256Disclaimer: I wish I owned a series as big as Rising of the Shield Hero... but I don't :')
Prologue – Rebirth
"Goddamn."
There wasn't much else twenty-two-year-old Naofumi Iwatani could say. For the first time in years, he was stunned. As, the smartest and most adaptable of the Cardinal Heroes, it took considerable effort to shake him. No matter the trauma he went through; events that would push a man to the brink, and far beyond, he always emerged victorious. Wounds, both physical and emotional in nature, were something he had become all too accustomed to. In spite of all that, he was the hero who made the greatest difference in the world. Not by killing the most enemies, but by saving the most people. As such, he was praised far and wide as being the greatest of the heroes of his time.
"O brave heroes, please save our world!"
So why the hell did he wind up back here!?
Naofumi schooled his features and took a deep breath to calm himself. Ignoring the others present, he took a quick glance at his appearance. Sadly, his armor was gone, and he was back to wearing the hoodie he had on when he first arrived all those years ago. Though, judging by the fact that it was bursting at the seams in places, his current physicality remained a constant. That meant he was the exact age he had been, when the final battle occurred-
'That's right! We were fighting Medea! That psychopathic bitch hellbent on destroying reality for her own nonsensical reasons.' He sweat a little trying to recall more. 'I remember we couldn't stop her from appearing. We failed. So we had no choice: we had to fight. It became a war. She toyed with us. We had no real chance. Months of running, hiding, futile training to try and make a difference. I remember… Raphtalia and I, we were among the last of those left. I can recall the spirits calling out to me and then-'
Nothing.
How was it that he ended up here, then-?
"… oi. Oi! Dude, you okay?"
Naofumi blinked. The voice of a concerned Motoyasu broke through his mind and he shook his head to clear it.
"Ah, yeah. I'm fine."
The other three heroes didn't look convinced. The 'holy summoners', on the other hand, looked like they couldn't care less. Not for the first time, he wondered why he was summoned here in the first place other than to just become a scapegoat.
Perhaps that was all it was.
"Let's go. Don't worry about me."
Making a shooing motion with his hands he followed closely behind the other heroes as his mind continued tumbling in turmoil.
'So we fought and then what? Died? Is this the afterlife maybe? Or, more than likely, an illusion, perhaps?' He pondered. 'I guess it'd make sense as a means of giving me hope that things could be changed only to tear it from me at the last minute, but…'
The Shield Hero idly took in the three ahead of him.
'If this is an illusion she could kill me at anytime. The only thing suffering in that case is my pride. But, if I happened to have really gone back in time, then this can only be good.' He concluded to himself. 'I can change things, in a positive way. Not just for me, but for the world-no, it's people. Those I care about. If the only thing riding on this is my pride, then hell, you can have it.'
It had been a long time since he cared about such a thing.
First things first then. He had to create a plan of attack and quick. Though, it wasn't too hard to think of one. He had spent a lotof time in his own world pondering how he could have approached things differently to avoid such an awful start. Perhaps it was time to employ some of those strategies.
"Excuse me." Naofumi walked to the front of the pack and addressed their guide. "I was just curious. Since you guys were discussing potential rewards back there, I was wondering if it was possible to get anything in advance."
The man, while obviously disinterested in the Shield Hero, felt it necessary to answer the question, anyway. More than likely as a means of retaining his image of non-bias.
"Whatever do you mean by that?"
"Well, would we be able to receive our starting sum today, for example." Naofumi lead, seemingly innocently. "I wanted to have some drinks at the local tavern. Become immersed in the local community. Sooner, rather than later."
He could see the gears turning in the older man's head. He gave said details, purposefully, to immediate effect. This town and all its higher-ups would do anything it could to further demonize the Shield 'Devil', and to find him drinking? They could certainly work with that.
He was counting on it.
"Well, I suppose…" the man admitted, slowly. "It has happened in the past. It's been many years since then, however. Also, if you do take an advance sum, you are only awarded half of what you would have originally received. So, it is not seen as worth it. As starting only one day ahead of schedule is pointless, in the long run."
"I see." Naofumi considered that. Only half? So 300 silver in that case. That was still more than enough. Especially considering he started with nothing last time. It was an odd rule though. Had someone abused it in the past, perhaps?
