What are you girls doing?
Naofumi-sama!
Master!
Sheesh!
Did you have to sleep that long?
What's going on?
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Naofumi`s Triumphant Return
After the battle against the Pope, I lost consciousness.
I was brought here, to a clinic serving the royal family,
and spent three days asleep.
According to Raphtalia,
the queen did everything in her power to save my life.
One whole month to recover, huh?
Mirelia: Third Heal » Naofumi
Melty: Second Heal » Naofumi
Raphtalia: Potion x 1 » Naofumi
Even after healing magic made the wounds go away in a flash?
When it comes to curses this potent,
time seems to be the only way to treat them.
The Wrath Shield's Blood Sacrifice...
It's a powerful skill,
but it destroys both my body and the target's.
The other three weren't affected much by the curse,
thanks to Fitoria, I guess.
We're here to change your bandages, I daresay.
"I daresay"?
But he just got treated a while ago.
They're not medics.
You're Shadows, aren't you?
I heard that you'd awakened, so I rushed here.
I'm truly relieved your life is out of danger.
Mother... I mean, Your Majesty!
Allow me to introduce myself again.
I am the Queen of Melromarc,
Mirelia Q. Melromarc.
Thank you so much for saving Naofumi-sama's life!
Don't mention it. It was the obvious thing to do.
Iwatani-sama is one of the Four Cardinal Heroes,
someone who defends the world from the Waves of Catastrophe.
And yet, this country sure seems to hate the Shield.
From a long time before they put a false charge on me.
Naofumi-sama...
I will tell you everything.
I was taking part in an international forum on fighting the upcoming Waves,
and was thus away from Melromarc, when it happened.
The forum decided that the major nations would each summon one hero
and fight the Waves together.
But by that time, Melromarc had already
summoned all four Cardinal Heroes.
This angered the other nations,
and I spent a lot of time running around and putting out fires.
So that trash king and the slut princess did it all on their own?
Of course, I tried to keep them on a leash
by leaving things to a lord I truly trusted while I was away.
However...
He tragically lost his life in the first Wave while Her Majesty was away.
He was the lord of Seyaette.
Seyaette?
I see.
By the way, Melty.
You're talking weird.
Wh-What can I do? I'm in Her Majesty's presence!
It pleases me greatly to see a new side of you, Melty.
Make sure to stay in Iwatani-sama's good graces.
Mother!
So?
Why was I, the Shield Hero, the only one put through all that crap?
Aultcray already hated the Shield Hero for a certain reason.
The Three Heroes Church took advantage of that to manipulate him.
He hated the previous Shield Hero, then?
What the hell does that have to do with me?
Even Malty joined in to ensnare you.
Things would've gone very differently if I'd been summoned to another country, huh?
Indeed. For example, Siltvelt practices demi-human supremacy.
There, the Shield Hero is worshiped.
Maybe I should go to Siltvelt.
If you do decide to go, we'll have no right to stop you.
However...
I promise to clear your name
and end the humiliation you have suffered.
And to reward you for fighting the Waves and getting rid of the Three Heroes Church,
we'll honor you with the greatest award
Melromarc has to offer and 500 gold pieces.
Naofumi-sama!
Will I be able to eat lots of food with that?
Of course!
Hooray!
I can't wait!
Finally, there is something I wish to discuss with you in private.
Raphtalia-san, Filo-chan, let's head back inside.
O-Okay.
Sure. I'm hungry.
Not satisfied?
Well, I know there's a catch.
Melromarc no longer has any choice but to rely on you to survive.
I don't plan to stay in this country.
I'll go wherever the Waves arrive and fight them off.
That's the best shortcut to returning to my world.
I understand.
By the way, Iwatani-sama, how goes your recovery?
Huh?
As you see, I can walk around, at least.
Then, could you visit the royal castle tomorrow?
The castle?
To clear your name before the public.
And for King Aultcray and Malty to...
You and I are the only ones who know about this.
It will happen regardless of whether you choose to work with our country or not.
This is Melromarc's...
No, my way of making things right, as queen.
Are you sure? They're your husband and daughter.
It has to be done.
That's how grave their sins are.
The people have already been told
to gather at the castle for an important announcement.
I very much need for you to attend tomorrow.
Of course, I am aware that it won't be enough to quell your rage,
but please.
See?
This is fun!
Master taught me.
What did the queen discuss with you?
Nothing special.
She asked me to come to the castle tomorrow because she was going to clear my name.
Really?!
H-Hey...
Thank goodness!
Everyone will finally know you didn't do anything wrong!
I'm so glad!
What's with that look?
You're getting what you deserve!
You deserve to die for what you did!
Naofumi-sama?
