We were in sight of the capital city of Melromarc. The name of the capital is a bit confusing. It is called Castle Town.
" It's just as big as the last time we were here."
"Indeed. Still though, it looks like it will be a while until we can enter."
When I followed Hati's line of sight, I could see a huge line of people snaking out from the gates.
"Ah, there's a huge crowd, huh? Makes sense that a place this big would have lots of people wanting to get in, I guess."
'Oh well. I'll just have to suck it up and get in line.'
[Wouldn't it be faster to just go over the wall?]
"Nonono, we'll be arrested if we do that. We're not really in a hurry, so let's just wait."
"Mmhh, it is annoying, but there is no other choice."
"That's right. Let's get in line."
As the running Hati got closer to the line, a cry of, "A monster!!" was raised, and I could see lots of people that looked like adventurers raising their weapons.
I immediately shouted, "They're all my familiars so it's okay!!!"
They were all satisfied that was true after seeing Hati so docile next to me, and they sheathed their weapons, but... they were all still on pins and needles.
'Of course they would be, with a huge wolf around...'
'What do I do...'
Well, there was nothing to do. While suffering the slight uneasiness as I lined up.
When we finally got to the queue, I just showed my licence that I was a B rank adventurer and they let me in.
We went in and I stopped the first passerby and asked for directions to the hourglasses.
"Over there. In that tower is the Dragon Hourglass."
She pointed to a tall building.
I asked if she had any news about the four legendary heroes, and it turned out that Shield Hero is still a criminal and their relationship has escalated even further. Nothing else has changed.
We thanked her and made our way to the Clock Tower. It was visible from most of the city, but the closer we got, the higher it seemed to get.
It was a large building, like a church with a domed roof, and the clock tower extended from the top of the dome.
The doors to the building were open and people came and went as they pleased.There were women dressed like nuns, and they looked at me suspiciously. I asked the nearest nun for directions. She led me deeper into the church, and there in the centre was a huge hourglass.
It looked to be about seven metres high. It was covered in detailed decorations that gave the whole thing a sacred, mystical feel.
As I approached the clock, I received various alerts.
[Note: Hourglasses detected. Remain here for 60 seconds for synchronisation. ]
[Processing... Level cap removed. You have reached Lvl 41. ]
[You have unlocked tenants for your unique skill Online Supermarket].
[Please select from the following] [McDonald's/Fumiya].
I have touched the screen of 'Fumiya'.
[Do you want to sign a contract with Fumiya as your tenant?]
'A contract, huh? Okay, YES.'
[You have signed a contract with Fumiya.]
[You will unlock your next tenant at level 100.]
After unlocking, I noticed that my vassal weapon had a new feature in the UI. It started showing a countdown to the next wave for the zone covered by these hourglasses. Apparently the next one is only a few days away. But that's none of my business...
Hati has made it clear that it's none of his business, and what am I going to do out there alone, with just a little fire and earth magic? Groot might be able to kill something, but with just him and without Hati's barrier, it's too dangerous. And after the way the onlookers acted when I asked about the heroes, I'd rather not have anything to do with them. It's time to get out of here. Just as we were about to leave, we heard a noise nearby.
I saw a shield hero running through the city, followed by a soldier. We went with the crowd.
Shield Hero stopped and turned towards a crowd led by Spear Hero. Spear Hero was pointing at Shield hero and running. The crowd parted for him. Damn!
"Naofumi! I found you!" This was Spear Hero Motoyasu Kitamura. He was the Spear Hero who'd been summoned to the world just like me, but from a different Japan. He was the favourite of the first princess who'd framed the Shield Hero.
I stood in the crowd and listened to their conversation. They were shouting at each other so loudly that it could be heard all the way down the street.
"You! What are you doing?!"
"What the hell? Don't try and pin anything on me!"
"Playing dumb? Good luck! We already know! We know you're the owner of that fat bird."
