherly – a terrible illusion to convince that the cruelty of this world is balanced by kindness.
"Will! Why did you stop talking and look outside? It's just another morning! Come on let's talk more about your story! Rise of the Shield Hero is such a fantastic novel, why did you just drop it halfway?! I wanted to learn about the adventure to the different world!" And Shield Hero kills my mood. Overly excited as always huh.
"…" As expected Shield Hero couldn't sleep all night and wouldn't let me sleep either – for some reason she believed that my mouth was actually sealed by Lowlife's contract and that I would want to exchange hours and hours of talk about all sorts of thing with her. She just won't accept that I am fucking antisocial.
Deciding that she needed a bedtime story, I decided to tell her the only story I had fully memorized – the Shield Hero volumes I had bothered reading. Using the Memory Recall potion and Autowrite skill to memorize it was a great decision – after all it was the only 'cheat' I had in this horrid world. For some reason I believed the edgefest of a story would bore her to bed.
…Shield Hero's stupidity might be contagious.
"…Ost Horai's death was so sad… Yet nevertheless that was one nice story. This Naofumi Iwatani sounds like an interesting person. Maybe I too would have ended up like that if fate was unkind…-"
"…" Still as dumb as ever, I see.
"Hey Will, you look like you want to say something." Oh, her facereading skills are pretty good against anyone other than Lowlife.
"…Fundamentally, there is no way you and Naofumi are comparable. If Naofumi is the anti-hero who was blackened by the cruelty of the world, you are a generic hero who purifies the cruel world." At my reply, Shield Hero's face lights up in a smile before pouting at my final words.
"I am not generic! They don't make a dozen versions of me in a factory! I am the only me!" Oh, she misunderstood again.
"No, I meant that you follow the generic archetype of a knightly hero. Chief of which is that you will never stoop to darker or unethical methods. You wouldn't have children risking their life in battle and you wouldn't buy slaves. Your charisma, ethics and honor would get you companions who would follow your path of chivalry. Eventually you would use the power of friendship to save the world and die. …Or maybe you would live on as a destabilizing influence that the reigning powers concerned would aim to assassinate."
"…Go on." I can sense Shield Hero suppressing the desire to protest in her tone. Good girl, learning.
"Now, about the classic anti-hero. Born experiencing the darkness, he never hesitates in using dark and unethical techniques to survive. Nevertheless, he slowly experiences character development that causes him to yearn for the light. He obtains companions that doubt him until they find out firsthand that he is a good person and aiming to be better. As he experiences battle after battle, his charisma, ethics and honor slowly rise until he has become a knight, a dark knight but still… When the time comes for the final battle, he selflessly sacrifices himself to save his companions. Or he lives on after some sizeable sacrifices but with a hopeful future." My analysis is probably not all that correct since I've forgotten lots of things but should be overall in the right direction.
"Wait, why do I get pegged as a destabilizing influence while Naofumi gets to do bad stuff and never get pointed at?"
Damn I hate talking so much, my apathy is fading and being replaced by irritation. Just when I am going to answer, the door opens.
The savior is the innkeeper. The moment he sees our faces, he immediately gets on his knees. "Breakfast is ready! …Oh, oh my goodness… the Lady of the Shield and Lord Shadar! Forgive me for my impoliteness…"
In the end, I never ended up answering that question that day – the difference between her and Naofumi. Perhaps that too was fate.
X9X9X9
After hypnotizing the waiter into forgetting our identities, I couldn't help some frustration. We'll have to go around the village in a mask and a veil later on, what a pain…
Anyway since breakfast was here, time to eat first. Full attention of the food. It is some rice porridge dish and spicy milk drink – I didn't ask for the dish's name but it is something I haven't eaten before. Maybe this village specialty. Shield Hero hasn't eaten at all.
"How is the breakfast, Miss Destabilizing Influence?" Naturally I finished breakfast before asking Shield Hero's opinion. I liked it personally.
Her face still pale, Shield Hero glares at me. "…Forget about the food. Now that the new day has dawned, how about we start a discussion about some things you know and I don't… Starting from 'what the fuck did that guy call you and me?'"
Heh. Time to have this long awaited talk.
"You were called 'Lady of the Shield', the descended Goddess of Demi-humans who fell from Heaven to save the race and raise it to Paradise.
I was called 'Lord Shadar' or 'Shadar of the Void Beyond', alternately called 'Devil of the Shield' – the myth goes that Shadar was a ruler of Hell who you somehow tricked into becoming your servant.
By the way, Lowlife was called 'Lord Lux' or 'Lux of the Heaven Above', alternately called 'Angel of the Shield' – the myth is that Lux was an Angel from Heaven who came to help the goddess return to her pedestal.
…It is basically a creation myth that was popularized about 6 months back. There are books with this mythos that have been spread out, but every village and city has different versions for some reason." I explain. The Church of the Shield is very creative, at least compared to my creative bankruptcy in my fanfic writing days.
"…Help the goddess return… Damn, this means that the Church was plotting to kill me all along! But I never found out… just because I didn't learn how to read… Damn, damn it, damn my stupidity. If only I wasn't stupid enough to fall for Lowlife's lies, if only I had bothered to learn reading, if only I had thought more about how Lowlife treated you… I never expected for everything to spiral down to this…" Shield Hero says with a depressed tone. While her statement is overall correct, it seems that she ignored the key word.
