The Devil of the Shield

The Devil of the Shield (盾の悪魔) is the thirteenth episode of The Rising of the Shield Hero anime.

Synopsis
Naofumi shields Melty from the attacking Knights who accuse him of taking the Princess hostage, before retreating to let the narrative play out. Naofumi finds the pendant on a guard for the Church of Three Heroes, which hates the Shield. A doctored recording of Naofumi's "kidnapping" Melty is shown throughout the Kingdom, turning the Shield Hero into a fugitive.

Unable to reach Shieldfreeden, Naofumi plans to protect Melty so she can fix their situation, and they hike the mountains to reach Siltvelt instead. At night, as the Queen's emissaries follow in secret the group are met by the other three Heroes. Myne makes further accusations against Naofumi and with the Three Heroes still believing her they demand Melty's safe return or else.

Plot
The episode starts where the previous one left off, with Melty's bodyguards charging forwards his weapon drawn. As seen Naofumi manages to grab the Princess and pulling her out of harm's way just in time. Intercepting the knight's sword with a massive ''clang. ''Having just prevented regicide, Naofumi uses the power of his shield to throw his adversary back, demanding to know "What the hell are you playing at?"

The treacherous soldier, however, feigns ignorance and instead curses Naofumi, proclaiming that the Shield Hero has taken the Princess hostage! This declaration confuses Naofumi, Melty, Raphtalia, and Filo but they do not have time to dwell on it. Claiming that justice is on their side, the Knight orders the rest of Melty's bodyguards forward, telling them to "Destroy the Devil of the Shield!"

Most of the unit charges forwards with fierce battle-cries. Keeping one hand protectively on a confused and horrified Melty, a provoked but unsurprised Naofumi scoffs at being referred to as a devil by the real villains. Left with no choice, he activates his Chimera Viper Shield before calling Raphtalia and Filo to arms.

A short but intense scuffle breaks out. Raphtalia parries an incoming attack with her sword, then incapacitates her enemy with a kick, before hitting aside another soldier harmlessly with the side of her blade, then charges towards further adversaries. Jumping into the air, Filo transforms into her giant filolial-form crashing down on top of several enemies much to her amusement. A determined Naofumi successfully blocks several incoming attacks from a number of soldiers, all the while keeping Princess Melty close but safely out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, two of Melty's former guards including the one holding the crystal ball, stay out of the fight. Smirking the pair watch on as their comrades are forcefully shoved aside by Raphtalia and kicked away by Filo. Within no time, many of the guards are lying defeated on the ground. Strangely, some of the Knights drop to the ground in a very dramatic fashion as they are defeated, with one man acting as if he had just received a fatal injury.

Eventually, a clearly-exhausted and confused Shield Hero stands triumphant. A shocked and confused Princess Melty clings to his side, whilst an exhausted Raphtalia and determined Filo stand protectively in front of them. With a nod from the Knight carrying the crystal ball, the second soldier calls a "desperate" retreat, at which point any Knights still capable of standing run away "terrified."

Filo asks Naofumi if they should pursue, but the Shield Hero decides against it. With the fight over the Princess collapses, falling to her knees clearly overcome with shock. As Raphtalia checks to see if Melty is alright, Naofumi stares at her, clearly wondering what the heck is going on?

By nightfall, the crystal ball has made its way to Melromarc Castle Town. The magical sphere and its recording, are shown to be in the care of a group of mages. Of the Knights that brought it in, there is no sign. The eight magicians examine the crystal balls contents carefully, before heavily distorting and altering the footage.

Now, instead of defending Melty from her treasonous bodyguards, the Shield Hero and his party are shown as the aggressors. Naofumi is holding onto Princess Melty with her guards portrayed as trying to rescue her. Through the addition of fake blood, all of Raphtalia and Filo's strikes are portrayed as lethal. Evil, sadistic grins have been added to the Shield Hero and his companies' face as they joyfully "slaughter" the Knights. In the final shot, the "villains" glare "triumphantly" at their "defeated adversaries" Naofumi still restraining a "clearly terrified" Princess Melty, who remains his hostage!

