Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (LN) - Volume 10 - Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Hanging Out the Shield 

One week had passed since I’d begun governing the territory . . . or rather, looking after a bunch of brats. The repairs on the houses had been finished for the most part, and it was time to move on to the next stage. 
Just like Filo had promised, the new filolial remained a cute little thing, happy just to pull a carriage. As I’d expected, it was nice having a filolial that wasn’t a chirpy little blabbermouth. One morning, while the slaves were still asleep, I tried playing a lighthearted game of fetch with the new filolial, like I had done with Filo in the past. But Filo intercepted the stick and ruined the game. 
“Master! Filo is best!” 
I was trying to build a rapport with the new recruit. Stay out of the way! 
“Rafu!” 
“Go long, Raph-chan!” 
I feinted a throw and Raph-chan cast illusion magic on Filo. 
“Ahh! Waaait!” 
Filo sprinted off after a phantom stick that would probably go on flying forever. 
The caterpillands had gotten bigger, too, and would be ready to pull their carriages soon. They were herbivores, so we fed them the stalks of the bioplant. This in turn allowed us to get rid of excess bioplant by feeding it to the monsters. They were proving useful in a variety of ways. I could kill two birds with one stone as they say. Plus, the monster trainer must have known what he was doing when he picked them, because they were really docile and easy to handle. The only problem was their speed. They weren’t very quick. So traveling around to the nearby towns and villages would be their limit. 
 
The dunes had gotten relatively big, too, and they were already working the land here. They were really docile, too. I’d heard that wild dunes normally burrow into the ground and avoid fighting. Apparently domesticated dunes could be ordered to fight, but they weren’t very strong. 
Alright, I figured it was time to start peddling goods. 
“Well, what do you think?” 
I’d prepared two different outfits for Keel. One was a masculine set of armor that suited her preference. The other was a frilly dress meant to throw customers off guard. It was a cheap, secondhand dress, but still . . . Keel had tried the dress on and was blushing slightly while waiting for my assessment. 
“Nice! I want you to blush just like that and act like a klutz while you’re peddling.” 
“Bubba! Why do I have to do this?!” 
“For money, of course. We can’t round up your friends without money.” 
“Oh yeah . . . But still, this is . . . embarrassing, bubba . . .” 
For the first round of Keel’s peddling, I’d have Filo pull the carriage and I’d stay inside and observe. My plan was for Keel and Raphtalia to sell the medicine I’d made. 
“Okay, Rishia, you’re in charge of leveling.” 
“O . . . okay!” 
 
Teaching the slaves to sell was priority number one. If we didn’t do this, making money would be practically impossible. I was sure people would start talking if we hung a Shield Hero sign on a carriage and traveled around the country for three days or so. I’d been making medicines daily so that we could do this, and I was pretty sure we could heal any illness—no matter how serious—as long as I was there. 
“And we’re off!” 
“Wai—bubba! I still get motion si—” 
I ignored Keel and took off. We spent the day traveling around to several nearby towns, spending around an hour at each. With Filo running at top speed, that was possible. It had been a long time since I’d last been out hawking goods. Many of the same townspeople from before showed up, acting like they had missed me. 
“So the saint was actually the Shield Hero!” 
“Oh, uh . . . yeah. I figured I wouldn’t get any business if people knew who I really was.” 
“Sorry for all you had to go through.” 
“No worries.” 
They were all just empty apologies, anyway. If I were to now cause a problem instead, there’s no doubt they would all be screaming, “So you were the Shield Demon, after all!” I didn’t go for the whole “customer is god” thing that Japanese people liked to push. The phrase originally came from something some Japanese folk singer said and wasn’t even supposed to mean what people think it does. 
 
“I was given a territory, so I decided to peddle medicines and other goods more extensively to help with the country’s reconstruction and prepare for the coming waves. Your business is appreciated. Just look for the shield sign hanging from the carriage.” 
That’s right. There was a sign shaped like a shield hanging on the outside of our carriage right now. 
“So you’re doing it for the country and our people, I see!” 
Making an impression like this would lead to more customers. It might have been a good idea to have Filo’s underling pull a carriage in filolial queen form, too. Then again, I didn’t want to deal with the racket that would come with it. It might be fine if there was someone else willing to look after the thing, but I’m sure that would never work out. 
“You hear that?! Let’s give our business to the Shield Hero!” 
“Yeah!” 
Word of mouth sure was handy at times like these. Even good rumors spread before you knew it. I had no idea how they knew, but customers were showing up to meet us the moment we arrived at the next town. 
“Hey bubba, did I do okay?” 
After we finished selling our wares, Keel, looking ridiculously embarrassed, asked for my verdict. 
“Yeah. Your smile can’t sell quite like Raphtalia’s can, but several of the customers were grinning because they thought your clumsiness was cute.” 
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” 
It was the same no matter what world you were in. Seeing that kind of innocence just made people feel good inside. Raphtalia’s support role worked well, too. This setup should allow us to make a bundle. Even cheap, poor-quality medicinal herbs would end up being average quality if I used my shield to make the materials. Then, if I used those average-quality materials to make more advanced medicines by hand, the end product would turn out to be above average. We could expect to make a nice profit. 
 

