Reito: The king despises the Shield Hero that much, huh?
Mirellia: That is correct.
Reito: And his forbidden summoning of the four heroes, you're left to clean up their dirty work.
Mirellia: To my displeasure, yes. I'm ashamed his actions are unbecoming of royalty. I believe the king's antics are going to make him turn against us.
Reito: That's only going to cause more problems than solutions.
Mirellia: As you now know, there are four Cardinal Heroes. However, there is a fifth hero, one whose equipment and weapons are different from ours. That hero is to help us stop the waves of catastrophe and keep the other heroes in check.
Reito: I can see where you're going with this. I may not know about what this country or world is going through, but cleaning after others is one thing I despise most of all. Your heroes will have a chance to smarten up. But if they can't, they may end up on the end of a blade.
Mirellia: When you put it that way, yes. With summoning you, this may be our only chance of survival. The last wave, before summoning the four heroes, nearly killed us, and the king's choices are making it worse. With his dislike of the Shield Hero, and rumors spreading, I'm almost certain what will happen.
This made Reito raise an eyebrow.
Reito: Rumors? What kind of rumors?
Mirellia: I've heard many, his attempt to rape my eldest daughter, taking money from people, mistreating slaves, etc. Though, I don't believe them. My eldest daughter, Myne, seems to be quite proficient when it comes to manipulating people. To add to that, she's a great actor to boot.
Reito: A nasty side of royalty. Wait a minute. Since you're in charge, isn't she next in line to the throne?
Mirellia: In terms of age, yes. But with the way she is now, I cannot let her act as queen. If she was crowned, she would ruin the country in months, maybe weeks. All of our allies would turn against us. That must not happen.
Reito: I'll be dammed. So if she's not next in line, then who is?
As if it was a queue, the door opened from the room where Reito and Mirellia were in. A girl with violet hair and eyes, a dress with violet and white colors mixed. She was young. But the way she walked, she was mature for her age.
???: Mother.
She states before stopping and spotting Reito.
???: Who is this?
Of course, she would ask who he was. He wore armor she didn't recognize. She looked at a pair of swords Reito had on his belt. Putting two and two together, she froze.
???: Mother, tell me you didn't...
Mirellia: It is what you think it is. I had no other choice. I'm doing what's best for our country. With 3 of the 4 heroes acting the way they are, it left me no choice.
???: I see. May I ask your name, good sir?
Reito: I'm Reito Takahashi. I'm the one your mother summoned from another world.
???: So the legend is true. A hero with weapons and armor unknown to us. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Melty Q. Melromarc. Pleasure to meet you, sir Reito.
Reito: *Laughs* Just call me Reito. I'm not one for formalities.
Melty: I can't do that! You're the fifth hero. A hero should be treated well.
Reito: That's great to hear, but I haven't done anything to be treated that nice.
Melty: You were recently summoned. It makes sense that you haven't accomplished anything yet. But you will in the future. So allow me to address you with the respect a hero deserves.
Reito: Okay, I get it. Call me whatever you want.
Mirellia: I believe this answers your previous question, Reito. Melty is next in line for the throne. As you can see, she's very mature for being so young. Her intentions for this country are the same as mine. Melty dear, may I ask that you step outside? I'm nearly done with Reito. Once I get done explaining everything, I'll speak with you.
Melty: Yes mother.
She bows to Reito.
Melty: I hope you help us. We're pushed into a desperate situation.
She turns and exits the room. Reito put a smirk on his face.
Reito: It may be a little early to say this, but she's going to be a good queen.
The queen smiled with gratitude, covering her face with her hand fan.
Reito: So when's the next wave hitting? I'm still a level one. If I'm going to fight against the waves, I need to level up and gain strength fast.
He looked at the icons for his sword and found that most of them had a lock symbol on them or were blurred out.
Mirellia: You mean you're going to help?
Reito: I was summoned here. It may have been against my will, but I'm the type of guy who can't sit back while he could do some change.
Mirellia: The last wave hit two weeks ago. The king summoned the Cardinal Heroes shortly after it occurred. If I have to guess, the next wave will hit in the next three weeks. You can go to any country and look at their dragon hourglass. It tells you when the next wave will hit. Depending on the country, it will allow you to enable a class upgrade.
Reito: There are level caps here? (Bruh)
He said as he looked at his stats and himself, like a player model.
Mirellia: I've taken up much of your precious time. Here's a small gift from me. 400 silvers and 95 gold coins. Enough to get you around the country. With this much, you should start quite well and be ready for when the next wave hits.
She hands him a pouch of coins.
Reito: You're too generous.
Mirellia: I beg you, please save our country and restore the peace between the heroes. It won't be able to return to the castle for some time. I pray, but it was foolish of me for pulling someone from a different world here and dealing with our problems.