The doctored footage is subsequently distributed throughout Melromarc. Mages show off the footage to shocked/horrified onlookers, whilst accompanying Knights preach about the Shield Heroes villainy to the masses. Security increases throughout Melromarc and border patrols inspect every cart. With the "evidence" in hand, wanted posters to spring up across the country making it clear that Naofumi and his party have been made public enemy number one in Melromarc.

After spying on a nearby border crossing, a frustrated Naofumi retreats to his parties' temporary hideout in the mountains, knowing that the four of them are trapped in a hostile land. Rendezvousing with the rest of his party, he asks Raphtalia how her venture into a nearby village went. Confirming that the citizens have been shown the footage, the pair acknowledge that it would be foolish to enter any town or village from now on.

Contemplating his next move, the Shield Hero's attention is also drawn to a rosary (identical to the one that noblewoman showed him), which he found on one of Melty's guards. Shortly after the battle, the group tied up one of the soldiers and tried to interrogate him. He remained silent though, even when Naofumi throttled him, before once again calling Naofumi "the Devil of the Shield." It was here that the man's rosary fell off. Raphtalia explains that it is the symbol of the Church of the Three Heroes, the state of Melromarc's religion, which acknowledges every Hero except for the Shield. Naofumi recognizes it from their visit to the church. At this point, the guard declares that Naofumi would soon know his place for "disturbing our country's order."

Whilst he doesn't understand the full meaning behind this declaration, Naofumi suspects that the King is part of this conspiracy. Provoked, Melty who had been silently crying up until this point, jumps in and defends her father. Although adamant about her father's innocence, she does acknowledge that her older sister, Malty, might be involved, as she wants to kill Melty in order to become the crown princess. Naofumi accepts this but still argues that the guards that attacked them were her father's men who may want to kill Melty and frame Naofumi as "the Devil of the Shield."

Ultimately, Naofumi does not dismiss the likelihood of the King's involvement. Melty still insists that he isn't involved and that the Shield Hero should meet with her father to stop this pointless hostility. When Naofumi ignores her, the Princess breaks down completely and cries into Filo's chest, despairing at just how much the situation has deteriorated and also because she failed in the mission given to her by her mother.

Heading to a nearby ridge, Naofumi spots torches in the distance, which means the search parties are drawing near. Returning to the camp Naofumi has made his decision - they need to get out of Melromarc as soon as possible! He then asks Melty what she intends to do. The Princess starts to explain that she wants to return to Capital and meet with Aultcray. Naofumi tells her straight up that is a bad idea, before promising to protect her if Melty will come along with them for her own safety. Filo pleads with her to do so and Melty accepts.

Now with an additional member, the party sets off into the mountain. They travel lightly, which upsets Filo who is disappointed about having to leave their wagon behind. She makes Naofumi promise to retrieve it once their dilemma is over. The group sets off into the wilderness. crossing over the mountains, reasoning that the rough terrain should make it harder for the Melromarc forces to pursue them. Nevertheless, Melromarc patrols are stationed throughout the landscape, with additional soldiers sent to reinforce them. Naofumi has a plan though. Considering that the King is focusing most of his efforts on keeping them away from Siltvelt, Naofumi decides that that is their destination.

After walking non-stop throughout the day, the Shield Heroes party finds a hollowed-out cave. The prospect of a break delights Filo but not Melty, who is still cold towards Naofumi for his previous statements. That night, Melty staring at a portrait of her mother and father is shaken by the knowledge that her sire might indeed be involved in this plot somehow. Still unconvinced, The Princess turns to the Shield Hero and asks why there is so much bad-blood between Naofumi and her father.

Naofumi proceeds to tells her all about the false rape accusation, of her father's role in it and his continued mistreatment towards the Shield Hero. Melty is completely shocked at these revelations.. She then reveals that her mother, Queen Mirellia, told both her and her father to make sure the Shield Hero was treated fairly, but the King does not seem to have listened. She also informs Naofumi and Raphtalia that since Melromarc is a matriarchy, the Queen holds much higher power than the King.

