Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

Chapter 128: Hero's Treatment

random citizens: “Thank you Hero of the Shield-sama~!”

more random citizens: “Hero-sama~!”

I was heading towards the castle however, because Firo had already gone ahead, I rode in the carriage provided by the queen and the citizens of the castle town waved at me like I was in the middle of a triumphal return.

Such materialistic guys.

Well, I knew that the population has that kind of simplistic thinking from anime and history.

I waved back with no problems. If this was a few months ago, there wouldn't even be any trash flying around.

No matter what, I was the devil of the shield.

Speaking of which, after we overcame the first wave, I was glared at as if saying 'why are you there?'

I'd be delighted if I could just receive the proper appreciation but I just get cheated.

Before long, I entered the castle and proceeded to the conference room.

The troops from the Allied Forces were waiting together with the queen.

queen: “Hero of the Shield-sama, this is in appreciation of your efforts in suppressing the Spirit Turtle, really, thank you very much”

naofumi: “Your introduction is good. I'd like to hear the status report. In relation to the wave”

The status of the wave and others, I have a mountain of things I want to ask.

The Spirit Turtle was a state of emergency so everything is in chaos but there should be a lot that they've investigated already.

queen: “......I understand. Currently, the Hourglasses of the Dragon's Era throughout the world have stopped.”

naofumi: “Throughout the world?”

queen: “Yes. Every hourglass has stopped”

“There was a blue object inside the Spirit Turtle that resembled an Hourglass of the Dragon's Era, that too?”

raphtalia: “Ah, Naofumi-sama”

Raphtalia raised her hand.

Raphtalia and Firo came back after fighting in the heart so maybe they know.

raphtalia: “This is about when we suppressed the Spirit Turtle but when we were returning from the heart, I saw that hourglass go *poof* and disappear”

naofumi: “What?”

raphtalia: “Everything disappeared, I saw it turn into a light and vanish”

What did that mean?

I looked again at the hourglass with the time of the invasion of the next wave.

As I thought, there's about 3.5 months remaining.

queen: “That matter is currently in investigation. We will report it in due course”

naofumi: “I understand. I don't know if only the heroes can realise it but even on my side, the hourglass' arrival prediction time has stopped”

queen: “Alright..... We'll also ask the Seven Star Heroes about their side”

naofumi: “However, three and a half months is projected on another hourglass. Objectively looking at that...”

Immediately, the atmosphere became heavy.

I don't think I was wrong to reveal that, like in a chain reaction, there would be an appearance of a monster after the spirit turtle.

Since it was the four spirits, there should be Phoenix, Kirin and Dragon.

naofumi: “The time limit is 3.5 months. To prepare until then would be the appropriate action”

queen: “As you wish”

naofumi: “What's the damage count?”

queen: “......it's fortunate that only 7 towns, 4 fortresses and 2 castles have been decimated. If more villages were included.....”

naofumi: “I see.....”

queen: “The victim total is......the count has not been finished yet”

It's not looking great. There's still the danger of the more appearances of monsters that will cause this much damage.

naofumi: “Jeez, what's become of those 3 heroes?”

To do this sort of thing and leave it behind yet not showing themselves.

They weren't inside the Spirit Turtle and they didn't come out from the back.

Where was Itsuki – who Rishia was worrying about – wandering about.

The most likely scenario was his death.

However, the image of them dying didn't cause any excitement in me.

Those guys are irritating rascals and annoying with their fake heroics.

naofumi: “Is there no report of seeing them anywhere in the Spirit Turtle?”

queen: “Not at present. We sent out a search everywhere but we don't even know they are”

naofumi: “Hmm....”

It's an enigma. What were they trying to do by breaking the seal.

I hope that it's not something like there was a strong weapon hidden in a labyrinth underneath where the Spirit Turtle was sealed.

If that's the case, it won't be forgiven with just a punch.

queen: “And, this is concerning those heroes who broke the seal but...”

naofumi: “Hm? Do you have something?”

queen: “In order to avoid more disorder, we've concealed the identities of the ringleaders who broke the seal”

naofumi: “What?”

queen: “We're concealing it for now but, an inquiry about who's responsible will produce a big risk so....”

......Indeed, that's the case.

If the country announces that this great disaster happened because of the heroes, it's quite capable of causing a disservice to unrelated heroes as well.

Three of the Four Sage Heroes caused this calamity. It's not necessarily true that other heroes won't do it.

But before that, the chaos......in this case, it's the heroes credibility.

Looking at the triumphal return, I can sympathise with how much the inhabitants of this world expect from the heroes.

If it was discovered that heroes were responsible for this, there might just be a riot.

And having to suppress the riot and the waves simultaneously, until finally everything falls together in mutual destruction.

The country should choose not to publicly announce the truth, but that the Spirit Turtle was defeated by the hidden heroes. That sort of visage is better.

