While the Shield Hero and his companion rest in the inn, the location switches to Melromarc Castle where the three legendary heroes are summoned, two people are talking to each other. About what has happened today.
An old-looking man with white hair and beard, purple robes with a crown and jewels. He was Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, the current king of Melromarc, the Wisest King of Wisdom, who was known to many of the country.
Next to him was a middle-aged man, with white hair, wearing a white religious robe. A rosary of what seems to be a mix of a sword, spear, and bow. His name is Biscas T. Balmus, the High Priest of the Church of the Three Heroes.
The two are currently talking about the summons of the three holy heroes and how they acted today. The two spoke with uncertainty and a bit of irritation.
Biscas: "So, you are saying that God has given us three young heroes who did not act respectfully to you or their followers?"
The pope spoke with a tone of friendliness, and calmly.
Aultcray: "From what I've heard and seen, yes. The heroes immediately ask about rewards and how none of them seem to be aware that they were in the presence of me being the king. Even if I announced myself, it did not change their attitude. If what the legends said is true then those heroes are not fully aware of the reality they are facing."
The king said with a serious tone and a mix of tiredness. It seems he had a difficult time speaking with the three.
Biscas: "Yes, those who are summoned are said to act like the world is not real and are their imaginations. But no matter, once God has shown the heroes about the reality of the unholiness as well as the Devil of the Shield, then they'll wake up and see that our world is real."
The king sneered at the mention of the Shield Hero. If the name itself was cursed. Or maybe he has a bad history with the Shield Hero.
Aultcray: "The accursed shield! I must admit, Biscas, I was sure that the Demon would appear during the summoning, but as you heard the Devil themselves hadn't shown up at the ritual. What made it more confusing was how the ritual did not work when we tried to summon the three heroes."
Before the summoning happened, there was an attempt at a summoning with only the three heroes. The pope and the king did not want to summon the demon in their country they tried the ritual only to find out it wouldn't work with just three heroes. So they begrudgingly summon the "hero" of the shield only for this to happen. The king seems to be thinking of this very deeply. He wondered why the relics worked with the four heroes but not only three.
Biscas: "It must be the work of God! Perhaps using the relics was a test to see if we truly wanted to summon the three holy heroes in our land. They must have known how evil the Devil of the Shield was and managed to block the devil away from our nation thus giving us the three heroes we needed."
Aultcray: "You must be right! Perhaps the devil was erased from ever stepping foot in this country. The world must be on our side if the Shield Demon did not appear in Melromarc, I did not want their mere presence to affect the three heroes."
Biscas: "God must have felt the same way, the heroes shouldn't be influenced by the devil themselves. If the Shield Demon did not respond to the relic then I doubt the devil will appear anywhere else."
Aultcray: "Yes, those relics did work on the three heroes, and the bishop did say the shield relic did respond for a moment until it didn't. I doubt those demon spawns of Siltvelt would have their so-called god appear."
Biscas: "I agree my friend, those demon spawns will not continue to walk on our country. Especially those from that village that was thankfully ruined by the first wave."
The king seems to be pleased with the destruction of the village that had demi-humans. He had ordered no knights to repel the wave there as it was convenient that the first wave spawn there. Even if the monsters did run off after the wave decided to vanish after a few hours it still did a favor to the human country.
Biscas: "I assume that you have people ready to join our heroes on their quest?"
Aultcray: "I have already received letters from the nobles that their children will arrive in the morning to join the heroes. I was honestly surprised that my daughter wanted to join one of the heroes in their quest to repel the waves. I was a bit hesitant to allow it but she convinced me to let her join the heroes in the morning."
Biscas: "Is that so? Malty doesn't seem to be the kind of person to go out adventuring. But if you allow it, then who am I to question your decisions? I am sure God wants Malty to know how important the heroes are to the world."
The two continue walking for a few more minutes before separating to do last-minute things. The world seems to be in their favor as the Shield Hero did not appear at all. But what they did not know is that the Shield Hero was indeed summoned but appeared somewhere else.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Meanwhile, back at the inn where two otherworlders are still awake processing what they now know. And what they have learned was so upsetting and disturbing. It was hard for them to keep their outburst from being heard.
Naofumi: "What kind of country is this!?"
He said with a hushed whisper, he did not want to risk yelling as it seemed the situation was more dire than he first thought. Frisk was doing their best to not yell as well as their expression seemed to be anger.
