Filo Rial Arc/Web Novel Summary

Chapter 24: Egg Gacha
The Slave Trader welcomed Naofumi and Raphtalia into the shop. Shocked by Raphtalia's sudden growth, he offered 15 gold coins for her. Naofumi was tempted, considering that he could purchase the Beastman with the money, but decided against with a little persuasion from Raphtalia. He couldn't bring himself to sell her as she was the only one who believed him. Besides, she'd become much stronger and was a capable fighter. Her attack power had long surpassed Naofumi's defense, which was a good thing.

Naofumi informed the slaver that he wanted the seal reapplied after the fiasco in the castle the day before. The slaver mentioned that even though the King wanted slavery abolished in the country, the ones to lose would be the nobles themselves, but if it came to it, the King would have his way. Naofumi was surprised that the King held that much influence. The slaver tried to tell Naofumi something but was cut short.

The seal was reapplied on Raphtalia's chest. Raphtalia shyly asked Naofumi how it looked on her, but Naofumi remained oblivious to what she was implying. She sighed and dropped the matter. Naofumi decided to uncheck all slave punishments this time, placing his trust in Raphtalia, as she did in him. He noticed that some of the ink from the ceremony was left unused. He purchased it off the slaver and let the Shield absorb it unlocking the 「Slaver's Shield 1」 and 「Slaver's Shield 2」. Granting Slave Growth (small) and slave condition equipment bonus. Naofumi realized that this would help him control Raphtalia's growth, he requested Raphtalia to lend him some of her blood to test out his theory. He let the blood drip into the shield unlocking the 「Slaver's Shield 3」 which granted him Slave Growth (medium).

Naofumi was excited by these new shields, curious to see how it would affect Raphtalia. As he was about to leave, he noticed a small wooden box filled with eggs on the table. The slaver claimed that it was part of his monster shop business. Raphtalia let Naofumi know that monsters are raised by monster tamers, such as the Filolials who pull the carriages in the town. The slaver mentioned that its easier to raise monster from an egg than to tame them once they've grown. Naofumi found out that it was a lottery. 100 silver for an egg. with the prize being a Kiryuu, a flying dragon. Naofumi pondered whether he should purchase another slave or try his hand at raising a monster.

Naofumi felt that Motoyasu would cause another ruckus if he bought another slave. He also considered the fact that he would need to constantly purchase gear and equipment for a slave, which would ultimately lead to financial problems. In the end, he decided to try raising a monster. Raphtalia was puzzled by Naofumi's decision to which he replied that the waves would get harder and that he couldn't always rely on Raphtalia to save him. A monster would help make things easier.

Naofumi knew that he was a bit reckless with his money but reasoned that it was a good investment as he could always sell the monster back for a profit. It was easier to trade in a monster than a slave for him. Naofumi turned to the box and picked an egg at random. The slave ceremony was carried out and the punishments were more severe than for Raphtalia as a monster couldn’t really understand humans. After making sure that he would be compensated should the egg not hatch, Naofumi paid the slaver and was told that the egg would hatch the next day.

Satisfied, Naofumi and Raphtalia left the tent with a new monster egg.

Chapter 25: Gift of Life
Having nothing else to do, Naofumi decided to sell his leftover potions from the wave to the pharmacist. Raphtalia reminded him that since they would not receive further aid, they should be careful with how they spend their money. They agreed to purchase gear only when needed, yet compared to the other Heroes, they had cheap goods. Naofumi wanted to purchase a new sword for Raphtalia, but she rejected his offer.

Entering the medicinal shop, Naofumi was greeted with a smile rather than a sour look. Naofumi immediately asked what was wrong, but the Medicinal Shop Owner just wanted to thank Naofumi for saving his relatives during the wave wanted to assist the Shield Hero if possible. The Medicinal Shop Owner handed Naofumi a book mentioning its mid-level medicinal recipes which Naofumi could craft and sell for a good profit. Naofumi thanked him, even though he couldn't read. He decided he should try to learn the language if only a little. With the matter settled, they returned to business and Naofumi sold him goods at a higher price. As Naofumi was about to leave, the Medicinal Shop Owner informed him that the owner of the magic shop wanted to see him as well.