Naofumi finds it very amusing that Aultcray is in fact "adopted royalty" but the moment is short-lived. A flock of disturbed ravens alerts the group to somebody's presence. Realizing that they are being followed the group moves on. Unnoticed by everybody except Raphtalia, a shadow is keeping close tabs on them.

Somehow, the soldiers have gotten ahead of Naofumi's party and are searching the area ahead of them. Walking along a narrow ledge, the group tries to sneak past the patrols but after finding more soldiers ahead of them, they are forced to double-back. As they backtrack, however, Melty steps on a loose rock, which gives out under her.

With a cry of horror, the Princess loses her balance. Melty drops her bag, which plunges into the chasm and would have fallen to her death herself had Naofumi not caught hold of her. Unfortunately, one of the patrolling knights heard the commotion and looking over the edge manages to spot the group. Left with no choice the Shield hero and his companion's leg it, making for a large rock at the end of the trail, the Knights of Melromarc hot on their heels.

Hoping to find a path behind the outcrop, the Shield Heroes party are instead confronted by a massive drop into the gorge. Having reached a dead-end and now backed into a corner, an enraged Naofumi is left with no choice but to turn and face his pursuers. Taking advantage of the situation, the knights block the path, forming a line several ranks deep, leaving the "renegades" well and truly trapped.

A lone figure emerges from the shadows, ahead of the column. It is Itsuki, the Bow Hero. As Motoyasu and Ren fall into line alongside him, the Bow Hero tells Naofumi to surrender and release Princess Melty immediately. When the Shield Hero tries to point out that she is not his prisoner (since she isn't tied up or anything), a completely smug Motoyasu tells the "villain" to stop lying stating that they have seen proof of his "crime."

In response to this, Melty steps forward and tries to reassure the other heroes that she is perfectly safe. Her proclamation that Naofumi had in-fact protected her, catches the trio off guard. When Ren says that they were told Naofumi had abducted her, The Princess explains that she was the victim of an evil conspiracy and had asked Naofumi to protect her. Insisting that there was nothing to be gained from her abduction, Melty tries to reason with Bow, Sword and Spear Heroes telling them about how the Queen said that the four heroes need to stop fighting and work together. Thus she pleads with the group to put down their weapons and stop these pointless conflicts.

Naofumi reaffirms Melty's declaration that this is all a setup. He also indicates that if the other heroes are willing to do as she says and just listen to him, he will tell them everything he knows. For a brief moment, it looks as those things might be resolved peacefully. Then, before Naofumi can demand their answer, a voice cuts across him.

It is Princess Malty! She orders the Knights and Three Heroes not to listen to Naofumi, proclaiming that he has unlocked a brainwashing shield! She says that simply by talking to him, Naofumi can use the power of his shield to take over somebody's mind.

This declaration shocks Raphtalia, who insists that nobody could possibly believe such a claim. Unfortunately, Malty insists that there is "proof". Over the past month, the Church of the Three Heroes has discovered people in Melromarc singing Naofumi's praises, referring to the "Devil of the Shield" a known criminal, as the "Savior of the Heavenly Fowl".

Melty is stunned by her older sister's accusations, as this contradicts their mother's wishes for unity, as Malty is deliberately trying to turn the other heroes against Naofumi. Malty for her part pretends to be a concerned older sister, stating that Naofumi has obviously already brainwashed her. Malty's statement and reference to him as "Devil of The Shield" confirms Naofumi's suspicion that the Church of the Three Heroes are the ones behind this conspiracy.

In typical fashion, Motoyasu completely accepts Malty's accusation, concluding that Raphtalia and Filo had also been brainwashed, just like he suspected. Raphtalia insists that that is not the case, with Naofumi also trying to reason with them. He tries to use common sense and logic; stating that if he was in possession of such a shield, surely he would have used it to avoid being in this situation in the first place. Sadly, common sense is something that the other three heroes appear to be lacking in, as Ren asks if Naofumi can prove that he does not have any such weapon.