Well, it was high time to add to that list.
"Then, one more question, if I may?"
The man nodded, unsurely.
"How much would we start with roughly? I'd like to know based on this worlds' currency."
The three heroes following directly behind looked at the conversation in intrigue. So, they all wanted to know the answer as well. That was good. It locked the man into having to answer. Not that Naofumi didn't know, already. But it saved him having to explain how he knew something he shouldn't. An important detail for the upcoming meeting.
"Uh, well. Again, it does depend but…" he coughed. "600 silver pieces is the minimum for starting heroes. If said hero does not start with any companions, then they may be awarded more-"
"Wait, what do you mean companions? Won't we be a team together?"
Naofumi internally grinned at Itsuki's question. The conversation was going just the way he wanted, and he no longer had to speak up and put himself in the spotlight anymore. Perfect.
"No, unfortunately not." The man shook his head. "This will be mentioned to you shortly, but essentially, all of you cannot work together if you wish to gain experience. When the Waves, the reason for us calling upon you, hit; then you will. Until that point, you will all form your own individual parties to gain experience and tackle missions."
"But, wait." Motoyasu cut off, annoyed. "You mentioned before that there have been adventurers in the past that weren't given any companions? Does that mean we might not have any teammates!?"
The man's beady eyes darted Naofumi's way, who pretended not to notice. Piece of shit.
"Well, yes. That is true. But there's no need to concern yourselves with such triviality! The King will personally gather the best of the best from our great capital to accompany you all!"
'Right.' Naofumi scoffed internally. 'I'm sure he will.'
On the bright side, that statement set the tone for him to ask his final question.
"Thank you for being so informative." Naofumi inclined his head, slightly. "That did leave me with one final inquiry, though. What if we choose our own companions? Do we need to take the ones the King will so graciously force upon us?"
The man went silent. Evidently, Naofumi struck a nerve. He held back a smirk.
"Hey." Ren grunted. "He asked a question, and I'd like to know, too. I prefer doing things solo, so I'd rather not have a party. Or, if need-be, I'd want to choose my own."
"Uh, I-um…" the nameless church follower stumbled, obviously buying time to avoid answering. "I, I don't know if I'm really qualified to answer that-!"
"Do it." Itsuki crossed his arms. "Or else we're not coming with you."
The fact that the three-heroes devotee still struggled to answer confirmed it. The entire church was in on the plot to get him framed. The whole time. As such, he was trying to weasel his way out of giving the leeway.
The others weren't having it though and stopped following.
"I'm really not supposed to say this, but…" the pathetic man shook. "No. There are no laws binding you to taking whoever shows up as a choice. You can select your own companions, if you so wish. Or set off, again, with no one."
"Is that fact listed anywhere?"
The man grit his teeth at Naofumi's question, but nonetheless acquiesced.
"Yes… it is a rule located in the beginner adventurers' book; alongside the others we have been discussing." He continued walking. "Now, then. Let us be off! We cannot keep the King waiting anymore."
'That's fine.' Naofumi thought with a content smirk. 'I got everything I needed out of that one conversation.'
Now all that was left, was for him to get through the throne room meeting.
Naofumi looked up at the approaching doorway and sighed.
How bad could it be, this time?
"So these men are the Four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend?"
'I know you mean three.' Naofumi scoffed, internally. 'This whole farce is even more grating now that I know the truth behind his Royal Trashiness. Someone, please get me out of here.'
The meeting droned on as his three 'companions' introduced themselves in the same cocky fashion he remembered the first time. He never bothered to speak up. He knew Trash would just ignore him anyway.
"Hey, what about this guy? You forgot him, your highness!"
Aultcray grit his teeth imperceptibly for a second before coughing into his hand.
"Uh, yes. You're quite right. What is your name."
Naofumi was surprised the Spear hero even cared enough to ask such a question. He had to remind himself quickly, that this was before Bitch ever framed him. The Motoyasu he didn't hate with a burning passion.
Good times.
"Naofumi Iwatani. Twenty-two years old."
…
"I see."
His introduction must have been lackluster judging by the looks the heroes and nobles were sending him. He couldn't care less, though. As Raphtalia would often say, he could hold a hell of a grudge. And those that were here deserved it. Probably more so than anyone else.
Except Bitch, of course.