He didn't know what to say. He knew her intentions weren't bad.
Reito: Don't blame yourself. You were doing what was necessary for this country's survival. There's no shame in that. And since I agreed, that makes it my burden to bear. You should feel happy that you won't have to bare it alone. After all, it could've been anyone. I was just that one in a million chance. I'll do my best.
Upon hearing this, her face brightened up with joy.
Mirellia: Thank you, sir Reito.
Reito: No need for the formalities. I haven't done anything to be treated with such respect.
Mirellia: May I ask you for one more thing?
Reito: What is it?
Mirellia: It's about the other heroes. When you meet them, please help them see the bigger picture. If you have to use my name for serious matters, then do so. Myne, my eldest daughter, is accompanying the Spear Hero. Be careful around her.
Reito: I will. I may not look it, but a guy who doesn't give in to peer pressure or is easy to manipulate. If she doesn't believe that, she's the only person who doesn't. I can't promise I'll play nice with her either.
Mirellia: Very well. The nearest country here is Siltvelt. A country filled with demi-humans and have tremendous respect for the Shield Hero.
Reito: They sound like the type of people I can get along with. I'll do my best for everyone here.
He says as he bows to the queen. He exits the castle and walks into a meadow. He hears the sound of something bouncing and looks to his side and sees... A rather weird creature. A small orange ball with glowing eyes and shape pointy jaws.
Reito: A... "Balloon"? That seems like lazy writing.
He looks to his waste and grabs his katana handle. He slowly unsheathes it before he examines it.
Reito: I'm in love with this thing. It looks so cool in person!
The balloon bounces and growls around him. He takes the same stance when doing kendo matches. The balloon jumps towards him and he swings his blade straight down. The balloon fell into many pieces. He gained some experience, as his level bar increased.
Reito: That felt awesome!
More balloon monsters began to appear. Swarms of them. Reito put on a smirk and got ready.
Reito: Come at me!
They hop towards him as he readies for a fight.
TIMESKIP: 2 WEEKS LATER
Reito: Another day, another monster claimed by my blade.
He says as he sheathes his katana.
He looks at the corpse of a giant bear covered in scars laying in a puddle of black blood as he sees his exp bar fill up.
Reito: I've done a lot these last 2 weeks. I'm finally at a good level.
Name: Reito Takahashi.
Class: Samurai.
Lvl: 15.
HP: 784.
Mana: 454.
Exp until next level: 891.
Reito: I'm glad I figured out my special skill so soon. If I didn't that would be bad.
Sword style acquired. Bear style: Swing with the speed and power of a bear and leaving claw marks on the target.
Reito: Bear style, huh? That may come in handy. How many sword styles do I have? Let me see. I have water, flame, wind, stone, mist... Oh god, is that it?!
He questioned himself as he goes through his sword styles. He was right. He only had those he stated. There were many more than had locked symbols above then.
Reito: I'm going to have so many, I'll lose track of them all.
He walked on top of a hill to look out towards the terrain. A rather beautiful sight. He was exiting the outskirts of Siltvelt, heading toward Melromarc. Rumors in this world travel fast. Faster than he expected. And of, they're about the Shield Hero.
Reito: I've only been here for two weeks, but it always feels longer when you can't tell what time it is.
He descended down the hill and moved onto an open road. He removed his helmet and pulled his mask down. He put the helmet in his inventory but kept the mask on him. He enjoyed feeling the wind fly through his wavy hair. It felt relaxing.
Reito: God, the weather in this country is wonderful. Just the right temperature.
He keeps walking along the path before hearing something. A sound echoes through the trees to his left.
Reito: (That sound. That seemed like a scream. And it was a dire scream. I should check it out.)
He rushes through the trees and the sounds of yells and shouts get louder and louder. He runs into a small opening with a small puddle of blood on the ground. He walks towards it and lightly runs his fingers through it before smelling it.
Reito: (This blood... It's fresh. But what screamed?) Hmm?
He looks over to his side and sees a mysterious figure hiding in the thick bushes. As he looked harder, he made out what it was.
A nine-tailed fox. But badly injured. He looked at its front left leg and saw a deep slash wound. He went to go approach it, but when he took a step, knights came running through the bushes.
Knight: You! Did you happen to see a white nine-tailed fox run by? It was wounded.
Reito: No. I didn't.
The knight looked at Reito's hand, seeing the blood.
Knight: Where did that blood come from? On your hand.
Reito: Oh, I was fighting against a vicious beast. A massive bear covered in scars. It's a short walk, but if you go just above that hill you'll see its corpse.
The knight walked towards Reito. Keeping his cool, he blocked the fox's image by standing in front of it. His hand was grabbed by the knight who began to examine his hand. The suspense grows wider and wider. Finally, the knight looked at Reito before flicking his arm.