"Wait no. The key word is '6 months back'. Remember the Wave at Asurahim Tomb, that one with lots of overlevelled Demi-human zombies headed by the Forgotten King? It was a threat to the entire country, remember? Millions of people drawn into the dreamland, all-around panic? The Church was willing to launch Sacrificial techniques with the lives of the dreaming citizens since saving some of the population at the cost of many would be better than complete destruction." It was ridiculous, I nearly died so many times.
"…How could I forget?" She looks down thinking about what transpired back then. Her Shields were shattered after one strike from those zombies during back then. An all-out raid battle is just ridiculous.
"It was total chaos all around. The Demi-human zombies were all ridiculously statted up. We were all fucked, half of the accompanying Siltvelt Military Troops died when the first AOE magic was cast. And then… well, you did it. You did your speech. You somehow convinced the zombies that they too were once Demi-humans and they should fight so their posterity could live on. The zombie Demi-humans somehow decided that you were right and rebelled against the Forgotten King." Totally ridiculous, completely nonsensical, zombies didn't work like that… Well Shield Hero spoke up and they somehow did.
"It was like a miracle. While Legendary Weapon Heroes are pretty ridiculous themselves, that feat of yours surpassed everyone's cognition. Naturally the Shield Church decided to have you officially canonized as the incarnation of some randomly created Goddess to calm the public. And well…" I shrug. It was the start of everything in a way.
"You know, it was the one thing I was genuinely proud of myself for doing… And in the end, that's how it all spiraled down, huh. Just because of one inexplicable incident, they decided that I cannot be allowed to live? What a mess." Shield Hero says it in an even voice – she must have guessed it as well.
"It can't be helped, it is all a screwed up business. To begin with, have you ever thought why your adventure started so smoothly in the first place? Think about it for a moment." Without letting her reply I continue.
"Unlike the fictional Naofumi's crew, you didn't experience adversity. From the first moment of your summoning, the Church of the Shield showed you kindness and gave you all resources you required. And during the First Wave when you met the three other heroes who were summoned by the Church of the Three Heroes, their attempts to cause hostility were allayed due to you being a girl. You optimally assisted in the First Wave to the other heroes surprise and your buffs made them well disposed towards you."
"You never got scammed by merchants, stuff stolen from you, party members betraying you, cornered by monsters… Well there was the one time one of Lowlife's recruits died fighting the Black Serpent – you cried a little I think." At my question, Shield Hero seems to freeze.
"Yeah it was all too… smooth." She acknowledges it.
"I might be wrong, but it is highly likely that your smooth start was due to the Shield Church's manipulations. Maybe they just controlled everything around you with high manpower, maybe they had a prediction or status display technique.
Also… don't you think it is weird how obsessed you were with Lowlife? I have no evidence that anything fishy was going on – but come on, Sword Hero and Spear Hero got a harem in the meanwhile. We went to the birthday of the Spear Hero's 1st child as well.
…Also, Bow Hero confessed to you thrice before giving up." I speak up about the touchy subject without holding back.
"Shut the fuck up-" Shield Hero stops speaking, pauses for a brief moment and then says with a quieter voice. "Between him and myself… it was impossible. I know you two were friends, but I considered him a friend as well."
"…Whatever. He is in a better world now, so I consider all matters concluded. Anyway all I was saying that Lowlife's control over your actions was suspicious." I immediately accept her request to bury the subject.
"Well, that's true. I've always wondered why… Whatever, Lowlife's dead – all matters regarding him have concluded as well." I shrug at her answer. True, Lowlife's dead.
"So, Will. You are suggesting that the Shield Church gave Lowlife a technique to control me – a Legendary Hero with, but due to the Asurahim Tomb incident they realized that the control project wasn't as successful and decided to dispose of me." I nod.
"Probably the reason why they decided to have you killed was… well OK, they could attempt to kill you. Your initial cooperation with the heroes snowballed allowing you all to coordinate well as a group and defeat Waves faster before they could intensify. Seriously, you concluded the Final Wave at lv. 90 – there are quite a few natives who are higher levelled than you. Killing you was actually possible and Lowlife was a good tool to do that." At my reply, Shield Hero gives a hollow laugh.
"They attempted to kill me because they were capable of killing me. I thought this was a real world but this is as videogame murderhobo as it gets…" Shield Hero seems somewhat pissed.
"…Will. So the Shield Church decided to switch from controlling me to killing me because I stopped the Asurahim zombies from unleashing a genocide. And the Shield Church attempted murdering me because I was underlevelled from speeding through Wave after Wave. You were right – this world is corrupt to the core." I pause. There is uncomfortable silence.
"…Hey Will, what do you think would have happened if I had died?" Shield Hero asks me a question I've already answered once.
Nevertheless, I take a deep breath and reply. "Well, the misery continues on in this miserable world. Siltvelt wages a completely pointless war to dominate the world like some 3rd rate villain from an anime. The reason is… Hakuko Clan wants to show off their machismo… something like that? Children are pulled from the childhood to be levelled up and matured so that they can act as fodder soldiers to be fielded by stupid commanders who don't know any tactics apart from beating the enemy with more numbers.