Is something wrong?
No, I'm fine.
But...
We have an early start tomorrow.
Get some rest.
I shouldn't care what happens to those scumbags!
Why can't we enter the castle?
Only the Shield Hero's party gets to go in? What's the meaning of this?
C-Calm down, Mald-san!
Shut up!
That sure was a large crowd outside.
Yeah.
Where's Mel-chan?
She went off with the knights as soon as we got to the castle.
She's probably with the queen.
I'm glad you're okay.
Good to see that overpowered move didn't take too much out of you.
Believe it or not, I'm a wreck on the inside.
Anyway, have you seen Myne?
She's been gone ever since that day.
She must be busy with her duties as a princess.
Maybe she's arranging a surprise party for us for defeating the Pope!
Ah, I see. That's gotta be it.
Four Cardinal Heroes,
please go inside.
I thank you for coming, Four Cardinal Heroes.
Where's Myne?
I don't see the king, either.
Bring those two in.
Myne!
Motoyasu-sama! Help me!
Even the king's chained up?
What's going on?
It is as you see. They are criminals.
Now, let us begin...
the trial of the foolish king consort and the first princess!
The
Rising
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Shield
Hero
A trial?
For the king and the princess?
Things are getting interesting, kid.
Mama, you're being too cruel!
My queen, what brings you to commit such an outrage?
This isn't like you!
With the Four Cardinal Heroes in attendance,
this trial seeks to punish the ones responsible for shaking the country to its core,
and I, the queen, am its judge and executor.
What?
Don't tell me... Did the Devil of the Shield brainwash you, too?
The Shield Hero has no such ability.
That should have been obvious.
Wh-What is that?
In order to ensure a fair trial,
you will be given a temporary slave crest.
Mama?!
A slave crest?
How can you do that? She's your own daughter!
It's necessary, because Malty is a pathological liar.
No way! You know I'm an honest, good girl!
Stop this, Mama!
Let us officially begin the trial.
That said,
your crimes are clear for all to see.
You can't worm your way out of them.
We don't know that yet!
What crimes did they commit, anyway?
We have to start there?
First, let's address the recent events.
Using a fake holy weapon,
the Pope of the Three Heroes Church tried to murder the world's heroes,
but he was defeated in the act.
We are rounding up the Church's remnants as we speak, too.
So what?
Appallingly, the king and the first princess were colluding with the Church.
Wh-What?
Are there any objections to the charge?
Why would I ever collude with the Three Heroes Church...
To think the first princess would try to overthrow the state.
N-No!
Forget the Shield, they even tried to kill the other three heroes!
And the royal family, too!
I would never get involved in such a terrifying plot!
S-See?
Myne really didn't do anything wrong!
Then what about the time you tried to assassinate Melty, heir to the throne,
and frame the Shield Hero for it?
S-Seriously, I didn't do any of that!
Sister...
M-Malty? Is it true?
N-No! It's not true, Papa!
I...
You conspired with the Church,
and attempted to kill Melty so you could become heir to the throne yourself.
To that end, you framed the Shield Hero for the crime of abducting her,
and even set fire to a forest Melty escaped into.
Am I wrong?
Melty is my dear sister!
Of course you're wrong!
Yeah, it really did seem like she was trying to kill the second princess.
True. We saw it with our own eyes.
What?
M-Malty... How could you!
And you worked with the Church
to summon all of the Four Cardinal Heroes while I was away.
We absolutely needed the heroes to counter those horrifying Waves!
But the Shield committed the gravest sin possible against my daughter!
That's right! Naofumi assaulted Myne!
Let me ask Malty, then.
Were you assaulted by the Shield Hero?
Th-That's right! The Devil of the Shield nearly raped me...
N-No way! That can't be right!
Then, Spear Hero, would you like to form a slave pact with Malty yourself?
F-Fine! I'll prove Myne's innocence!
Okay, Myne.
That night, you were assaulted by Naofumi and came to me for help, right?
Right!
I was so scared! I could only turn to you...
What? It was a lie?
We should've known.
She went that far to frame the Shield Hero?
After that, this unpleasant farce kept going on and on.
My name was being cleared in the public eye,
and yet my heart didn't feel the least bit lighter.
Is it because I know what comes next?
Am I looking forward to seeing it happen?
Hopefully you understand now.
Despite being royalty, they used the dirtiest of tricks,
tried to eliminate those who opposed them, instead of doing what was best for the nation,
and sought to obtain power for purely selfish reasons.
N-No... I...
Perhaps my actions were unbecoming of royalty.
But I did it all for the sake of my beloved country and family!
That is why I tried to get rid of the Shield!
The Shield is the Devil!