"You're really only twenty-two?"
He cocked his head to look at the one who asked the question.
"Ren, correct?" He nodded. "Yeah, I am. I have no reason to lie. Why do you ask?"
The black-haired boy remained silent in consideration before Itsuki took over.
"I think he was asking because you look a lot…older than us. Moreso in terms of your body. You seem really… buff, I guess."
Itsuki trailed off awkwardly. At the Bow Hero's statement, it was almost as if everyone else in the room noticed how he looked. Naofumi grunted and pinched the bridge of nose. Ordinarily he would have said a clever jab to deflect the situation, but given that no one here knew him, that wouldn't fly.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you. I'm twenty-two. I work out a little here and there, I suppose." He shrugged, nonchalantly. "Not sure what that has to do with anything."
"Shield Hero." Aultcray suddenly spoke up. "I must ask that you remove your upper clothing."
…
…
…
"Hah?" Naofumi blinked, momentarily stunned. "I must have misheard you. What did you just ask me to do?"
The King and the various nobles around him bristled at the disrespect, before he calmed himself down. Shaking his head wearily he spoke up again.
"Don't make me repeat myself, Shield Hero. Remove that… green outer clothing, you are draped in. Your shirt too. I wish to see what you're hiding from us."
Unreasonable request right off the bat? Good to see that things are just as he remembered.
Seeing as the other Heroes had no intention of backing him up in their evident curiosity, he just sighed.
"Fine, whatever."
Unzipping his hoodie he threw it on the ground. His shirt came next.
"Happy?" he scoffed. "You know, in my country this would be considered an obstruction of justice. Sexual violation, even. Though, I assume such things don't apply here."
No one answered. Everyone stared with their mouths agape at the young man whose entire body looked designed for fighting. Sculpted abs, noticeable heft in his arms, alongside a variety of scars that littered his entire form.
Naofumi sweat dropped at their stares.
"So… can I put my shirt back on now, or…?" He wisely ignored the blood dripping down the majority of the noses in the area. The capital was home to a bunch of perverts, huh. Who knew?
"You… you…" Aultcray faltered for a moment before he recovered. "How did you get so strong? And where did you receive those scars? Answer me!"
"In order: I trained, and I fought." He narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to put my clothes back on, now. The show is over."
"How dare you-!" the King exclaimed before recovering. He grunted and turned away. Naofumi felt a small grin growing on his face as he put his shirt back on. The fact that his Royal Trashiness already revealed his inner thoughts before anything happened, could only make his life easier.
Looking down at his hoodie, he shrugged before draping it over his shoulder. It felt constricting on his new form all things considered, so there was no point in wearing it.
"Anyway, I think we went off-track, didn't we?" Naofumi motioned for the King to continue his spiel. "We're waiting, your highness! What exactly did you summon us for?"
"Now, listen here-!"
"He's right." Ren grunted, annoyed. "I almost regret bringing up my observation. Naofumi-san's physicality aside, you still haven't explained our situation yet."
The King cut back his anger, before acquiescing the request.
Naofumi tuned the rest of the speech out as he looked through his status screen. What met him was-
'I was reset completely, huh.' He groaned. 'I knew that was the most likely possibility, but still… not all is lost I guess.'
There was a few major advantages his current person brought. The main one was knowledge. Both medicinal and fighting abilities; magical and physical, were all either locked firmly in his brain or were an ingrained part of his muscle memory. Of course, his SP had been reset to level one so he would have to be careful and not use any high-level spells, but it still saved him the trouble of having to relearn them all.
Following that, his stats were far, far higher than what he had at level one, originally. It was far higher than what anyone had at level one. Especially for the Shield Hero. His strength stat was almost as high as his defense stat. It wasn't surprising given all the training his companions put him through. Still, even though that specific trait would never go up past its current limits, (probably), it was nice to confirm. Need-be, it gave him the chance to level-up, solo.
Not that he would, though. Getting Raphtalia was one of the first things on the agenda. She was his closest companion, and he couldn't imagine journeying without her. Or Filo. Or Melty. Or Rishia. Or Keel. Or-
Well, that'd have to come later.