At the magic shop, Naofumi was greeted warmly as a result of saving the owner's grandchild during the wave. The owner pulled out a crystal ball and requested Naofumi to look into it and said that he was suited for support and healing magic while Raphtalia, being from raccoon species was best suited for light and dark magic.

The owner pulled out three books from the shelf and passed them over to Naofumi. She would have given him a crystal ball so that he could learn the magic contained within it immediately, but it would be very bad for business. She was surprised that Naofumi was unaware of the value of the crystal balls considering how the country made a large purchase of them for the Heroes. Naofumi cursed the trash King for hiding information from him. The books offered more spells than the crystal, but it would take some effort to master them as compared to the latter.

For the second time that day Naofumi wished he had a skill that could let him translate languages. As he was thinking this Raphtalia suggested they should learn together as it would help Naofumi learn the language a bit as well. Considering how much time it would take them to learn the spells Naofumi noticed that the next wave was due in 45 days. They rechecked their itinerary, satisfied that everything had been taken care of they went ahead to get something to eat and headed out to grind some levels.

Since the other Heroes refused to help Naofumi, he had to figure out the good hunting grounds on his own. He wasn't competing with the others but it would sure be helpful if he could know those places as it was very hard finding good ones on his own. He faced several new monsters on his way to Riyuuto village and fed the shield all the materials unlocking several new shields in the process. It then struck him that he could try to perhaps absorb the materials from the wave mob, and to his surprise, it worked unlocking several Netherworld shields. Walking towards the center of the village, he noticed the villagers busy, disposing the remains of the Chimera corpse, the boss of the last wave. Naofumi offered to help them by absorbing parts of it into his shield, even though most of the valuable stuff had been taken away by the knights and the other Heroes.

The Chimera unlocked several new Chimera shields boosting his stats considerably high and also provided several useful buffs and skills. Only the meat and bones remained. Naofumi suggested that he'd take what he needed and the villagers could dry the meat and if anyone was willing to purchase it, use the additional funds for reconstruction. The villagers were happy and did as they were told. Naofumi had once again helped the people of the Riyuuto village who helped them in return by offering them a free meal and a room to stay.

Naofumi managed to get an alphabet chart and with Raphtalia's help began to learn the language.

Chapter 26: Firo
Raphtalia had overslept the next morning due to studying late into the night while Naofumi brewed medical herbs into medicines. He noticed that the egg was about to hatch. A small pink chick emerged from the shell and squeaked at Naofumi. It jumped at him and was extremely energetic considering it had just hatched. Naofumi and Raphtalia were confused as to what the creature was and decided to ask the villagers. Naofumi extended his arm to the chick and it hopped on and settled on top of his head. Raphtalia commented that perhaps the chick considered him it's father. Naofumi seemed to agree. As he was about to clean away the egg pieces, the shield reacted to the eggshell. It unlocked the 「Demon Trainer Shield」, granting him demon growth correction skill.

As they walked about the village, they were greeted warmly by the villagers. Their opinion of the Shield had changed since the wave, Naofumi noticed. One of the villagers suggested Naofumi check with the ranch owner for the creature. The owner confirmed that it was indeed a Filolial. He suggested that Naofumi get a cart for her to pull soon, or else she'll start to get restless. Naofumi was confused about the creature's obsession with carts but decided to give up thinking about it. He was happy that he didn't lose any money. Once the demon fully developed, he could sell it back for a profit. The ranch owner recommended soft food for chick in the beginning and once she matured, anything would be fine. Naofumi thanked the owner and moved on.

While they walked, Raphtalia asked Naofumi what he wanted to name the demon. Naofumi was against the idea of naming something he would eventually sell, considering naming something would make you feel attached to it. In the end, he decided to call it Filo, much to Raphtalia's annoyance at his lazy naming practice. Filo, happy with its new name chirped excitedly.

After breakfast, they decided to level up somewhere safe even though fights were much easier now, as Raphtalia had improved considerably and blossomed into a very skilled fighter. By the time they were done levelling for the day, Raphtalia had reached level 27, Naofumi 23 and Filo soared to level 12. Naofumi was amazed at Filo's growth. He guessed that Demi-Humans and demons leveled up in a similar manner, remembering how quickly Raphtalia had grown in the beginning. He noticed that she was much bigger now. Her feathers changed to light pink from dark pink. Using her feathers Naofumi was able to unlock the 「Demon Trainer Shield 2」 which granted him the demon status correction (small) skill. Filo now walked on her own legs. Naofumi realized that it was only a matter of time before they would be able to ride her. He also noticed that she was constantly hungry, further proof of her rapid growth.