"Give us the bird - we'll kill it!"
"Ha! What are you talking about? This is all your fault. You should have been more careful before you approached her!"
"Still playing dumb? Your fat bird was after me as soon as it saw me!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Like I said, your fat, stupid bird tried to run me over!" I looked at Spear Hero. His armour was as nice and shiny as ever, but the crotch part was missing and covered with a shell.
"What are you laughing at?!"
"Ahahaha!"
"You bastard..." Spear Hero changed the subject.
"And hey, let go of that girl, you slaver!"
"Not again! You really don't know how to give up, do you?" I remember from the Guildmaster's information we got in Karelina that Spear Hero had tried to 'rescue' Raphtalia (Shield Hero's slave) from him. The fact that she was beautiful must have been a motivating factor. He challenged Shield Hero to a duel. Spear Hero won, but only because the first princess cheated and attacked Shield Hero from behind.
"Raphtalia has already rejected you."
"I'm not talking about Raphtalia!" Spear Hero's hand clenched into a fist.
"I know all about it! You've found yourself a new slave, haven't you? I saw her leaving the armoury shop!"
"Who are you talking about? Not Mel? She's not a slave."
"I don't know her name! The girl with the blonde hair!"
"If her hair was blue, it's Mel. If it was blonde, it's Filo."
"Exactly! That girl with the little wings on her back! You know who I'm talking about! You call her Filo?"
Spear Hero was practically screaming now, suddenly passionate. He'd just said he wanted to kill her, but now he wanted to set her free? The guy was crazy!
"You... As long as she's a girl, you want her, is that it?"
"No!" Spear Hero shouted again.
"I've never seen such an ideal girl... I..."
"What?"
"Who would believe it? There really is a girl out there who's just like Fleon of the Magical Lands!"
"I can't help it. I REALLY like angels..."
"Shut up! I don't want to hear about your sexual preferences!"
"This world is the BEST! My heart fluttered the second I saw it!" Spear Hero was very excited. From the look on his face, you'd never know that he was the same person who had just screamed about a giant bird. His eyes were shining now, he was ecstatic.
"I know that girl belongs to you somehow! Let her go!"
"God, you're annoying!"
'Okay, okay, so he was saying that Shield Hero had to hand over Filo just because she happened to be his type?'
"You think I'm just going to comply with that request?"
"If you don't, we'll fight until you do!" Spear Hero readied his spear and pointed it at Shield Hero.
"What, you want to fight here?! Stop it! Think about your surroundings!"
"Chaos spear!" Before Shield Hero could finish his sentence, Spear Hero had already called up a skill and sent an attack flying in his direction. Shield Hero raised his shield slightly to stop the barrage, but the flying spearheads that missed him continued down the street before burying themselves in a storefront and bringing down the wall with a crash. There was a crowd of people in the street, and now they were all screaming at Spear Hero's violent outburst.
"Hey!"
"Air Strike Javelin!" Spear Hero pointed his spear again and sent it flying in Shield Hero's direction.
"Let her go!"
"Who would?"
"So you won't listen?" The surrounded townsfolk were on the verge of panic.
"Come on! Control yourselves!"
"I don't care if you're heroes, don't fight here!" The shouts of protest from the townsfolk became more frequent. This was not good.
"Motoyasu! Calm down!
"Hey! You stop too!" Shield Hero shouted at Spear Hero's small group of the first princess and her friends.
"Everyone, please calm down! This is a duel between Spear Hero and Shield Hero. It is a legitimate duel, recognised by the Crown, which I represent here today!" The first princess pretended to go by the name of Myne, but even though she was pretending to be someone else, she still felt entitled to give orders as the Crown. She flashed a certificate that supposedly authorised her to speak for the royal family.
"Give me a break!" The first person to voice his discontent was the shopkeeper behind Shield Hero. Others on the street soon joined in his shouts of protest.