Melromarc and the human nations fight back and there is a giant big war. Naturally this comes with a huge population loss, big enough that the lives that you and the Three Legendary Heroes saved by risking your own hides can all go to hell together as they deserve.
What bitch, you think you are Adolf Hitler and your death will leave the world a better place?"
"Heh… hahahaha! That's the reason why I love you, Will! Always so acerbic, trying to cheer me up even as you insult me! Well, can you be a little more cheerful and tell me the silver lining of this dark cloud?" As you command, milady.
"Ah… Well unlike Naofumi who was betrayed at his weakest, you were betrayed at your strongest… and still survived! Now that you have overcome your betrayal, it is now time for your rebirth, revenge and rising! Aim for the stars and maybe you'll reach the sky! This is the Rising of the Shield Hero's Prequel: freeRISE!!" My deadened voice doesn't exactly communicate the hype, but Shield Hero rises up, uses a spell to have her hair blow in the wind and starts posing with her shield.
"That's a great idea! So what do we do now?!" Wow, Shield Hero is the best. I wonder if she was into tokusatsu shows even in her late teens.
"While slavery is banned in Siltvelt, I do know a black market area with young slaves being sold – we can go there after I obtain an invitation. Even if they are out of slaves or raided, a Slave-binding Seal will be easy enough to obtain. About Tanuki Clan demi-humans, they are a noble clan so we'll have to kidnap the Q'Ten Lo envoy…-" My reply is interrupted by a pillow being thrown in my face. Then the blanket. Then the entire bed.
Thank God Shield Hero's damage is 0, really.
X9X9X9
"…We had to apologize to the innkeeper for making a ruckus and pay for a new bed! And worse, the innkeeper thought that we were having sex! You are the worst!" Shield Hero pretends to be angry but can't help her grin. But a few moments later, she straightens up.
"Anyway, my lack of knowledge about the written language is still a problem. So can you teach me?"
"…You should know the common language is an antiquated version of German. Can you speak it?" At my question she shakes her head.
"Proficient in Japanese, capable of reading Chinese and can understand Korean speech a little." Ah, she is a Japan-bred hero after all.
"…Okay, I don't know shit about those languages." Her face falls for a moment. "Just have a look at these books and read whichever you can understand the most. These are for Shield Church missionaries heading to Q'Ten Lo."
Having a storage space is so convenient… she probably forgot but she gifted it to me at the start.
Shield Hero leafs through the books before finding one. "Wait, Japanese is spoken in this world?"
"Q'Ten Lo ancient language. The common there is Chinese version but the royal lineage has to learn Japanese because it is the language of Heroes." Only nodding at my answer, she rapidly turns pages. Damn, it is a fucking Bible ripoff, that's some fast skimming girl. Or a skill, maybe.
"…Not bad." Shield Hero has already finished reading through the book.
"…Did you actually understand anything?" Seriously that was far too quick.
"Just another religious scripture. Well, the brief explanation you gave was correct for the most. Goddess, Shadar, Lux… Pretty good for a sham of a religion meant to push me towards death." She looks unconcerned.
"By the way, that was actually the only Japanese language book I had. If you want to read more, you'll have to learn the local language. Or we could go to Q'Ten Lo."
"Wouldn't that be fun? But my biggest issue now is my incapability of reading the Common." Shield Hero is acting fairly cheery for some unknown reason.
"…Actually, I have the Shield Church's Official Holy Book in 20 different languages that I can't even read. How about you stuff them all in your shield and try to get a book translator?" I've never understood why I hoard so many books in my storage.
"Not a bad idea, but the first time I stuffed in a book within the Shield, I got a Paper Shredding Shield. Good for that one time we had to face flying book enemies since I could actually attack, useless anywhere else." That's… not that problematic.
"Can you access the Sword Hero's powerup method? The RNG one? Just start it up while you stuff in the books, decent chance you'll get a translation technique. Seriously, if you think your inability to read scripts is that much problem – any translation technique – even fucking Google Translate will do. It is fine if the books get destroyed, they are all useless anyway." At my suggestion, Shield Hero reluctantly nods.
This RNG powerup method lets Shield Hero unlock a Shield with all skills 'Awakened' and even levels it up to match the wielder's level. The problem with this one is that the unlocked Shield is decided by pure RNG – Shield Hero has a full set of auto-cooking chinese cuisine Shields somehow.
"Oh, the gacha. I was saving the currency for something else, but you are correct." Shield Hero takes out her Shield, places it on the ground and starts praying. Then she starts up the Legendary Weapon Absorption function and rams in all the 20 multilingual copies of the Shield Church's Holy Book. When the rotating hole doesn't dissipate, Shield Hero sighs and drops 30 blue-colored gems in there.
After about 15 minutes of brightly shining lights, a shining rainbow appears. [(SSR) LV 95/95 Divine Faith Scripture Shield]. It is a beautiful, white, translucent shield.
"Someone's quite lucky today." Unexpected luck, really. Looking at how horrible her day yesterday went I would expect Shield Hero's luck to suffer for a week or so at least.
"Well yeah… This new one unlocks and provides boost for all of the Shield Church's non-offensive abilities. Also lots of passives and the generic stuff. Doesn't seem like it can translate though." Shield Hero waves around the new shield for a moment.