Frisk: "What kind of country... Allow this!?"
They learned that Melromarc was more than just a human supreme country, it was also a country where they allowed demi-humans to be slaves. Slavery was fully legal here as human slaves were illegal. Not to mention their religion sees the three legendary heroes as Gods in human forms while the Shield Hero is viewed as a spawn of a demon or devil. The country did not like demi-humans as they viewed them as spawns of the waves, they were taught that they needed to be put down or else they would overpopulate and kill off the human race.
Frisk could not help but remember the stories that old people had said about Monsterkind all those years ago. Stories of how the monsters would kill humans and absorb their SOUL to become very powerful. How before the monsters were sealed underground their kind has been reduced to who knows how many before the barrier was made. To them, being sealed away was a mercy as in their homeworld slavery was made for the color of race. It has been long since slavery was abolished and they couldn't help but wonder if that was what the monsters would have faced if they weren't sealed away.
The reason why slavery exists in Melromarc is because of a nation that is the enemy of this country. Siltvelt, a demi-human and beast-man society, is the opposite of this country. Humans are slaves there, ironic that these two countries hate each other as their laws and religion are similar yet opposite. Unlike in Melromarc, the three heroes are viewed as demons while the Shield Hero is viewed as a god. It also turns out there were wars that happened between the two, it would have happened more if Melromarc hadn't won the last war.
That was another reason why Naofumi looked concerned.
Naofumi: "I'm in danger here. My presence hasn't been known to anybody, yet I am in the worst place I could have been summoned to."
That's right, being the Shield Hero in Melromarc was like being the enemy of the entire country. It didn't matter if Naofumi said to others he had no bad intentions, everyone here views the Shield Hero as the bad guy. He realized that Erhard knew about him being the Shield Hero since he told Erhard himself. But Erhard didn't seem to hate or speak badly to Naofumi, then again he thought it could be an act.
Frisk: "If anyone sees your shield then they will instantly know who you are. And it doesn't help since you did reveal to Erhard who you are. There could be a chance that he already spread rumors of you being here."
Naofumi: "You don't have to remind me. But if I am being honest, I don't think he'll do that. He seemed kind, sure I did reveal myself, but even after that he still didn't show any hate or bias towards me. And I bet he wouldn't have sold you the magic show as you are my companion."
Frisk took out the sword from their bag as they checked the weapon.
* "Magic Sword" - Weapon ATK 15, MAG 10
* A magical blade that is easy to lift.
Frisk knew that Naofumi was right, Erhard wouldn't have allowed Frisk to buy the magic sword even after knowing who Naofumi was. Plus Frisk did check Erhard when he spoke to Naofumi, they can still remember the information they've seen.
* Erhard - ATK 55 DEF 45
* A bald man who can tell if a person is lying or not.
* A kind man who knows what is right and wrong.
They would hope that Erhard doesn't spill anything about Naofumi about his presence in Melromarc. Still, they can find out more in the morning. Maybe even persuade him to keep Naofumi's identity a secret.
Naofumi: "Do you think we should leave during the night? Because I doubt we'll be safe if anybody decides to come here."
Frisk: "We could, but where would we sleep? We don't know anywhere else, especially since who knows what will happen in these streets at night. Plus I think I can hear noises out there."
Naofumi couldn't help but make a "tsk" as it seemed Frisk was right, they were still people awake at this hour. And the fact that at any moment someone will come in to steal their stuff. Frisk could possibly deal with potential enemies with their swords but it can cause problems for both of them. And saying here wasn't an option either.
Frisk: "Maybe we should just rest here. And by "we" I mean you."
Naofumi: "What!? Why!?"
Frisk: "I have a few reasons, for example, I always have my eyes closed all day, every day. I rarely need any sleep so I can take the night watch. You do look sleepy at the moment, it wouldn't be good if you were tired in the morning."
As much Naofumi wanted to refuse Frisk's offer, he couldn't keep his eyes open much longer. Even if he didn't fully believe Frisk wouldn't have any tiredness, he just couldn't stay awake for much longer. So he decided to lay on his bed, wished Frisk goodnight, and closed his eyes as he immediately went to deep sleep. Frisk sighs as they look at the door.
Frisk: "Even if I am LOVE 1, I'm stronger than anybody thinks. Especially now that I have this sword. Although, I don't have any armor on."