This feels like the so-called result of 'playing hot potato with the responsibility issue'.

It's a common occurrence but, it's quite.....

queen: “Also, the heroes are extremely powerful beings and so we will be needing an equal strength to administer justice”

......Catching them will also be a pain.

Which is why we have to conceal the truth.

naofumi: “However, isn't this truth already well-known?”

queen: “It's still at the stage of gossip. That said, it seems each nation being silenced so there won't be much influence on the support of the populace. We're persistent and announcing that this incident was from a wave”

One's livelihood will also be affected when the heroes they believe in, even when there are waves that hint towards the end of the world, in promote havoc.

It can't be helped, you can't even understand it.

queen: “......Nevertheless, there are still rumours”

The queen added a supplement.

queen: “I've spread a rumour about being punished so so that it won't appear to the other heroes as anything more than simple gossip. Of course, I’ve mad a large publicity campaign about the Hero of the Shield, Iwatani-sama, being very active but.... just from looking at the status quo in the castle town, it doesn't seem very necessary”

naofumi: “Half-hearted! Catch the ringleader! Just fighting the waves! Isn't this all just punishment for me!?”

Couldn't put up with it all, guys raising a commotion appeared. [??]

In this case, catching said people and turning them into a slave would be good but....they can't do that, can they?

If enslaving was possible, it would have been more efficient to enslave us four when were were first summoned.

With the high-grade slave crest, it could even be hidden from the masses.

To begin with, the fact that that Trash didn't enslave me is proof enough.

It seems improbable even if I enquire about it now.

The problem is that hard to handle guys would be useless as slaves.

Well, thanks to that, I didn't end up becoming a slave.

queen: “Have I mentioned it's because it was determined that Iwatani-sama and the Seven Star Heroes could do this?”

naofumi: “Grr...Nevertheless, couldn't you just face everyone and say 'we are the country' or some other meaningless line!”

There problem is that isn't it.

Even if they've become rotten, those guys are still heroes so it's hard to tell their followers to arrest them.

Stopping a riot is also a pain.

If it was me, I’d fight but it'll be quite sever to fight with my status having fallen to just 30%.

At the least, I shouldn't be fighting until I’ve had a full recovery.

I do have the option of leaving it to Raphtalia and the others but I don't know about trying that.

I don't want to burden them with that risk.

queen: “If course if it's possible, I’ll have you participate in waves as you've been doing until now. However, heroes are people who possess power. There's always the danger of them going on a rampage. Can't you understand that we can't even say that there are no countries who watch vigilantly for the opportunity to try to assemble heroes?”

naofumi: “Melromarc, you vixen! Are these your words!?”

queen: “Certainly our country has its faults. But this argument should have already finished. What do you intend by bringing up this political question again? Are you saying that there aren't people who would use powerful heroes as government tools?”

......So troublesome.

If Melromarc and the other countries could just offer heroes a prize and not penalise them, the heroes would immigrate to a nice country by themselves, but there's a risk of becoming a tool of the government.

That's why I can't judge them strongly.

I had already rejected any invites from nice countries before I even knew of them so I couldn't have done that though. If it's them, it might be possible that they have.

Really, this group is too much, we're not getting anywhere.

There's even 1 person in the party, me who also thinks that.....

naofumi: “I understand the hero's treatment. Also, in regard to just this disaster......is reconstruction possible?”

The tension of the Allied Forces suddenly dissipated with my query.

Ah, indeed it was quite intense.

“The Allied Forces have taken damage from the infiltration and induction”

“I'm sorry for not being able to defend against it all”

As the Hero of the Shield, I originally had to take action so there won't be any victims. In spite of this, a substantial amount of damage has been dealt.

queen: “No.... they would have been satisfied, everyone who participated in the infiltration said that they could avoid death thanks to the Hero of the Shield-sama being there”

naofumi: “I'm pleased to hear that”

queen: “The neighbouring countries took a lot of damage and much time is needed to rebuild”

naofumi: “......I see”

queen: “To be honest, supporting Iwatani-sama is also quite difficult”

I could only nod at this. If they said they could still give me a lot of assistance even after suffering such devastation, I'd be concerned about where they would get the money from.

queen: “We will assist as much as possible, but when compared to what we had planned......”

naofumi: “Yeah, I know. If I want money, I’ll do something about it myself.”

At this point, you should be gathering money for reconstruction instead.

I saw the damage in the castle town when I was coming here.

of the castle town had been crushed by the Spirit Turtle. Land reclamation is essential for the sake of the people who lost their homes.

Reclamation......that's it.

naofumi: “Hey, aiding with something that's not money is okay right”

queen: “Yes, it would be more helpful for us if it was something other than money with the current conditions”

This would solve the Allied Force's issue, as well as the thing I thought of so far.

naofumi: “Then―“