"Anyway just try putting the shield on top of this book. We'll see if something cool happens." I hand her a book, she puts the shield atop it. Suddenly, the translucent looking shield changes into something that resembles a E-book reader.
"…Oh, this Shield has so many abilities and special effects that I have to scroll down. And 'Script Translation' is at the very bottom. So let's see… Ah, The Tragedy of the Shield Goddess' Imprisonment (II)? What kind of legend is this?" Shield Hero, I don't know either.
"…No idea. Honestly ever since I found out that every book of this fake mythology was distinct, I've been buying every book I could thinking that there would be a secret code of sorts. Didn't get shit though – maybe because this bullshit antiquated German is too hard to decipher." Shield Hero nods sympathetically before reading it. I've tried it out on my Axe before, there is no convenient Translation Axe.
"Synopsis: After the evil Shadar betrayed the Archangel Lux, he kidnapped the Lady of the Shield and imprisoned her in the depths of hell, subjecting her to unspeakable torments and carnal lusts… What the fucking hell… Hey Will, why is a Holy Book dedicated to me a smutty book? Is this the Shield Church's declaration of war?" Shield Hero looks astonished. Yeah, why would the Shield Church do something as pointless as replacing books meant to venerate 'Lady of the Shield' with smut books? What's even the point, pissing her off? Shield Hero does 0 damage but when her Wrath Bar is full it's another story!
"No idea, just try another one." I shrug and take back the smutty book, replacing it with a random one.
"The Secret Romance between Shadar and Lux…" Don't read that! I immediately steal away the book and tear it apart.
"…Will, where the hell are you getting these books?"
"Order by catalogue."
"…"
We mutually decide to stop investigating the mystery of the 'Lady of the Shield' holy books. It seems like a bit too deep of a pit.
x9x9x9x
Reading books together in a sleepy village inn room is nice and everything, but all Adventurers are only sated by battle. So we came to Mirso Village to have a look if there was a Dragon Emperor hiding here.
"…By the way, you never answered my question. Why did you stop reading the story of Shield Hero?"
"No real idea. Just felt like it. You sometimes just lose interest in things, I guess."
"What a pity. More details about this Ost Horai would be nice. A woman whose primary means of attack is to use her beauty to bring about war… Maybe she can help us come to the conclusion we seek." I nod. There is only the two of us remaining, and fighting against the Shield Church is impossible for us at the moment. …Shield Hero didn't speak about it, but it seems like my dreams of waiting out the war in Lowlife's manor are dead and gone. Her heroic will is surging again.
"Anyway, your book was correct. I've sensed a Dragon Emperor up there. This is the weakest Dragon Emperor I've seen though. Should we kill him and loot his Dragon Emperor shard?" I shrug. Dragon Emperors are generally unreasonable monsters that can't talk at all and use their intelligence and magical power to ruthlessly kill everything – at least that's what I've seen and experienced, they are kill on sight/ flee on sight existences.
"Well it depends on what you want. I would personally like to recruit him myself though. Our three man team is missing a trash cleaner." At my reply, Shield Hero grins.
"So you've recovered your wits as well, huh. Let's go then. I want to see your negotiation skills." Saying this, she Warps me to the place where the dragon sleeps. …This is going to be embarrassing.
As expected, Gaelion the Dragon Emperor roars like a dumb beast, completely unaffected by the large level gap between us. It is going to attack but the level gap is real… [Blunted Halberd Axe]. With what looks like a thick metal rod, I ruthlessly bash the dragon up.
"Hey, can you paralyze and numb the pain? I am going to run a few… experiments now before we start our operation." One should always be humane during experimentation after all.
And thus, an unfortunate Dragon Emperor went to sleep as a majestic beast, experienced an unprecedented Race/Gender/Class change operation and woke up as a petite girl. It was a all-around success!
Shield Hero>
In the Dragon's Cave some distance away from the Mirso Village, the Dragon was slain (almost) and the heroes sat together in conversation.
The giant dragon's body was laid down upon a complicated magical circle. Atop it, the [Shield of Demi-Human Salvation] was pressed upon it like a lid, and the [Scalpel Axe] was laid in the middle of the shield like a cap. On the whole, the arrangement looked like a… pressure cooker with the dragon in place of the rice to be cooked.
Looking at Will industriously looking over it, the Shield Hero couldn't help a smile. He was always so diligent.
"Alright. If this works correctly, it should expend 5 levels from Gaelion to reconstruct a Demi-human body for… her? Yeah, that's right. Even if the formulations are egregiously wrong, only 40 levels will be expended from her while the various stat growth corrections of the Legendary Shield and Seven Star Axe will be applied upon her. With that, we will have a party member who can keep up with us and a native who has lived through centuries as our ally. We will be able to do much more." Will was so exhausted that he couldn't even keep up the bitterness in his voice. Shield Hero smiled as she nodded.
"Wow, that's amazing. I never thought something on this level was possible. Seriously, we can just up and multiply the statlines of lv. 70 Demi-humans like this! Also the ability to remove serious injuries and... Damn, this is a real innovation. The Shield Church might even be will to cease hostilities if we can offer this technology!" She couldn't help her amazement.