They held their magic sword as they focused on the door. People walking nearby, whispering were heard, unknowing what people were whispering. It is like a trap where the only escape option is the window. Frisk did not want anyone to find out about Naofumi, they didn't want to think about what would happen if people found out about him.
Frisk: "I have to be determined for him. I have to be determined to protect him. I have to be... Determined!"
The moment they said that a glow suddenly appeared in front of them. It brightens up the dark room as Frisk looks at it with pure surprise. It was the SAVE point, their access to the SAVE file. They couldn't believe it, it had been hours since they last came across the shining star. They reached out as a familiar message went through their head.
Frisk: "Please... Please let it still work."
* (The quiet dark room in this new world fills you with determination.)
* (HP fully restored.)
Fitoria LV 20
Ruins — Sanctuary
❤ Save Return
Frisk became confused, there was already a SAVE file, did that mean someone else was in control of the timeline? But the confusion was quickly replaced with absolute fear as Frisk noticed the LOVE this "Fitoria" had. This person has reached max LOVE.
Was this person determined to be strong? To decide to kill everything when it seems pointless and effortlessly? Or did something happen that built up so much hate and rage to raise the willingness to hurt others? So much is going through Frisk right now, they did not know what to think about it. But if they had access to the SAVE file, then maybe...
Frisk LV 1
Melromarc — Inn
File saved.
They quickly close the SAVE file, as they quietly calm themselves down. Frisk was relieved that their SAVE file was no longer corrupted but was very concerned. How could they have so much determination to overwrite someone's determination when their LOVE is at its highest? It did not make any sense... Unless...
Frisk: "Could this "Fitoria" been born with the SOUL of Determination? Were they summoned to this world like me and Naofumi? But... How is it that I was able to overwrite the file? ...Fitoria... Why does that name... Sounds familiar?"
There could be a chance that Fitoria was born with a different SOUL and raised it to the max. Frisk does know the Determination SOUL was not easy to get. At the same time, they weren't sure how, but the name felt like it rang a bell. As if they were supposed to know who Fitoria was.
Frisk: "...How could I know a name like that when I never heard of it? This doesn't make any... Sense..."
Suddenly a massive headache began to take control over Frisk. It slowly became unbearable as they held their head in agony. They're doing their hardest to not let out a scream. It felt so familiar to them as if it was telling them to continue... As if...
Frisk immediately knew who was causing the headache to them. It felt so familiar that the headache first began when they felt the need to abandon what they were doing... Abandon THE route! Until they heard a voice, telling them to continue as it was their own choice that brought them to where they were. They slowly open their eyes to reveal red eyes that creepy glow as they said...
Frisk: "C... Chara...!"
Soon the headache began to fade as Frisk slowly got up and gasped for air. Frisk couldn't help but remember Chara, the first human to fall into the underground. The human that was with them on their journey in the underground. Even after they got to the surface and stuck around for a few years.
Frisk: "Chara."
They said to no one, even Naofumi could be heard snoring. Frisk wipes off the sweat on their forehead as they look around. They still have their magic sword, and nothing seems to move. At least until...
Chara: "[Huh... To think I'll be back inside your head, huh, bro.]"
Frisk: "...Sis!?"
Frisk immediately turns to see Chara floating next to them. Their aura glowed red as they were in their spirit form as if nothing had changed for them. Except Frisk noticed that Chara looks like they're 18 like them.
Chara: "[Howdy Frisk... Wait... Is this the same language? ...Testing, one, two...] Howdy Frisk!"
Frisk did not understand what Chara said before hearing a familiar language. They sighed in relief to see that Chara still spoke the same language.
Frisk: "Chara! B-But how!? I thought...!"
Chara: "I've moved on with life? Well, at first I did. But the next thing I knew I was in a whole new world filled with things I would never think would ever exist. Honestly, I am surprised that you're in this world. What brought you here? Actually, where are we? This doesn't look like... Siltran? Wait... What was that new name..."
Chara floated around the room as they didn't see anything familiar. Chara took a look at Naofumi for a brief moment. Chara's eyes widened as they saw a familiar green gem on a book form shield.
Chara: "Is he the new wielder of the shield? ...He honestly doesn't look much. Then again it was like with... Mamoru..."
Frisk: "Wait... You know the legendary shield!"
Chara nearly didn't hear what Frisk said, they were focusing on the green gem with an expression of nostalgia with a mix of sadness. They gather the strength to answer Frisk's question.