Knight: You're a liar! This is not a Scar-faced bear's blood.
Reito: I didn't lie. This is the bear's blood. I can even take you to the corpse.
Knight: Don't take me for a fool. A Scar-faced bear's blood is black. This blood is red. And it gives off a scent that draws animals to it. Tell us!
He draws his sword as Reito holds his hands up.
Knight: Where is the fox!?
He was about to give an answer but didn't. Before he could even speak, the knight charged at him. He lifted his sword, preparing for an overhead strike. Reito takes a step back and catches the knight's arm and flips over.
Knight: Draw swords!
Reito: No, wait--
The other knights quickly charged with their weapons. Reito kept his sword sheathed and used his hands to deflect and use their own weapons to block attacks. He palm strikes one of the knights in the chest before turning and twirling around a spear.
The pikeman goes to stand Reito, who sidesteps and steps on the spear before elbowing him in the jay. He picks up the spear and blocks two strikes from swords and spins, avoiding a slash from a knight behind him. He spins the pole of the spear through the feet of one of the knights, tripping him. He goes to the last knight left standing and exchange a few strikes before pinning the sword to the ground with the spear's blade. He pushes the blunt end of the spear upward and hits the knight in the face as he falls to the floor.
He hears the groans of knights laying on the ground. He breaks the spear in half with his knee and throws the parts on the ground.
Reito: (That was close. Good thing I learned martial arts, along with kendo.)
The knights all crawled back together and stood in front of Reito. Clothes are partially ripped and bruises on their faces.
Knight: You've just made a big mistake. The king will have your head!
Reito couldn't help but scoff. He pushes his tsuba upward with his thumb, showing a bit of the blade. The knights went into a panic and instantly turned and ran away screaming.
Reito: *Laughs* All bark and no bite. Are you alright- Huh?
He turned around and saw the area was empty. The fox was gone. Leaving no trace of it left behind. He shrugged it off as he wiped the blood off his hand. But what he didn't know was that he was being watched. Through one of the dark bushes, a pair of blue eyes were on Reito as he dusted himself off. The fox never left. Only concealed itself.
Reito: That was quite a scuffle. But hey, they swung first. Not my fault. I need to get going.
He exits through the trees and walks back on the road. He gets another notification and looks at it.
Level up.
Reito Takahashi: Level 16
HP: 832
Mana: 496
Exp until next Level: 1,212
Reito: I leveled up. Nice. Wait, what's this?
New skill unlocked: Flash step. A movement technique that allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow, leaving after images of themselves behind. Consumes 25 mana per step.
Reito: Flash step, huh? That has a nice ring to it. Let me test it out.
He gets in a running stance and moves his back foot from side to side. He takes a deep breath and sprints forward. His body vanishes and reappears in different areas on the road before coming to a stop.
Reito: That's sick! Reminds me of Bloodhound's step from Elden Ring. Only the mana drain per step is annoying. I'm going to have to make upgrading that my priority.
He does it again but ends up running into a tree.
Reito: That hurt. This ability's going to need some time getting used to.
He stands up and stretches his back.
Reito: So battling people also grants me exp. That's nice.
He walks a few more miles before seeing the setting sun.
Reito: Melromarc is still many miles away. I'll set up camp here and resume my journey in the morning.
He gathers some wood and makes a small pit in the ground and places the sticks in a pile. He places flammable pieces of cloth at the bottom and pulls out a flint and steel. He ignites a few sparks before a part of the cloth manages to catch fire. He softly blows and blows and the sticks began burning. The flames got bigger and bigger and Reito now had a full campfire.
Reito: That's more like it.
He sits down and rests against a tree. He hears sticks breaking to his right and grabs his katana. To his surprise, the fox from before showed up.
Reito: Oh, it's you. I thought you vanished.
The fox just stared at him, making vocal sounds.
Reito: I almost got in big trouble because of you, you know that?
The fox tilts his head as he tilts in the same direction, mimicking it. He chuckles before seeing the front left leg of the fox is now healed.
Reito: Your leg is now fully healed. That's nice. Wait, wait, wait, have you been following me?
The fox gave small vocal beats.
Reito: I don't speak fox. Well, you are here, so that answers my question.
He lets out a yawn and feels something press up against his right side. The white fox walked forward and walked in circles before laying down beside Reito. He gave a few head scratches before petting the body.
Reito: I guess you do need a sleeping buddy. You are a fox. It's no surprise, that your kind does live in small friendly groups. I need some sleep, too.
He yawns one last time before kicking dirt into the fire as it fades away. He crosses his arms before his eyes slowly close and he begins his sleep.
Reito: (The wave is almost here. Only 6 more days left.)