"The Shield Church can't admit their hostility. And this really isn't that much of a innovation - your Legendary Shield's effect is the real reason behind this technique's effectiveness. The principle of 'might makes right' in this world is just ridiculous, that's the whole reason why this is even happening!" As expected, Will couldn't help insult the world even at this moment.
"...It will be interesting having a third party member again. Since it isn't Lowlife, I might be able to build up a cordial relationship – but Will, you have to promise not to spend all your time on her! You need to spend time with me as well! I am your first woman!" Even though she knew the necessity of having another woman join their pair, she couldn't help but plead this.
"…" Will kept his silence.
"Waah! You are the worst! Abandoning me as soon as you get your hands on a new woman! And this new cutie even gets to fashion a sexier body for herself, she will definitely beat me in appeal no matter what! ...Ah, I was joking, joking! Don't look at me like I am trash anymore!" Shield Hero seriously didn't like Will when he got that way.
"…We have to trust each other now. Unlike before, the Three Heroes are gone. We have only ourselves to rely on now. I originally wanted to inherit Lowlife's manor, take you as an alibi and dodge the upcoming war… but you said that you want to end the war before it happened. So we came here to recruit a new ally. For all that matters, Gaelion and myself are part of YOUR harem since you are the Legendary Hero." Will was the cutest when he was so earnest, she thought.
"Well if it is MY harem, maybe I'll pick another guy. I haven't really seen any men these days, but since I AM a beauty and everything, they'll fall heads over heels for me. How would you like that?" At her teasing question, her other party member shook his head.
"Your taste in men sucks. Lowlife compelled me to stay with the Succession Contract, the moment another asshole joins I'll just up and leave."
"…" Damn, she couldn't even reply to that!
"…Well I do have you, so as far it matters…" Whispering to herself, the Shield Hero thought about something else.
"Hey, did you say something? I didn't really hear." Will really didn't hear. Her whispering technique had levelled up due to being in the proximity of Demi-humans with highly developed senses, it seemed.
"Nothing… I was just wondering, how do you think the Three Heroes are faring in their own worlds?" It was a question she hadn't vocalized before.
"What do you expect? They should be living up their lives with their harem of cuties and trusted friends from this world and their loved ones from their own world. Also they get three wishes as well. Unless they get kidnapped once again they are enjoying the life they deserve, away from this miserable hell." Will would never give up on calling this world a hell, would he?
"…I thought that with your friendship with the Bow Hero, he would ask you to go back to his world." There. The question she didn't want to ask.
"Yeah, he did ask me. I rejected – I was pretty sure that Lowlife's betrayal of you was coming up and didn't want to miss my chance to get revenge. And save you too, I guess." Will said this with a nonchalant tone, but she knew how much strength it took to give up on escaping this 'hell' to protect her.
"By the way, why did you stay behind? I did say before that even if Lowlife had any control over you, it wasn't large enough to fully affect your decision-making. At that time when you made the decision to stay, there should be something else to hold you behind in this world. What was it?" She couldn't help a wry smile.
"…The Shield Church's people pleaded me to remain. As their beloved Shield Hero… I couldn't refuse." Will didn't reply with a mocking reply, or even a facial change. He only looked her in the eyes in an apathetic way.
The silence stretched on for moments.
"…Since it is going to take a while for our new party member to emerge, how about we eat something?" Shield Hero spoke up.
"Why not. You still don't have a wine making shield, do you?" She didn't have ANYTHING other than Chinese cuisine shields. Like spice was good and everything but damn, she hated it.
"…Well, I have some premium product from Q'Ten Lo. I was planning to drink it as celebration after beheading Lowlife, you know. But we should drink it already." Will took out a bottle from his storage space. Upon smelling the scent of sake, Shield Hero immediately snatched it out of his hands.
"The people in this world just have it as a delicacy because it is something that is a legacy of the Japanese heroes. There is a ceremony or something. They don't actually like the sake wine from what I've heard." Will calmly took out a small table and some wine serving utensils while giving some trivia. If he weren't exhausted, he would say something sarcastic at her greed. It was a good day.
"As the master of this harem and the lord of this House, I'll serve you… I think I still remember what dad taught me about serving wine…" Shield Hero grinned before opening the bottle and serving out some sake in the little cup. A little wine fell on her chest, causing her to blush out of embarrassment.
Spoiler: Shield Hero

The two party members clinked the wine cups together in the western gesture.
"…Thanks."
"Anytime."
Even as a Dragon who had degenerated with age, Gaelion hadn't anticipated death to take strike so soon. Sure, he had decided to take roost in the mountains outside a dingy village because he was getting on in age, but there was no way he expected a lv. 90 Hero to beat him to death in two hits.
It was embarrassing in a way. Like, he wouldn't mind going out as a challenge for a newly summoned Hero, but his current death was both humiliating and inconsequential.
Now stuck as a remnant thought within his Dragon Emperor Core, he was resigned to his own company until his killers deigned to examine his Core. And since he was a trash who died in two hits, they wouldn't be fast with it – damn, his core might even get sold off…
"Hey. Done stewing in your thoughts yet? While you have a functionally infinite amount of time to waste here, I am getting bored myself." Oh, there he was. His killer. He looked 16 years of age, a Hakuko Demi-human hybrid with a perpetually pissed off expression. The boy's tail was pressed onto the ground like a √, a way to multiply attack force or movement speed – that meant this boy had a soldier's spirit, a man who had started battle from the very first breath of his life.