Chara: "I do... Because I knew a Shield Hero before him. Hehe... I... Let me ask again, where are we?"
Frisk has never seen Chara with that expression often. They would only show that when it is about Asriel, their adopted parents, or their friends. Could Chara have some kind of connection with a previous Shield Hero?
Frisk: "Well, we are currently in Melromarc."
Chara immediately went from sadness to surprise as they heard a familiar name.
Chara: "Melromarc? Do you mean the country that only has human resistance? (Wasn't that country worshiping Sword and Spear Heroes?)"
Frisk was surprised that Chara knew about Melromarc but noticed they didn't have the same reaction as they had. Unless... Maybe Chara only knew Melromarc of the past.
Frisk: "Yes, but how much do you know about the country?"
Chara: "Umm... Not much. How long ago was it... What timeline are we on? Frisk, did something happen while I was gone?"
Frisk wondered just how long Chara had stayed in this world before they arrived here. But they told Chara about everything about the nation and its religion. Not to mention what they and Naofumi learned so far. Once they finished, Chara looked very pissed but was able to hold her anger in.
Chara: "Frisk... Do you believe a book that... Naofumi? The new Shield Hero has gotten, that said information about the world. Because honestly, that sounds far-fetched, even to me."
Frisk: "Honestly, it sounded far-fetched to me too. But after Naofumi said some things about his status menu, it showed up on his menu. Plus, I did see proof of the religion of the country."
Before finding Erhard's shop, Frisk saw a church with a symbol of weapons. A sword, spear, and bow. There was no aspect of the shield which was further proof of Melromarc's religion.
Frisk even saw a group of people breaking apart a wooden shield that belonged to someone as if its mere existence was taboo. The people even set the broken shield on fire. And after that a nun had everyone pray while doing something that looked like it meant to exterminate demons.
They told Chara about that and at that very moment, Chara finally exploded.
Chara: "You're telling me, Melromarc summoned not just one, two, but all four legendary heroes!? Why would they do that!? The waves are happening all over the world! The heroes are needed everywhere in the world, not just Melromarc! But to even view the Shield Hero as a demon, what sort of bullcrap is this!?"
Frisk can directly feel the pure anger Chara has. Chara seems to think that all four heroes should all be treated and believed as people.
Chara: "The fact that there's a religion that could have existed after I've died. This means that religion is teaching future generations about the so-called "Shield Demon"! UGH! It reminds me of why I climbed Mt. Ebott!"
Frisk's expression became surprising as it was the first clue of why Chara decided to fall down the underground with their hate for humanity. But Frisk knew that Chara needed to know more as they spoke more. This caused Chara to act like she was trying to go even more insane.
Chara: "Even Siltvelt, even the nation that I continue to help and watch over to the day I died! Became something similar to Melromarc! And the fact that there's slavery in this world and my nation decided to lower themselves to do that!? UGH!!!"
Frisk could only watch as Chara was throwing hands. They were so glad that no one besides them was able to hear them. They weren't sure when they should decide to calm Chara down or let them release the stress that was quickly built up.
Chara: "Please tell me there are other nations that don't follow grudges, hatred, or anything that is religiously related."
Frisk: "..."
Chara now seems defeated, it was like she wanted to keep on staying calm and patient. But it seems to run out so quickly.
Chara: "What else do I need to know?"
Frisk: "Well, there's this nation called Faubrey, it was created by the four legendary heroes. It was said to be the most powerful nation as its technology and forces were stronger than all the other nations combined. They have... A weird religion and tradition."
Chara: "...Do I even want to know?"
Frisk: "The people there viewed the heroes as gods from heaven. They even want the heroes to be pregnant or pregnant nobles to give children. The children of the heroes are very important to the nation as they are more powerful than normal people, it also seems to be the same as those called the Seven Star Heroes. Not sure what they are, or got the information yet."
Chara looked very disgusted by the thought of someone being used as a baby maker. But at the same time, a bit confused about the three words. They wonder if that meant...
Frisk: "Next there's Zeltoble, a nation where I fully believe slavery became a thing. That place is full of mercenaries, it was founded by organizations of mercenaries. There is a huge coliseum that offers fights of people, even having people from all over the world to participate. It even has a dark history with slaves as they use them as entertainment for tournaments. Money is more important there."