Returning to the inn, they enquired where they could place Filo and were led to the stable at the back. The Chimera meat and bones were also kept there. The owner informed them that it was kept there to soften for further processing. Filo's stomach grumbled loudly and Naofumi got her extra food. He couldn't understand where all that food went and decided not to ask. Even the innkeeper was surprised at her unprecedented growth in just one day. He assumed that it could be due to the Hero's powers.

Naofumi pet Filo till she slept, then went back to his room and studied the letters of the language. There were just too many letters, he grumbled.

Chapter 27: Growth
The next morning Naofumi quietly slipped out of the room, not to wake up Raphtalia and went to check on Filo. It would be a big problem if she were to die due to starvation. As he approached the stables, he was greeted with a hoarse voice. Filo looked like an ostrich now but was still too small to ride. She was still hungry, so Naofumi got her some more food. He knew that she was costing him a lot of money, but it was still cheaper than purchasing new gear for a slave. He could now see a tinge of white and cherry blossom color on her feathers. He let the shield absorb some of her feathers and unlocked the 「Demon Tamer Shield 3」 granting him growth revision skills. Naofumi realized that he didn't need blood after all and decided giving Raphtalia a haircut again would be a good idea.

Naofumi was busy playing fetch with Filo when Raphtalia walked into the stable. She claimed she never saw Naofumi with such a refreshing smile. Filo trotted over to Raphtalia and wanted to play with her. Raphtalia pet Filo who closed her eyes in delight. They decided to go towards the southward grasslands to level as there was an abundance of grass and herbs there which would be enough to satisfy Filo's hunger. Saving money wherever possible would be a good idea if they were to buy better gear in the future.

By the end of the day, Filo had grown into a full Filolial. She wanted Naofumi to ride her, so he got on top and Filo shot through the field, chirping excitedly. Naofumi was amazed by her speed and decided it was worth purchasing her after all. With all matters taken care of, they decided to head back to their rooms and were about to leave Filo back at the stable, but suddenly she started pulling away and seemed to be complaining about something. It seemed that she was lonely and wanted Naofumi to stay with her. They ultimately decided to stay with her in the stable till she fell asleep.

Naofumi and Raphtalia sat together and studied in the stables that night while Filo watched them closely.

Chapter 28: Exit by a Kick
The next morning Filo was even bigger. Naofumi claimed she almost looked like the Filolials he was used to seeing in the Castle Town. Filo was now almost completely white with a bit of pink mixed in. She enviously looked on as carts entered and left the village. Naofumi guessed she wanted to pull one too. The innkeeper agreed and suggested that Naofumi help distribute supplies to hasten the reconstruction in exchange for a carriage. Naofumi guessed it wasn't a bad idea and agreed to help the villagers. The villager instructed him to go to the lumber mill in the forest. Naofumi wanted to go to the forest anyway and so went to finalize the details with the villager.

Filo was very happy when she got her own cart and the group left the village behind, racing towards the forest. Naofumi had to tell Filo to slow down as he realized that Raphtalia was motion sick. Naofumi never got under the influence of alcohol and related motion sickness to it. He thought back to a few instances in his past where people he knew were affected by it. Raphtalia was grateful for the reduced pace. Just then they stumbled upon Motoyasu and his women, who mocked Naofumi and Filo, claiming that Naofumi had to resort to peddling to survive. Motoyasu continued to poke fun at Filo when Naofumi cut in and demanded to know what he wanted. Motoyasu decided to ignore Naofumi and approached Filo who panicked and kicked Motoyasu right between the legs and sent him flying into the air.