"Well I have just died, after all. So it seems you do know the value of a Dragon Emperor Core. So, now that we can finally speak with each other, what do you want to ask about me?" Gaelion tried to project the majesty of a Dragon who had lived through centuries.
"Ah, I forgot the introduction. My name is Will, and this is the Shield Paradise! There was a misunderstanding and I ended up accidentally destroying your dragon body. Fortunately, our Shield Paradise has the capabilities to rebuild you a perfect Demi-human body!
While your level will be decreased by 5, your lifespan will be replenished – we haven't exactly confirmed it via practice but the theoretical maximum is 750 years of lifespan. Do note that you can only reconstruct a body via the genetic material available.
From your previous Dragon body – you have Pureblood Dragon Emperor genes, Aotatsu Demi-human genes and minor genes from other species. To facilitate your rebirth, we have supplied Behemoth's Pool Tyrannosaurus Rex's flesh and blood – that's a Wave Monster I participated in killing long ago.
Naturally, something this good isn't being handed out for free – you will have some tasks to do for repaying this favor. But before I elaborate on that, you should get started with the Body Reconstruction Procedure to fashion your human-form body. It is highly intuitive without any bugs, you can check the HELP column to answers for frequently asked questions and you can press the RESET button to erase any mistakes you've made with your body."
After hearing the politely toned statement that seemed to be better suited for a waitress to say, Gaelion realized that there truly was a green status column before him.
[Welcome to the Shield Paradise! You have been specially chosen to be reborn as a Demi-human by the Lady of the Shield!]
There was actually this kind of thing? This was the domain of Gods! He had heard that the Shield Hero of the current era had decided to stay behind in this world, but she had ascended to a God already? …Were there even Gods in this world?
"Hey, don't mind that. Shield Hero says that she wanted to keep a 'setting' like this for some reason. By the way, she isn't a god or anything." The boy said this while looking up, as if he had seen through her thoughts. Even though he was a cat-type Demi-human, his demeanor only reminded Gaelion of a dog that wanted to return to his master.
Gaelion acted as per the boy's recommendation and read through the HELP column first. It was surprising in many ways.
Basically, it turned out that his body hadn't been killed by the boy but rather placed in a cocoon – and he could be reborn with this cocoon's aid. But in exchange for being reborn as a Dragon Hybrid Theanthrope and having his lifespan replenished, he had to follow the Shield Hero as a party member.
There were a few caveats – first was that the new body's gender would be locked to 'female'.
Second was that she would have to join the Shield Hero's party. There was definitely an unspoken rule where Gaelion was expected to fuck the Shield Hero or this boy named 'Will' post-rebirth as well. Though it wasn't like this was a raw deal – Gaelion was pretty sure she was scouted for 'rebirth' because she was a Dragon and would be capable of providing great service both in battle and out of.
"I am done with reading the HELP column, I'll get started with my new body creation." The boy nodded, somewhat surprised.
…
"Hey, I am done here! How does this body look?" Gaelion preened a bit. It was really convenient that this 'Shield Paradise' was located between fantasy and truth, allowing her to dream up clothes and background furniture so that she could display maximum eye candy.
Spoiler: Gaelion

"Pretty good." The boy was one of less words and more action. When Will actually took in her form with his eyes, committing her beauty to memory, she understood that she had succeeded.
His expression of disgust when she tried the appearance of a little girl was very cute as well, but she had to abandon that form since she was sure it wouldn't get her laid with him anytime soon like that.
"Anyway, now that you are mostly done, I'll rest of the information. To start with, I decided to recruit you because you are a centuries old dragon and as a Dragon King, innately skilled at sex. If possible… can you teach a girl about sex, sensuality and lovemaking?"
"That Shield Hero of yours? Why can't you train her yourself?" Gaelion said with a frown.
"Don't say 'train' that way." The boy said with a disgusted look. Gaelion couldn't help but lick her lips. "And no, all my sexual knowledge has been learnt from observing brothels. For better or worse, influencing the Shield Hero with that sort of sexual knowledge will likely end with a terrible conclusion. Through your long life, you must have heard about the Cursed Series right?"
"…Ah." To the layman, the Status Magic System meant that all power in this world was based upon levels – character levels, skill levels, weapon levels. Only the Legendary Weapons and to a lesser extent, Vassal Weapons and Dragon Emperor Shards exposed the true nature of the Status Magic System. And the Cursed Series were one of the few methods that could ignore level differences to a large extent – one of the few reasons it was common sense not to be overly cruel towards summoned heroes were the legends of the Cursed Series being used.
"Shield Hero has maxed and fused the [Cursed Shield of Wrath] and [Blessed Shield of Patience]. It was a horrible journey of 'character development' with many pitfalls and with the Waves gone and the Shield Church after us, we don't have time for more 'character development'. Seriously, she doesn't have ANY knowledge of sex apart from the fact that it is for baby-making and the positions for facilitating that. Your help is necessary, oh great Dragon." The boy's tone was sarcastic but Gaelion still liked the praise.