Chara looked like they were deciding if they should put Zeltoble on the top list of the most hated countries or second to first from Melromarc.
Chara: "...If there happens to be a Dragon Hourglass in that nation then I won't be surprised if they cared about it. Or the waves..."
Frisk: "Next is Q'ten Lo, from what Naofumi translated it is an isolated place where nearly no one has ever entered the land. It said that Siltvelt have a way to get to the island. The role of that place is to make sure no hero goes astray when it comes to their roles as legendary heroes. They even got special items that are effective against the legendary heroes."
Chara's expression immediately went to surprise as they were too familiar with the name.
Chara: "Heh, well, well, Q'ten Lo still exists to this day?"
Frisk: "So you do know the land?"
Chara: "The past of the island. Not sure if the island changed after I died. And I knew someone who became the emperor. That place has a special role of making sure no heroes are neglecting their roles to fight the waves. Even to maybe make sure... They don't fall in despair."
They said as if they recalled something horrible. Frisk immediately changed back the topic.
Frisk: "I... See. And here's the last one, Shieldfreeden. Honestly, not much is known about that nation, all it said is a human and demi-human population. They even have bad blood with Siltvelt."
Chara now had a thoughtful look as if they were recalling something.
Chara: "Huh... Now that I think about it. I remember a few demi-humans of the past who wanted to live along with humans. Shieldfreeden was a name that suggested what they wanted to be a part of. To think the name was ever going to be built. And the fact Siltvelt has humans as slaves so I guess that is one of the reasons for the bad blood."
Frisk: "Naofumi mentioned that there were a few more pages of the book but we decided to finish it tomorrow."
Chara seems to understand, it is not like they can wake Naofumi up just to hear the last few pages.
Chara: "Honestly, Frisk. You should go to bed as well. Even if I know you don't open your eyes, you still need the energy to move in the morning."
Frisk looks a bit defensive as they try to argue with Chara.
Frisk: "But I have to protect Naofumi! There could be a chance that—"
Chara: "Frisk, please go to sleep. I understand why you need to protect Naofumi. I know just how weak he is with his low attack power. But it's not like he can be attacked in an instant. I can watch over you both. I can just wake you up in case someone comes in."
Frisk didn't want to, but if they're being honest their body wants to rest already. They sigh as they have no choice but to sleep. They went to their own bed as they began to lose their eyes. It was then Frisk had one more question.
Frisk: "Chara, I need to know something. Do you happen to know someone named Fitoria?"
Chara: "!"
Frisk noticed that Chara was not talking or was even looking at them. It indicated that Chara did know Fitoria.
Chara: "I'll... Maybe tell you in the morning. Just please go to sleep."
As much Frisk wanted to know, they knew convincing Chara was a hard thing to do. Even with or without Asriel. So they decided to hear about it in the morning. They went to bed as Chara was watching over the two of them. They couldn't help but look back at the name Frisk has said, they glance out the window as they wonder how she's doing.
Chara: "...Fitoria..."
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Soon it became morning, the sun was rising, people were doing their own business, and people were still asleep. In the inn, it will soon be somewhat chaotic. Naofumi began to move around as he felt that someone was watching him. Half of him wanted to open his eyes to see but the other half wanted to act like he was still asleep.
Naofumi: "Please tell me that Frisk is just watching me."
He slowly opened their eyes as they saw someone who looked like a transparent ghost. He was still for a few seconds as he shouted.
Naofumi: "What the hell!?"
His yell woke Frisk up from their slumber as they saw Chara floating close to Naofumi.
Frisk: "Chara! What are you doing!?"
Naofumi: "Chara? Frisk! You know this... Ghost? Spirit?"
Chara just looks at Naofumi for a moment before laughing. It was like they were expecting Naofumi's reaction to them.
Chara: "Hehe, that expression was to be expected. Anyway, time for an introduction, my name is Chara Dreemurr. It's nice to meet you, the new Shield Hero. Naofumi was it?"
Naofumi: "Naofumi Iwatani... Nice to meet someone... Wait... Are you related to Frisk?"
Chara took a glance at Frisk if they asked what they had told Naofumi about them. But Frisk gave them a look that said he didn't know Chara.
Chara: "You can say I'm their adopted sister. But, I believe the important question is how you can see me."
Naofumi nodded as he realized he was talking to a ghost. Chara looked directly at the green gem as they pointed at it.