'Speaking of which, I'm gonna have to be careful about which events I change and which ones I keep the same.' He thought to himself. 'Saving more people during the waves, and lowering the casualty number as a whole, could only be beneficial. However, doing certain things like picking Filo's egg has to be done at the exact right moment. If I try the monster lottery now there is no way in hell I'll get her. And I need her. I'll just have to keep myself on my toes, so I don't mess things up too bad. But I shouldn't stress over it. This is a positive experience; I can't forget that. This is a chance for me to finally make things the way they were always supposed to be.'
"… meeting is over. Heroes! Please rest in the provided living space until tomorrow."
First thing on the list then:
Saving Raphtalia and stopping Bitch.
Time to put the plan into action.
"Your Majesty," Naofumi inclined his head. "I was made aware that we were allowed our initial reward money ahead of time. I would like to receive my sum, now if you please. Get started at the tavern before we're sent out of the city. I'm sure you understand."
Aultcray looked absolutely furious. The other heroes were surprised at the expression adorning his face. The King seemed to notice and quickly tried to school it.
"Well, yes. Ordinarily that's the case. However, uh, unfortunately that's not a recommended course of action at this time-!"
"Why, not?"
The King and the nobles surrounding him growled at the lack of tact.
"Um, it's because…" He snapped his fingers. "Yes, if you take the money now, you are only given half the complete sum! It doesn't make sense in the long run to get a head start when there is such a heavy taxation on it."
"I don't care." Naofumi interrupted. "I'd like my money, now. I have my reasons."
He couldn't stop the smirk from finding its way onto his face at the pure hatred he saw in the old man's eyes. Wiping it quickly, he began tapping his wrist as if impatient.
"Well? Am I allowed my sum any time today, or…?"
The ruler gripped the arms of his throne in anger, before motioning someone near him to go grab a small bag of coins. Watching absently as the woman walked up to him and placed them in his hands, he didn't even look inside before narrowing his eyes.
"This is too light. Far too light for the designated sum."
"Now, I've tolerated quite enough, Shield Hero, but-!"
"Have you?" Naofumi challenged. "Truthfully, I've had to 'tolerate' a lot more than you have so far in this meeting. Ignored upon initial contact, then stripped and questioned. It hasn't left the best first impression, to be honest. Then you have the audacity to give farless money than what I was meant to receive? I was summoned as some legendary hero to fight for you all, yet you seem to be treating me rather poorly. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if you decided to turn me into a scapegoat somehow." He shrugged, nonchalantly. "The whole situation seems strange to me."
Out of the corner of his eye he looked at the other heroes who all began considering his accusations. Ren, notably, looked the most thoughtful. The King had never felt such rage.
"Though, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you just give me the rest of my designated sum." Taking a quick gander at the cash in his bag he held it up. "50 silver. From what I was told we were set to receive 600 to start with; and half, if we decided to take it a day early. So I'm still short 250. If you please…?"
His question was left in the air, mockingly, purposefully so. He was pushing the royals' buttons and he couldn't give a damn. He was in the right, and they knew it. Soon, the light sack of money in his hand became significantly heavier.
"Thank you." He nodded. "One last question, then: I also heard that we aren't required to stay in the castle tonight, so long as we arrive here on time to receive our party members tomorrow. Is that correct?"
Truthfully, it was a bluff. Thankfully, none of the other heroes seemed to notice, or care enough to point it out.
"Yes… that's true, but-!"
"Great! I'll be off then." He waved over his head as he stepped outside the throne room. "Ja ne!"
Then he left. A room full of angry nobility, and confused adventurers, in his wake.
A/N 1: While yes, this does make occasional reference to the light/web novel series, it is not at all required to have read them to enjoy this story. As I am not following canonical events, in anyway :P. Just know that there is a big bad guy that Naofumi and them come across. Here, they lose. Simple as that :).
A/N 2: Well, not the most original idea out there, but I had a lot of concepts that I haven't seen people write, that I plan on doing here :D. I haven't read many (and by that I mean I've only seen two time travel fics in the Shield Hero universe), and I have different directions I want to go from there. I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter :). Let me know what you think!
Side Note: Yes, yes I know. Another start to a story rather than working on my other story ideas:P. But, in my defense, I have the first four chapters to this one done at the moment. And I have the next chapters to most of my ideas drafted up. They should all be uploaded with the next few days! So stay tuned.