Can't sleep, Master?
I just came to check on you two.
Go back to sleep.
'Kay.
Good night, Master.
See you tomorrow.
Yeah, night.
You folks had better turn back.
If you keep going, you'll die.
We heard there's a village down this path.
The village is done for.
The plague even got the village elder.
What could be happening there?
We'll see when we get there.
What brings you to a place like this?
I'm a traveling merchant. I'm here to sell you medicine.
A traveling merchant?
Wait, that filolial...
Could it be the Heavenly Fowl?
Doctor!
What's the matter?
Our Savior of the Heavenly Fowl has come for us!
"Doctor"?
I run the village clinic.
If I may ask, are you really...
I'm only here to sell you medicine.
Even that would be a great help!
I cannot make nearly enough for everyone!
Doctor, who are these people?
Oh, they say they'll sell us medicine.
Looking at this, I should probably give it to them myself.
Here.
Fifty silvers, huh?
Will it do?
You're a bit short, but I'll take it.
You were truly a great help.
Now we've staved off the immediate crisis.
Are you satisfied with that?
All I did was treat their symptoms. I didn't cure them.
They'll eventually go back to square one.
You're indeed right.
Not that I mind, since I'll make good money anyway.
Let's see what dies out first, you or your coffers.
We know that we can't let this go on!
But...
There's nothing we can do.
What do you mean?
We believe the wind from the mountain that's home to monsters is the cause.
The mountain that's home to monsters?
Around a month ago, a large dragon that nested there
was killed by the Sword Hero.
Oh, I did hear rumors about that.
But what does that have to do with the plague?
In order to see the dragon's corpse and gather materials,
many adventurers came to our village.
That certainly did help the village flourish.
But one day, an adventurer collapsed, and more followed.
The dragon's flesh must have begun to rot and emit some kind of poison.
Damn Ren.
Even a high schooler like him should know that meat rots when you leave it out.
Actually, I guess it must've slipped his mind, since he thinks this world is a game.
If you know the cause, then why don't you get rid of it?
That mountain's filled with violent monsters, so only adventurers can go there.
We can't do anything about it.
And perhaps due to the dragon's poison, the ecology there has changed, too.
The average adventurer cannot get anywhere near the corpse.
Have you informed the royal court about this?
Yes. We're slated to receive a medicine delivery shortly.
But they said the heroes are too busy to help for a while yet.
Is that so?
Cancel the request you made to the court.
Raphtalia...
Prepare to set out.
Right away!
Wait, are you planning to go yourself?
It's too dangerous!
Don't worry. We're used to danger.
I can't find the words to express our gratitude.
Keep your thanks.
What I want is money.
Five hundred silvers will cover it.
Five hundred? That's too much!
That includes hazard pay.
You can just pay me what you were going to pay the court.
"Savior," my foot. He's just a money-grubber.
Stop that!
I don't recall ever calling myself a savior.
You're deliberately trying to make them hate you, aren't you, Naofumi-sama?
Chimera Viper Shield — Poison Resistance (Med)
Anyway, I know we're dealing with a dragon here,
but this is a huge loadout.
We had to take the wagon either way.
A little more luggage is no problem.
We could've traveled lighter if Filo hadn't thrown a tantrum.
I've made a lifetime's worth of memories with this wagon.
I don't wanna leave it behind!
Yeah, your lifetime of one whole month.
I don't know what to do about Filo's selfishness.
Actually, it might've been a pretty good idea.
We'll never get anywhere if we try to fight them all.
As Shield Hero, source of thy power, I order thee.
Decipher the laws of nature and defend my target.
Fast Guard!
Run right through them, Filo!
'Kay!
The air here is stagnant.
Stay back if you're having a hard time.
No, I'll be fine.
I see.
But man, we should've eaten before coming here.
Looking at this is making me lose my appetite.
Looking at it made me hungry.
Don't overeat!
Looking at its size, even taking it apart will be a pain.
A dragon zombie?!
What do we do, Naofumi-sama?
For now, get away from it!
A dragon!
I hate dragons!
Maybe we can fight it.
Get behind me, you two!
My shield can't block all of its poison breath.
I have resistance, but Raphtalia doesn't!
Still...
If we don't stop it here, it'll cause even more problems!
Now I'm mad!
Filo! Don't fight it alone!
We have to get away and regroup.
Let's go, Raphtalia.
Filo!
That idiot!
Filo!
Again?
Am I going to lose it all again?
Is this world going to take everything from me again?
d0 Y0u s33k PoWeR?
Power?