Chara: "I entered your shield and spoke with the Spirit of the Shield. And boy it seems very affectionate to you Mr. Iwatani. To think a weapon has that kind of affection for you.."
Naofumi was caught off guard as he processed the new information he learned. He didn't find or read anything that mentioned his shield having a spirit. Chara noticed this explained.
Chara: "I see you are confused about what I am saying. Honestly, this is the first time I met the spirit of the legendary shield. And the fact that I even knew there were spirits in the weapons. At first, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Oh and thanked me for giving you new shields."
Naofumi immediately checked his weapon book as he did indeed unlock two new shields even if they were not unlocked yet.
Spirit Shield: equip bonus: SP Consume Reduced (medium), SP up (medium)
Equip effect: soul seeker, soul stabilizer
Notice! You can now see spirits that have unique or unusual souls.
Determination Shield: equip bonus: +50 attack, +100 defense, skill - "Determination Knockback"
Equip effect: pure determination, Determination Shield (large)
Naofumi became very shocked as the Determination Shield could give him a great amount of attack power. But sadly his level seems too low to even equip the shield form. That goes for the Spirit Shield too, but at least it gives him the ability to see Chara.
Naofumi: "Thank you, but... How are you a ghost."
Chara: "Ah, so much for you to learn. Honestly Frisk should have explained this but it would be very confusing to you as well a lot of explaining. But I believe that a book of yours still has information about the world."
Naofumi immediately understood that he still needed to learn more about this world. Even if he wanted to know how Chara was a ghost, he knew that he still had a lot to learn about the world he was summoned to. He took the book out of his shield and he opened it to where he left off.
Naofumi: "...Okay, this page mentions special weapons that are similar to the legendary weapons but are less powerful than the Cardinal heroes. It is called the Seven Star Weapons, seven of them are called the whip, axe, projectile, claw, hammer, staff, and gauntlet. Unlike the legendary heroes, the weapons can choose anyone to be a hero to fight the waves alongside the Cardinal heroes. They can also summon someone if nobody in the world is worthy to wield those weapons."
Frisk: "So there's more than four heroes out there. And anybody could be a Seven Star Hero."
They were amazed by this information that the world has, more heroes to fight the waves. But Chara immediately noticed that the book missed something.
Chara: "Wait...! Those are the vassal weapons! Why isn't the carriage mentioned?"
Naofumi and Frisk became confused about what Chara said.
Naofumi: "Vassal weapons?"
Chara: "These are the names of those weapons you mentioned. I know for certain that there are 8 vassal weapons in the world. Why is the Vassal Carriage not mentioned in the book? (Fitoria...! Did something happen to you!? Did... Did those bastards get to you!? Please... Not again!)"
Frisk: "Maybe nobody saw the Vassal Carriage very often and been forgotten by the world."
Chara didn't seem to listen as they were very worried about someone. If Frisk notices the way Chara is reacting it is like they were about to have a mental breakdown.
Naofumi: "That could be it. Then again we don't know as these weapons could be anywhere. And it could have already chosen wielders and are focusing on fighting the waves. Hmm... Oh just a page left, it talks about monsters."
Frisk hummed as their attention became very focused. They were considering asking Chara about the monsters but noticed they were focused on themselves. They even saw their expression as they felt that they should leave them alone for a moment.
Naofumi: "It seems there is a species called Filolials, they are bird-like monsters that are used to pull carriages, carts, or other types of transportation. But they love to pull carriages more. There is even a Filolial Queen but it says that people consider it a myth. Huh, it seems they have a rivalry against dragons. Speaking of dragons, they are powerful beings that can mess up an economy. There are different kinds of dragons, pure-blood, flying dragons, water dragons, there's even a myth of a Dragon King. There are other monsters like griffins, rabbits, wolves, and so much more."
Frisk: "Filolias, dragons, griffins... Wait! What did the Filolials look like?"
Naofumi: "Umm... It says they have the appearance of an ostrich... Wait, we saw an animal like that didn't we?"
Frisk: "Yeah! A brown color Filolial. Oh my god, it looked so cute. The appearance makes me want to get one."
Naofumi: "Honestly I want a Filolial too. But where could we buy a Filolial?"
Frisk: "Maybe Erhard knows where we can buy one. We can ask him since you said he can explain more. Even if we know the religion of the country there could be facts that the book hasn't said."