I stared at the two heroes and couldn't believe my eyes. Anyone watching would have seen Spear Hero start the fight all by himself, and now the First Princess was calling it a "duel"?
"You would speak against the order of the crown? You scoundrel!"
One look at the gathering crowd and it was clear that the supporters were mixed in with the pedestrians who wanted the duel stopped. The confusion was growing, and the whole scene looked ready to erupt into riot.
"Damn..."
"Second Javelin!" Spear Hero produced two glowing spears and sent them flying in Shield Hero's direction.
"Please stop it! Shield Hero!" The soldiers Shield Hero had been running from appeared from the crowd and positioned themselves between Motoyasu and Shield Hero.
"This area is heavily frequented by our citizens. We cannot allow you to duel here."
"Yes, we can." The first princess snapped at the soldiers. She flashed the certificate and continued:
"Your help is not needed here. This is a duel between HEROES, and the interference of a mere soldier will not be tolerated."
This princess... she was rotten to the core.
"Uh..." The soldier's eyes widened in confusion. Even if she was hiding, she was still the princess.
"Still, the land and its people... I'm a soldier to protect them. If someone's personal affairs, even if they are heroes, threaten the people of our country, I must put a stop to it!"
"And since the shield hero is unable to fight, I will take his place, I will be his sword!"
"Wh...?"
"Huh?" Spear and Shield both fell speechless.
"I will too..." A boy who looked like some kind of wizard emerged from the crowd, walked up behind Shield Hero and levelled his wand. He also seemed to be some kind of soldier.
"Imbecile fools. You would challenge me? Do you understand my position?" What the princess really meant was that even if they survived the duel, she would see to it that they were taken care of later.
"Your position is irrelevant. We are only carrying out our orders." The princess' face turned red at the reply.
"Insolence! You think you can ignore the will of the Crown?"
"I will not allow the personal disputes of heroes to be settled here."
A soft voice came from the crowd, followed by its owner. Everyone reacted as if someone with authority had finally arrived. I'd never seen people act like that since I came to this world, so I was surprised too. All the authority figures I'd met since I came here had been villains; instead of stopping a duel, they'd rather instigate it and enjoy it, like the First Princess who was second in command. Who would speak out against them? I turned to look. She looked like a mere child.
She was walking in Shield Hero's direction.
"What are you doing here?"
"It's been a long time, Sister." SISTER?! The blue-haired child reached into her pocket and pulled out a certificate.
"This is..." Everyone was speechless as they saw the paper and dropped their heads. What was it? Who was more powerful than the first princess?
"Spear Hero, please try to understand. I would appreciate it if you could put aside your differences today."
"But! But!"
"Please look around you! You would fight in a crowded town square? Are these the actions of a hero?"
"Ugh..." Spear Hero sighed and slowly calmed down. He seemed to understand the situation.
"Mr Naofumi!" The demi-human girl ran to Spear Hero's side.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes. But what's wrong with Mel? She's the sister of that thing?"
"Holy Saint... But that's not who you are, is it? Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Melty. Thank you for bringing me back to Castle Town. It was a very pleasant journey we had together." Mel curtsied.
"Shield Hero, what happened here?"
"I don't know. Motoyasu has challenged me to another duel to steal my party members."
"AGAIN?" Raphtalia knitted her eyebrows in disbelief and shot Spear Hero an annoyed look. Spear Hero ignored her and looked at Filo.
"What's your name, miss?"
"Um... Filo!"
"Don't tell him the truth!" Shield Hero jumped in to save her.
"This guy makes you pull heavy carriages, doesn't he? Let me save you."
"Well, that's true. She pulls a heavy carriage for me pretty much every day." The shield hero said.
"You bastard! You'd treat that poor little girl like one of your fat birds?"
"Let Filo go!"
"Shut up already!" He pointed his spear at Shield Hero.