Naofumi realized that all the money he spent on Filo was worth it. He promised to treat her well tonight. Raphtalia noticed that Naofumi was beaming and couldn't conceal his pleasure. They left Motoyasu behind and continued on their path. By the time they reached the forest Raphtalia was at her limit. She apologized to Naofumi for being a burden but he shrugged her off claiming that it wasn't her fault. He instructed her to rest for a while, while he talked to the lumber mill owner. Naofumi and Filo went to fight some monsters while Raphtalia rested and the lumberjack stocked the cart with the materials.

Naofumi reasoned that since Filo could pack such a powerful kick, she'd be able to make quick work of the monsters they would meet on their way. But they didn't face any monsters. He was contemplating whether he should craft some motion sickness pills for Raphtalia but dropped that idea considering that a monster might appear any moment. Suddenly he heard Filo's voice in the distance and approached her only to see her gulp down a rabbit-like monster.

They returned about an hour later to find the cart filled with supplies. Even though it was cruel, Naofumi wanted Raphtalia to get accustomed to traveling in a cart but decided to let her sleep for the time being and asked to lumberjack to look after her as he rushed back to the village and back. The lumberjack hurriedly agreed and claimed that he would guard the Shield Hero's companion with his life.

Satisfied, Naofumi got into the cart and rushed back to the village.

Chapter 29: Those With Wings
Naofumi was back at the lumber mill pretty soon, leaving the man shocked. He was glad that Raphtalia was feeling much better and decided to go out for some leveling. The combined strength of Raphtalia and Filo was no match for the monsters and they steadily gained more levels and unlocked more shields.

Naofumi gained several new shields and abilities but was yet to find a shield that would help him farm gold and experience. Since Raphtalia was motion sick, traveling by carriage was a bit difficult so they leisurely walked back to the village and arrived as the sunset. Naofumi felt that Filo's explosive speed was also to be blamed for Raphtalia's delicate condition.

The next morning, Filo had transformed once again. She was no longer a normal Filolial but a gigantic one. Naofumi was puzzled and wondered if he had purchased a Filolial at all. Filo had eaten all the remaining Chimera meat, which Naofumi claimed to be worth about two cows. Naofumi was worried about her and Raphtalia suggested that perhaps it could be due to the Shield's growth effects. Naofumi agreed and Raphtalia realized that the same applied to her as well. She blushed and ran out. When all was settled, they decided to take Filo back to the slaver and see if he could make some sense out of the mess.

Naofumi didn't want to return to the Castle Town but had no choice. They attracted a lot of attention to themselves along the way, but they finally reached their destination by afternoon. Along the way, Naofumi noticed Filo was changing once again. She grew shorted and resembled an owl of sorts. Her feathers turned pure white as well. Before she used to pull the carriage with the leash around her neck, but now she held the leash in her wings. Her sound had changed as well.

The slaver sweated profusely as he inspected Filo, unable to understand how a Filolial was able to transform into such a creature. The slaver insisted that Naofumi was sold a Filolial egg. Naofumi explained Filo's growth to the slaver from the beginning while Filo snuck close to Naofumi and snuggled with him, Raphtalia had a strange look on her face and took hold of Naofumi's hand. Filo and Raphtalia glared daggers at each other but said nothing.

The slaver requested Naofumi to leave Filo with him for the time being so that he could inspect her further. Naofumi agreed but demanded compensation if anything went wrong. One of the slaver's assistant attached a collar to Filo and pulled her into a cage. Filo followed him and looked at Naofumi. Naofumi informed the slaver that he would return the next day and left.

That evening the innkeeper informed Naofumi that a visitor wanted to see him. The visitor was the slaver's assistant who begged Naofumi to return immediately to the slaver's tent and collect the demon. Puzzled, they rush back to the tent. The slaver apologized for calling to them at such an unpleasant time and presented Naofumi all the damage Filo had caused in the few hours of her imprisonment. Naofumi immediately refused to provide any compensation but asked the slaver if he was able to find out anything. The slaver declared that Filo bore the resemblance of a Filolial King.

Naofumi wondered if he could remove the slave crest, kill Filo, and let the shield absorb her but quickly dismissed the idea. She would be the Filolial Queen as she was a female. As Naofumi was thinking about it, a strange voice called out to him. Raphtalia covered her mouth in shock and simply pointed towards Filo's cage.

In the cage where Filo was supposed to be, there was instead a naked blond girl with white wings, whose hands outstretched, reached for Naofumi.