D0 yOU haT3 3veRYtHiNG?
Hate?
D0 yOU haT3 3veRYtHiNG?
Curse Series — Rage Shield
I hate it.
I hate it all.
Hate...
Hate!
How dare you kill Filo!
No, Naofumi-sama!
Naofumi-sama!
No...
Not Naofumi-sama, too.
Naofumi-sama?!
Burn.
Kill.
Kill them all.
Suffer.
Die!
I believe you.
I am your sword.
This voice...
Even if you can't trust anyone anymore, I trust you.
I trust the great Shield Hero.
What was I doing?
Naofumi-sama...
Thank goodness... you're back.
Raphtalia!
What's all this?
Don't tell me...
As Shield Hero, source of thy power, I order thee.
Decipher the laws of nature and heal my target.
Fast Heal!
Heal my target!
Fast Heal!
I said heal, damn it!
Fast Heal!
It's my fault...
Go away!
Stop it!
To defeat the dragon,
I have to use this power.
But...
If I lose focus, hatred will consume my mind.
What can I do?
What just happened?
Naofumi-sama?
Raphtalia!
You okay?
Yes... thanks to your healing.
What happened to the dragon?
Is that you, Filo?
I finally got back out!
You're okay?
Yep.
But you were eaten, and there was all that blood...
Blood?
Oh, I threw up my food when I got gobbled.
It was that red fruit?
Were you worried about me, Master?
Who knows?
Why are you looking away?
Get away from me.
So, wait, you killed the dragon, too?
Yep. When I was tearing at its belly trying to get out,
I found a big purple crystal.
It was shining.
A crystal?
That was its core, huh?
So, where's the crystal?
You ate it?!
Raphtalia!
Onee-chan?
We'll give her the medicine in the carriage and head back to the village at once.
No.
We have to deal with the dragon's corpse.
You come first!
I'll be fine.
I'll take that medicine and lie down for a bit.
Filo, let's hurry and clean this mess up.
'Kay!
The mountain wind has gone back to normal.
We'll be all right now.
Thank you so very much.
Use that money to treat Raphtalia.
I don't care how much it costs.
Please cure her.
Curing her will be difficult.
She's been afflicted with a curse, and a powerful one at that.
We've wrapped her with bandages soaked in holy water,
but we don't have holy water pure enough to dispel curses.
If you go to a church in a big town, I'm sure you'll find some.
Keep this money for when you do.
Thanks.
Onee-chan, are you okay?
Yes. I've been tended to,
so I'll be fine.
I never knew corpses could inflict such powerful curses.
Dragons are terrifying creatures.
Yes.
I shouldn't have been so careless and gotten all that rotten flesh on me.
He cares about you very much, doesn't he?
Huh? Er, uh...
Take care, Raphtalia-san.
I'm sorry.
It's all right.
It's just...
I got the feeling that power would take you somewhere far away.
So, given that I was able to stop you, this doesn't bother me one bit.
Are you leaving us, Master?
I'm not going anywhere.
I have a gift for you, Master!
What's this?
A crystal that was inside the dragon.
You threw it up?
No! I kept this one to be a gift!
If this is a crystallization of the residual mana from the dragon's corpse...
My level isn't high enough, huh?
That shield wasn't in the upgrade tree.
If I'd continued to use its power,
I would've killed both Raphtalia and Filo, who was inside the dragon.
Naofumi-sama?
Forgive me, you two.
I put you both in danger because I hesitated.
Just as bravery and recklessness differ, so too do caution and cowardice.
If I remain a coward, I'll fail to protect the things I care about.
Back then, I should've stepped up and distracted the dragon.
There were so many things I could've done.
It wasn't your fault, Naofumi-sama!
If only I had been stronger...
I messed up, too.
I charged in because I hate dragons so much.
You two...
We are stronger now than we were yesterday,
and we'll be even stronger tomorrow.
Let's keep that up, one day at a time.
Yes, let's. Together.
I'll work hard, too!
Yeah.
Wow, you smiled, Master!
Yeah.
You finally showed us a normal smile.
Did I...?
Yep! Right, Onee-chan?
Right!
It's gotten late.
Get some sleep and rest up.
'Kay!
Could you spend the night with me?
Don't want to be lonely?
It's not that.
I thought I would be allowed to have this, just this once.
Filo...
Sleep with Raphtalia tonight.
'Kay!
Huh?
You're cold, aren't you?
That's not what I meant...
Join us, Master.
No way.
I'm not warm, you know.
I have to grow stronger...
Along with the people who believe in me.
And I'll protect them,
come what may!