After vending for three days, we’d made pretty respectable earnings. We also bought up medicinal herbs along the way and I used my shield to make medicines out of them. Keel and several of the other slaves had observed our work and seemed to have the basics down, so things were going well. I’d delegate more carriages to peddling soon. 
And that’s when it happened. 
“Well, well . . . If it isn’t the Shield Hero!” 
The slave trader’s carriage rolled up into the village. He’d been visiting a lot lately. I guess I couldn’t really complain, though, since I had him searching for the slaves from the village for me. I’d seen him talking to the slaves here, too, though. Would he even try to sell the slaves a slave of their own? I mean, I was giving them a small allowance, but come on . . . 
“Did you bring me another slave from the village?” 
“Unfortunately, I have brought no such thing. Yes sir.” 
“Then why are you here?! Go away!” 

Should I throw salt over my shoulder? If he tried saying he came to mooch food because he was bored I’d knock him off his carriage. 
 
“Your response to my showing up without a purpose sends tingles of excitement down my spine!” 
“I get the feeling you’re trying to turn me into your own personal chef lately.” 
“That was just a joke. Yes sir.” 
“Are you trying to pick a fight?” 
“Not at all. I’m actually here to extend an invitation to the Shield Hero.” 
“An invitation?” 
The slave trader threw his hands up into the air. Everything was theatrical with this guy. Whatever it was, it was sure to be a waste of time. 
“Indeed. Since we’ve had so little luck finding any of the slaves here in Melromarc, I consulted a relative of mine, and I’ve been told that they are on the market in Zeltoble. Yes sir.” 
“Ah, I see.” 
In other words, the slave trader had found out where the slaves were, so he had come here in person to report his findings. What a bothersome guy. 
“How long does it take to get there?” 
“Let’s see . . . Travelling by boat would normally be fastest, but that precious filolial of yours should be able to make it there in around a week and a half, I think.” 

A week and a half for Filo . . . That was a long way. Even so, it was closer than the Spirit Tortoise country. That reminded me of something. A while back, the other heroes had mentioned that the weapon shop in Zeltoble was really good. That meant they had traveled there. No wonder their levels weren’t as high as I expected them to be back then. Their weapons were top-class, though. 

“How long by boat?” 
“Two weeks.” 
“Hmm . . .” 
I glanced over at the others around the village. Everyone was busy doing his and her part to help with the reconstruction. Raphtalia was teaching some slaves the dos and don’ts of peddling, and Filo was taking a nap. The slaves that wanted to fight had been training with the old lady in the neighboring town during their free time, just like Keel. 
Even if I did make the trip, I could use my portal to return to the village at night. With daily reports, things would still be manageable. 
“I guess we might as well go, then.” 
“I thought you might say that!” 
“Raphtalia, Filo, and everyone else, too! Gather ’round over here for a minute.” 
I called everyone, and they came swarming over. 
“I’m going to be leaving for Zeltoble in just a bit, so I’ll be away from the village during the day. I’ll be taking Filo and . . .” 
Honestly, if I just went with Filo at first, I could bring anyone else I needed afterward. 
“Raphtalia, you’re in charge of the village during the daytime.” 
“Huh? You’re leaving me behind?” 
“Heh heh heh . . . big sis gets to house-sit!” 
 
“Rafu!” 
Before I knew it, I ended up taking Filo and Raph-chan with me. Well, I guess I wouldn’t have a means of transportation without Filo. 
“It’s only for a week, and only during the daytime. So relax.” 
“But still . . .” 
“With how busy we’ve been, we’ve been split up more and more lately, right? I’m leaving things up to you because I know I can count on you.” 
Or was it me that Raphtalia was worried about? 
“Understood. If anything comes up, please return immediately.” 
“If it really bugs you that much, then you can just come with us every now and then.” 
“You’re right. With such a convenient teleportation skill, there’s no reason not to make use of it.” 
I’d be coming back each night, so Raphtalia could either go with us or stay here, depending on the day. 
“Alright, we’ll be back.” 
“Safe travels, Mr. Naofumi!” 
And so I accepted the slave trader’s invitation and we set out for Zeltoble.