It will surely bring about the calamity my family once fell prey to once again!
I will never let it happen!
Never!
He just threw his last chance away.
Is that how much he hates the Shield Hero?
I hereby hand down my verdict.
I find Aultcray Melromarc XXXII and Malty Melromarc
guilty of high treason and conspiracy, and strip them of their status.
And I sentence them to death!
N-No!
Death?
Seriously?
That's too much, Your Majesty!
Yeah! There's no need to execute them!
I feel bad for the princess!
These two were meant to protect our people,
but instead wasted their time in a power struggle.
Even after the Waves came, they did nothing to help their subjects.
Who knows how many people were hurt or killed because of them?
That cannot be forgiven or forgotten!
You must've seen it yourself, too.
The sorrow and rage of many people.
Well...
Their execution will be carried out immediately.
Send these sinners to their deaths in front of all our people!
Is it a festival?
It's the same as my dream.
The criminals will now be beheaded.
Those who turn against the country and its people deserve death.
Especially if they're royalty.
We will prove it right here, right now!
Yeah! Get 'em!
My daughter died because of you!
Give back my home and my family!
No, no, no...
Is this really the right thing to do?
Help!
Save me, Motoyasu-sama!
Motoyasu-sama!
...mi-sama...
Naofumi-sama!
I beg you!
Help me, Naofumi-sama!
Naofumi-sama!
Hold up!
The death penalty is too light for these scumbags.
Death is instant release, after all.
Should they really get off so lightly?
The slave crest didn't react.
She's so thick-skinned,
she can beg a guy she tried to kill for her life, and mean it!
With skin that thick, the guillotine might not cut through her!
Naofumi-sama!
So I have a proposal!
The king will change his name to "Trash," and the first princess to "Bitch"!
Trash?
B-Bitch?!
You'll live the rest of your lives under those names.
If you don't like that, you're free to die right now.
By the way, Malty goes by "Myne" as an adventurer.
What about that?
Then Bitch's adventurer name can be "Slut."
The man who's done the most to put things right here, the Shield Hero,
has granted his oppressors the greatest mercy.
As such, King Aultcray will henceforth be "Trash,"
and Princess Malty will be "Bitch," with "Slut" as her adventuring name.
And the Three Heroes Church, the root cause, will be abolished.
Melromarc will now adopt the Four Heroes Church as its state religion.
Four Heroes Church?
A church that'll worship the Four Cardinal Heroes equally!
Sounds good!
Neither the Three Heroes Church nor the Shield Church will see it as an enemy.
I see.
She might be the shrewdest politician of them all.
H-Hey, Naofumi!
Where are you going?
The excitement's reaching fever pitch.
Will you really not work with our country?
I'd like to hold a ceremony
to confer your decorations and rewards now.
Please at least accept that.
That crap wouldn't make me the least bit happy.
But I will work with you.
Huh?
But not just with Melromarc.
I'll work with nations across the world.
We're the Four Cardinal Heroes, and we're here to save the world from the Waves.
You...
That's indeed right.
But leaving matters at that wouldn't be fair enough to you.
If there's anything else you would like, I will gladly arrange for it.
I'll think about it.
Then I guess we're hitting the ceremony ourselves.
Yeah.
Right.
Thank you for everything.
Come with us, Mel-chan.
Don't be selfish, Filo.
Thank you too, Raphtalia-san.
I promise to change Melromarc into a better country for demi-humans.
Sure.
I know you can do it. I believe in you.
Hurry up, Raphtalia, Filo! Or I'll leave you behind!
C-Coming!
Goodbye.
See you, Mel-chan.
Naofumi's such a jerk!
Why is he so cold?
And where are his manners? He should've thanked Mother.
Mother?
If Iwatani-sama hadn't stopped the execution,
I was going to offer up my life and beg him to spare theirs.
Perhaps he saw right through me.
Naofumi!
Melty-san didn't say anything to you, Naofumi-sama.
That's just how it goes.
No, it's because you didn't let her say anything.
Whatever.
Jeez.
Savior!
Shield Hero!
Naofumi-sama, it's them!
Honor guard for the Shield Hero!
Those guys...
Way to go, kid.
Take care!
Sir Hero!
Naofumi!
Naofumi, thank you for bringing me home!
Thank you for saving Father and Sister!
Sure. See you later.
Yeah!
When I first passed these gates,
all my money, respect, and trust was gone.
I'd lost it all.
It was all because I'd ended up the Shield Hero.
But I don't think I've got it all back, nor do I want it.
I've gained more important things thanks to becoming the Shield Hero.
Wherever the Waves go,
I'll go with my friends.
That is my job as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes... as the Shield Hero!
Four Heroes Council