"Don't worry! Your Shield Hero's initiation into becoming a sensual femme fatale will be a success! I, the Great Dragon Gaelion, guarantee it! With my life and body as collateral!" The boy seemed impressed.
"…Okay. If you have any plans, tell me how I can facilitate them."
"Let's go with the basics! First you get her drunk and then my newborn Draconic Demi-Human body hot out of the oven will go into heat and then well, you know right?! Ah yeah, you can join in as well! Let's all have fun together!" Gaelion said while grinning.
Will looked at Gaelion who seemed to have started fantasizing about what was going to happen. He couldn't help but doubt this 'Great Dragon' a little.
A/N - OK, we got surprisingly sidetracked by plot so next chapter is going to bring this back on track as a smut fic with the new haremette!
Dragon's Cave some distance away from the Mirso Village, the Dragon was slain. Of course, good things didn't last and the Dragon returned. In the body of a white haired petite cutie, but whatever.
"I, Gaelion have returned! And now, I shall do what all dragons do: ravage innocent maidens! Hahaha!" Gaelion laughs like a cheesy villain.
"Come then, ravage meeee!" And Shield Hero runs at the beauty with arms wide to hug her. I did tell her what was going to happen after she started drinking, but she took to it with unexpected enthusiasm.
And, Shield Hero has immediately pinned down Gaelion. She is now drooling over the petite dragon-girl.
"…Hey could we reverse positions a little? I am supposed to do the ravaging, you know?"
"Sure!"
And just like at that time at the giant tree, Shield Hero is laid down, back against the cave walls with legs spread out.
Spoiler: NSFW - Shield Hero

"Oh yeah, that position's just perfect. Now, I'll give you a good ravaging~." Gaelion licks her lips as she pushes a hand under Shield Hero's skirt, exposing her white panties before pulling them down too. Next, she dips a finger inside to explore the Shield Hero's pussy.
"You really are pulling me in! Seriously, so tight… well how about another finger?" With what seems like curiosity, Gaelion inserts another finger inside Shield Hero's snatch.
"Nnn…!" The Shield Hero's drunken blush gets even redder. That should be a positive reaction… I hope. I can't exactly see what's going on and it would be awkward to go over and have a look.
"Hey, perv over there! If you want to watch, come and get it!"
"…"
Dragons really are overly slutty. Still, I was called upon so I go over to take a closer look.
Gaelion starts squeezing Shield Hero's ample breasts, causing her to moan harder.
"So having this kind of reaction… you don't masturbate much, do you?" The white haired dragon shakes her head, controlling two braided locks of her hair to rub against Shield Hero's breasts like wires. Her breast groping hand grasps the Shield Hero's waist.
"Well, nnnhhh… I wasn't a bad girl so I never masturbated… And it wasn't like it would matter anyway… Ah! You pervert, what are you doing?! Don't look at me!" Shield Hero is distracted from Gaelion's ministrations and finally notices me.
"You are pretty tasty, Hero!" Gaelion retracts her two drenched fingers from the Shield Hero's dripping pussy, before flashing a V-sign with them and licking them clean Her serpentine tongue is giving me shivers – her oral skills must be masterful.
"Well you were looking so cute so I couldn't help come over for a closer look. Dragons are really a handful aren't they?" It is very hard to resist the urge to obey Shield Hero's command and look away.
"…Yeah. Gaelion, you really are a handful…" Shield Hero says it with a dumb grin. Gaelion seems to be Shield Hero's type of handful.
"Thank you for the praise! I'll give you a kiss as a reward!" Now that Shield Hero is sufficiently turned on, it is time for the main dish - Gaelion immediately buries her face into Shield Hero's crotch and gives the Shield Hero's lower mouth a loving kiss. That snaky tongue explores the areas that her fingers went through not long back, causing Shield Hero's inner walls to constrict.
"Ahn… Will, this feels amazing!" Gaelion's tongue immediately touches her G-Spot – something she had found earlier with her fingers but left unmolested. Shield Hero brings her thighs closer while grabbing Gaelion by the head – she is on the verge of orgasm.
"Mmm… I am coming!" Her body shivers even though it is heating up, her sweat strangely smells danker and vaguely aromatic like cherry blossoms, the dripping from her pussy increases until she is gushing… until her arousal hits the peak, causing her back to arch straight for a blissful moment before her body loses strength…
The sound of gulping resounds in the dragon's cave – Gaelion seems to find the liquids expelled from Shield Hero's cunt irreplacably tasteful. The sight turns me on even more.
"Enjoyed the show, you perv? What now, want me to suck your dick?" With a smug grin, the white haired petite girl gives my swollen crotch a glance.
"Yeah. Get down on your knees and suck it." Standing, I unzip - my erect cock is now visible. Gaelion looks at it with barely concealed lust before obeying my command and kneeling before me.
"Yes boss!" Immediately grabbing my dick, she brings the organ between her midsized breasts, sandwiching me in. She has to adjust her posture a little but she manages to hold my dick in a position between her breasts and still accessible to her tongue.
The lower half of my cock is being fluffed by Gaelion's breasts while she services my cock with her serpentine tongue. It really is an unbelievable experience – for a blowjob it feels way too good.