"I think I just told you not to duel here." Mel had to order him to stop again, but he completely ignored her. Was he just going to ignore her? He was the kind of guy who lost all his senses when a woman was around.
"Ladies! You must run! I'm telling you, this guy is very dangerous!" Spear Hero turned to Filo and tried his best to look like the good guy.
"Huh? Why? Master isn't dangerous!"
"MASTER? You bastard! Air Strike Javelin!" Spear Hero ignored Mel's command and performed a skill. Shield Hero blocked it immediately.
"What are you doing to Master?!"
"It's okay, Filo! I'm going to save you!"
"I guess there's no way around it..." Mel closed her eyes and held up her hands.
"Filo, I have a favour to ask of you. Please stop the Spear Hero."
"Okay! I will protect Master!" Filo stood in front of Spear Hero.
"Filo, please move. I can't take care of him with you here." But Filo didn't move. She stayed where she was and opened her arms.
"Filo, he called you a fat bird."
"Naofumi! You bastard! How could you say that to a little girl?"
"I didn't, you did. You just said it five minutes ago. You said you wanted to kill her."
"Yeah, and the last time I saw you, you were laughing at me. I hate you, Spear Guy!"
"Laughed? When have I ever laughed at you?" With a puff of smoke, Filo returned to her bird form. Yes, the Filolial Queen form.
"Huh? What?" Spear Hero looked shocked at Filo's transformation. He leaned forward a little, as if to protect his crotch. Filo watched him, saw the puzzled look on his face, then charged up her powerful leg and delivered a swift kick to his crotch.
"Aaaaahhhh!" I saw it happen. His face froze in shock and his body went into a tailspin, flying ten metres through the air. The shell he was wearing shattered into dust and rained down on our heads.
"Ugh!"
"Filo wins!" Filo threw one of his wings into the air and struck a victorious pose for the crowd. For whatever reason, his group didn't run to help him either. I suppose there wasn't much anyone could do. The crowd burst into applause. It was immediately clear who they'd hoped would win.
"Please take the Spear Hero to the doctor." The soldiers who had challenged him now picked him up and carried him away.
"All right, sister? I must say that you've behaved very badly here. May I ask what the problem is? I may have to report this to Mother."
"I... I am just doing what I have to do to support the heroes, as requested."
"It certainly didn't look that way."
"You can't judge by this single, isolated event, Melty."
"Can't I? Your barbaric behaviour stands out in the reports."
"You would turn on me? Your superior? Your elder sister?"
"I could ask the same of you, Sister."
"Pfft..." The first princess gave us all hateful looks. What kind of relationship did they have? From where I was standing, it certainly looked like Melty had more authority than the First Princess. The First Princess noticed that Spear Hero and his party members had slipped away, and she quickly followed them - a good excuse for running away.
"Master! Didn't I do a good job?" Filo ran over to Shield Hero, expecting some kind of praise. There was no way around it. He reached over and rubbed her head.
"There, there. That's the second good kick you've given Motoyasu now. Good work. This was one of the best moments of my life."
"Yeah! I kick him every time I see him!"
"Yes you do! You're great!" Eh, heh, heh...
"Why are you congratulating her?!" The demi-human girl was angry.
"I swear... These heroes..." Melty put a hand to her forehead and sighed.
"I wish they'd stop making a fuss - at least here in the middle of Castle Town."
"Oh, I... I suppose I should thank you..."
"Sure, but not here. Let's find a quieter place to chat." Shield Hero looked around for a good spot, and sure enough, the crowd was watching them closely. That only made sense.
"Okay."
"Shield Hero..." The soldier who had stood up to cover him now gave him a pleading look. "Yeah, yeah... You're coming too, aren't you? Not that I know what you're up to..."
"We never wanted to capture you, shield hero. I hope you believe me."
When I saw that the crowd was beginning to disperse, I took Hati and went after Shield Hero. Since I had already met him, I could at least help him indirectly and do something for him and his crew to get a food buff.