Another Visit to the Weapon Shop

"Whew... Bruce, it's just the two of us again."

After walking out through the gates of the Royal City, Chuan Wenwu took a deep breath of the fresh air outside. He glanced back at the magnificent Royal Palace, which seemed to reek of decay despite its splendor, then looked down and smiled at Bruce by his feet.

"Woof, woof!" Bruce looked up and barked twice, his tail wagging furiously. He couldn't understand the intricacies of human scheming, but he could sense his master's mood. As long as he was with the boss, anywhere was fine.

"Haha, how was my little performance back there? Pretty cool, right? I bet I even had that old bastard fooled." Chuan Wenwu rubbed Bruce's head. His tone was relaxed, but a trace of vigilance lingered in his eyes. "Still, this isn't the time to relax. We need to get stronger, fast. Once they catch on, they might come looking for trouble."

He had been in this world for less than two days. Yesterday, he had spent the entire day grinding monsters outside the city, getting a taste of another world's "daily leveling routine." Today, he had been dragged into the Royal Palace's schemes and expelled on fabricated charges.

There were still far too many unanswered questions about this world. Why had they been summoned? What exactly was this so-called "prophecy"? Where did the "calamity waves" come from? Were there any countries in this world besides Melromarc...?

What puzzled him most was why this country seemed so intent on treating him with hostility.

From the castle guards and priests to the king and his ministers, almost everyone harbored an inexplicable aversion to him. They were even willing to scheme against him and frame him.

"I suddenly feel like I've been handed some kind of 'protagonist's script.' Even if I just stand around doing nothing, I'll offend powerful factions, then be forced to grow stronger under pressure from my enemies." Chuan Wenwu gave a self-deprecating laugh, though he didn't feel much urgency.

After all, from what he had seen so far, even if this country's powerful elites disliked him, they didn't dare openly act against him, a "hero." Instead, they had to resort to underhanded tricks.

That proved this so-called "hero" designation wasn't merely a title. In this world, it genuinely carried considerable weight and status.

Or perhaps some force he hadn't yet noticed was secretly contending with the Kingdom of Melromarc, making the heroes' position particularly sensitive?

In short, he was safe for now, at least. As for later...

He figured that by then, he probably wouldn't need to worry about any threat this Kingdom might pose to him, would he?

He was a summoned hero, after all!

If he remembered correctly, and if the king hadn't lied, this country had barely survived its first wave, suffering devastating losses despite mobilizing all its strength. Only then had they thought to call for reinforcements, summoning the heroes to face the increasingly powerful waves to come.

What did that mean?

According to the prophecy, the Four Holy Heroes were the hope of saving the world and resisting the waves. In other words, the four of them.

Although he didn't know how long remained until the next calamity wave, if that prophecy was accurate, the four heroes would develop enough strength to withstand at least the more powerful second wave before it arrived.

If they couldn't even stand against the next disaster, the prophecy about saving the world would be nothing but nonsense.

Taking the prophecy's claim that they could repel the calamity waves as a premise, and comparing it with this Kingdom's performance against the first wave, he could predict just how much power a single hero might gain in that short time.

In other words, he had already been summoned as a hero. What was wrong with having a cheat or two?

Besides, he was the hero bearing the name [Shield]. Even if attacking wasn't his forte, his ability to stay alive would surely be second to none.

At that thought, Chuan Wenwu couldn't help shaking his head at himself, filled with mixed feelings. To think he was actually comforting himself with a prophecy that sounded like some feudal superstition...

"Come on, Bruce. Let's get some equipment first, then keep grinding levels." Chuan Wenwu patted Bruce's back, his voice full of anticipation. "Life in another world really is simple and straightforward. It's just like playing a game-kill monsters and get stronger."

"Woof, woof, woof!" Bruce barked excitedly, following close behind Chuan Wenwu.

He had only taken a few steps when he noticed something wrong with the looks people were giving him. The residents along the town's streets were all stealing glances at him, and he could faintly hear their whispered conversations. Most were discussing the "Shield Hero molesting a woman."

"Just as I thought. They spread the news on purpose." Chuan Wenwu's mouth twisted, but he couldn't be bothered to explain. No one would believe him now anyway. Better to prove himself through his strength later.

They had probably assumed they had him cornered, so when they summoned him to the Audience Hall, they had made a great show of spreading the false story that the "Shield Hero had assaulted a woman." Once he was thrown out of the castle in disgrace, they could use that to cement the rumor and mess with his head...

But he had turned the tables on the king, preventing them from pinning that vile, damning accusation on him. He just didn't know whether they would clear his name afterward... Though a moment's thought was enough to tell him they probably wouldn't.

Ignoring the strange looks, he headed straight for the weapon shop.

Pushing open the weapon shop's door, Chuan Wenwu greeted the owner behind the counter with easy familiarity. "Hey, boss, I'm back. Have you finished the Magic Iron Needles I commissioned yesterday?"

"..."

The owner looked up at him, and his expression immediately darkened. Setting down the whetstone in his hand, he snapped, "I heard what happened. You actually tried to lay hands on your own companion? And after all that, you can still act like nothing happened? You want me to send you flying with one punch?"

"Come on, boss. You believe rumors like that?" Chuan Wenwu sighed helplessly and hurried to explain. "Let me make this clear: I was framed! Besides, I already went to see the king today and cleared up what needed clearing up. I didn't do anything like that... Or do I really look like that sort of person to you?"

"...Fair enough. You don't strike me as that sort." The owner's expression softened a little, perhaps as he recalled how Chuan Wenwu had behaved before. "But everyone around here was saying it, so I couldn't help having my doubts. Anyway, where's that female companion of yours? Why didn't she come with you?"

"Don't even mention her. That woman is nothing but trouble!" At the mention of Maddy, Chuan Wenwu's tone turned cold. "You know this country's First Princess? That's her! She hid her identity and joined my party just to frame me and saddle me with some disgusting accusation. Luckily, I reacted fast enough to stop them from getting away with it."

He recounted everything that had happened in the Royal Palace, leaving nothing out and adding no embellishments. Even so, the weapon shop owner was left dumbfounded.

"So she's the First Princess! No wonder she looked familiar when I saw her yesterday..." Realization dawned on the owner. "That explains it. That explains it."

"What, you've heard about the things she's done too?" Seeing his reaction, Chuan Wenwu couldn't help asking curiously.

"Of course."

The owner glanced toward the shop entrance, then cast a detection spell just to be safe. Only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did he seem to relax and motion for Chuan Wenwu to lean closer:

"Actually, the First Princess has a pretty bad reputation in the Royal City. She's a rotten piece of work! If it was her, something like this isn't surprising at all. I hear she throws her weight around because the king dotes on her, bullies people all the time, and has a pretty messy private life. Apparently, she's involved with quite a few handsome male adventurers... But that's all just what I've heard. Don't go spreading it around. Treat it as a bit of gossip, nothing more."