"Mmrph… mmrph… mumu…" I feel somewhat disappointed when she takes out my cock from her breasts. Holding my shaft straight with her left hand, she thoroughly starts licking it. Her tongue lovingly slathers saliva over my shaft, washing it with her mark.
Spoiler: NSFW - Gaelion

"Guu…" The sound is surprisingly small when she takes the entirely of my cock into her mouth, from the tip to the root. There isn't any gag reflex at all – it is all strangely smooth for a deepthroat. Once, twice, thrice… the motion is repeated again and again, I am on the edge of climaxing.
And just then… moments before I can cum, Gaelion spits out my dick.
"Ahh… Hero, why at this moment~! And why is your tongue so skilled at this?!" As expected, Shield Hero won't ever stay down. And the moment she got up, she decided to immediately attack the Dragon's weakness.
"Will, I am sorry… I can't focus right now~!" Gaelion looks up apologetically at me.
"Don't worry. I'll apologize in advance for being rough though." Feeling somewhat antsy, I grab Gaelion by the tiny horns that are still hidden by her white hair. And then, I immediately shove my dick down her throat once more!
"Surusuru…" A strange noise comes as Gaelion waggles her tongue to smoothen my invasion. Her hands grab my thighs tightly as Shield Hero uses the tongue technique taught by Gaelion herself to drive the Dragon to ecstasy. At the same moment, I reach the edge again.
"Hey Gaelion, I am cumming!" Ropes of sperm ejaculate from my cock as I reach the end of my ropes. Gaelion obediently swallows all my seed down before massaging my balls to squeeze out everything from me. When I pull out my cock, I can still spot the hint of white in her mouth.
The exhausted dragon seats herself down. Meanwhile, Shield Hero whose face is drenched with Gaelion's ejaculate seems somewhat nonplussed.
"Hey, you were satisfied right?! Since my sexual technique level isn't displayed in the Status Bar, I have no idea…" Shield Hero is always worried about things she doesn't have to be.
"You are great." "You are the best." Me and Gaelion speak up at the same time, before looking at each other and grinning.
0x0x0x0
While we could have continued with our threesome, Gaelion's newly minted body hasn't eaten anything at all. So naturally we decided to have lunch… after cleaning up, of course. And as usual, the food we are eating is from Shield Hero's lv. 95 Spicy Chinese Cuisine Shield. It is tastier than anything available on earth, it can heal, it can buff, it can satiate hunger, it can fulfill nutritional requirements… The worst thing about it is how spicy it is.
"So this is the food of your world, hero. Fiery hot, perfect for a Dragon's appetite. My thanks." Gaelion actually likes it. Damn, I find myself liking her more and more. Looking at Shield Hero's forced grin as she eats Mapo Tofu, she mirrors my thoughts (probably).
Overall, a good conclusion. Shield Hero's initiation into sexual techniques went well, Lust Shield hasn't been unlocked, strong party member gained.
"By the way, I never asked about our party's goals…" Gaelion speaks up.
"Basically Siltvelt is planning to wage a war of world domination for basically no reason at all – no matter what there is no way it will end without a large-scale population loss for both sides. We are fighting to uncover the reason for this pointless war and end it before it begins." Gaelion nods at my reply.
I'll inform Gaelion of the other questions that need answers later on – chief being why the Shield Church wants Shield Hero dead so much, to the point where they even convinced her to stay behind in this world.
"If you want a chance at surviving a pitched battle against a nation, you need to at least be around lv. 200. You will need to level up a lot. Fortunately for you, I know a place where you can train yourself to that point. Would you like to follow?" I look at Shield Hero for a moment before nodding at Gaelion.
At this moment, Shield Hero's level is 95, I am lv. 110 and Gaelion is… lv. 160. She is correct after all. Looking at Gaelion's inflated level, some questions come to mind but I wouldn't ask them. That would be indelicate, especially when the answers can be reasoned out easily.
"Nice! I tried to explore solo a decade back but ended up getting wounded and spending years hibernating to recover. If I was following a Hero Party, there would be no way I would get beaten so bad! I'll definitely win that Dragon Emperor's fragment from that annoying Tiger!" Gaelion punches upwards to hype herself up.
"…Oh, you are a Dragon, right. Just check if you can use this." I take out some orbs that emanate dragonic mana from one of the portable spaces I keep.
"Super purified draconic mana! Where did you get this? And so much of this as well?" I am surprised by the excitement in Gaelion's tone and even more surprised that those marbles are actually useful.
"…Nothing much, Spear Hero offloaded his crap to me before he left. Don't worry, just use it if you can."
Spear Hero…That guy left these behind as colorful marbles for me to play with 'my friends'. Even though he was annoying and always talked down to me, he was still a good guy. Hopefully he is doing well in his world…
Well, that guy took a whole 50 women with him so he probably needs my prayers anyway...
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A/N - So that took a while. Was it worth the wait?
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A/N - It is easier to insert some jokes early in but later on it gets more and more difficult. Also it feels kinda weird to write a MC who is generally a unsympathetic asshole and throws insults and curses like crazy even when interacting with the person he cares about the most.
Also no smut sorry. I was kinda thinking of making the 'holy books turn out to be smut' scene a bit pervy but no.
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IAVL
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mrttaoConnoisseur.