Naofumi nodded at my suggestion as they got ready to start their second day in this brand-new world. Chara was still floating as they kept on thinking but soon snapped out of it as Frisk began to move far from Chara as their spirit followed them.
Chara: "Huh...! Wha...! Wait, where are we going!? What are we doing!?"
Naofumi: "So, same meal?"
Frisk: "If you don't mind the vegetables."
The two of them snicker as they ignore Chara as they go to eat breakfast. After that, they decided to head to Erhard's shop. Chara is following them as they look around the streets of Castle Town. It took a minute to find the shop and they entered inside.
Erhard: "Welcome, how can I... Oh! It's you two! Guess you both survive the first night here."
Erhard said with relief, it seemed that he was worried for the two of them.
Naofumi: "Hi, Old Man, we came back to hear you out."
Erhard: "Huh? Asking for my name then to call me an old man? Youngsters these days."
Erhard said as he told the two to come to the counter he made sure that no one was near his shop as he spoke to them.
Erhard: "By the look of your faces, it seems that someone has told you about Melromarc. I'll be honest with you both, I'm not a religious guy, and honestly, I just met you both yesterday, especially you kid, you're not what the Church of the Three Heroes believes you are to be. I can tell yesterday that you had no idea of the religion here."
Hearing from him, Naofumi was fully convinced that Erhard was indeed someone they could fully trust. So Naofumi explained what he and Frisk knew of Melromarc and asked Erhard if there was anything they didn't know yet. Erhard processes what his customers have learned as he speaks.
Erhard: "I can say that there are territories that belong to nobles, some that are wealthy and very wealthy. A few villages are spread out and have different areas, one called Mirso Village is next door to a dragon territory, a dungeon that is near Riyute Village. And in case you didn't know the ruler of the country is the queen as this country is a matriarchy, meaning women have higher power than men. For example, if one of you dares to hurt, kill, or assault a woman then it is a death sentence for you."
That got Naofumi, who explained to Frisk and even Chara as they were in complete surprise. To hear that such a system exists in the world. At least it was a good thing for them to know that.
Naofumi: "That's good information the book neglected to tell us. I can't imagine what it would have been if someone framed me for doing something like that to a woman. Anybody would have believed it as I am the Shield Hero."
Erhard agreed with Naofumi's point.
Erhard: "That would be true, had that kind of rumor been spread throughout the country I would have punched you."
Frisk and Chara looked at each other as if they thought the accusation would have been very convincing. Especially, since they heard the words from Naofumi and the reaction from Erhard that would have believed the rumor.
Erhard: "Anyway, is there another thing you both need to know about Melromarc?"
Naofumi: "A few more things. One, we can't read the language of this world. My legendary shield is only able to translate what people are saying. We were hoping that you could teach us the language here so not only I can understand the words but for Frisk to speak without me to translate."
Erhard: "Ah, I can understand since your friend here spoke differently. Sure I'll be able to help you both learn the language. But it will take time, can't say for sure if you both are fast learners or not."
Naofumi: "That's understandable. For the second thing, do you happen to know if there's a Dragon Hourglass in this country?"
Erhard: "I do. It is in the Three Heroes Church. But, I doubt you'll be able to register for the hourglass since there could be a chance that your shield might do something that will reveal you are the Shield Hero."
Naofumi sighed as he knew that his shield could do something without warning. The sudden force when Frisk punched the shield was something he did not know about. So who knows what else the shield could do without his consent?
Naofumi: "I believe this is the last thing I want to ask for now. We saw Filolials pulling a wagon, and Frisk and I wanted to know where we could get them?"
Erhard: "Oh? Didn't expect you both to want to get Filolials. Hmm... I'm not sure where you can get Filolials. I could ask a few of my colleagues if they know where you can get Filolials. But if you guys want, we can start with learning Melromarc's language."
Naofumi: "Are you sure? Don't you have a shop to run?"
Erhard: "I do, but hey, I can take time to teach you both. You both can come to the back of my shop to have peace and quiet, and in case someone comes in for business then I just simply walk out and do business with customers before coming back to help."
Naofumi: "Well... If you say so. We'll be counting on you."
Naofumi explained to Frisk what they were going to do today Frisk agreed as the both of them went to the back of the shop. Erhard soon followed with sheets of paper and quills as he began teaching the two about the language of Melromarc.
Frisk could only hope that learning this world's language will be easier than the other languages they had to learn.