When the Shield Hero cannot answer him, the Sword Hero demands that he hand over the Princess. Although he promises not to harm her in any-way, Melty is not convinced. Naofumi does genuinely consider this option, however, since he is trapped on the edge of a cliff.

With things going her way, Malty smiles evilly. Expressing her "gratitude" to Ren, Malty locks eyes with her sister, who gasps nervously. Naofumi looks round as the younger Princess moves closer to him and grabs onto his cloak fearfully. Stretching out her hand, Malty offers to take her sister home. The Crown Princess, however, pleads with Naofumi to help her, whispering that if she goes with her sister, she will surely be killed.

Recognizing that she is right, Naofumi takes a moment to consider things. He then pats the blue-haired girl's hand reassuringly and moves protectively in front of her. With that the Shield Hero declares that as much as he appreciates Ren's offer, Malty cannot be trusted. Stunned, Ren demands an explanation, as Naofumi turns to Raphtalia who whispers something to Filo.

Malty also objects to Naofumi's declaration, claiming that she is only interested in her little sister's safety For once though, The Shield Hero overrides her. Pointing at his treacherous first companion, Naofumi reveals Malty's position in the hierarchy to the other heroes. She is not the crown princess, Melty is!

More or less stating that Malty is only interested in power, he tells everybody that Malty wants to be the heir so badly, that she is willing to kill her younger sister! With these new false accusations, it would be easy. All Malty would have to do is claim that she is trying to undo the brainwashing, then murder Melty in private so as to obtain the crown. Turning to the real heir of Melromarc, Naofumi informs her that he intends to honor his promise about keeping her safe, much to Melty's relief.

With all hopes of a peaceful resolution off the table, Naofumi orders Filo to transform. Using her as their steed in combination with the filolial's speed, agility, and Naofumi's Air Strike Shield, The Shield Heroes party almost manages to jump over and escape from their enemies. They also spot a path that they can use, which might lead them to safety. However, Motoyasu throws something at them, which latches onto Filo's leg.

The four tumble to the ground, as Filo suddenly reverts back to her human form. Standing triumphantly over her adversaries Malty sends a purple flare into the air alerting any nearby soldiers to their position. When Ren and Itsuki drop down onto the terrain in front of them, The Shield Hero and his party realized that they don't have any option left but to fight.

Motoyasu meanwhile approaches Filo, who still has the strange contraption attached to her ankle. The Spear Hero then throws his arms around Filo, clinging onto her in a very lewd manner, a hypocritical move, considering what he had said to Naofumi earlier. Filo tries to fight back but finds that she has lost all of her strength. Motoyasu then reveals that the shackle on her foot is a magical one, crafted by the royal alchemists. It zaps all of Filo's strength and forces her to remain in her human form.

Angered at the sight of this, Melty launches a water attack, Zweit Aqua Slash, at the Spear Hero, which narrowly misses cutting down a nearby tree. She then threatens the Spear Hero telling him to release Filo, or her next attack won't miss. With a flash of orange light, a fireball suddenly descends towards Melty. Naofumi jumps in front of the attack, catching it with his shield. High on the ledge, the culprit, Princess Malty glares down at her enemies.

Ren and Itsuki, who both witnessed this attack and are shocked at the sight of this, seeing that Malty aimed to kill the girl they're supposed to be saving. When Itsuki demands to know what she is doing, Malty states they attacked first, before launching a further barrage at Naofumi who tanks all of the attacks. Horrified Ren, orders her to stop, but the Princess ignores him. Instead, she ingests a magic potion replenishing her lost mana. With that Malty abandons all pretext and declares that if they are unable to dispel Naofumi's "brainwashing," then her sister has to die!

She launches a further series of fire attacks at Naofumi who intercepts all of them. Here Raphtalia reveals to Naofumi that she has a plan and asks him to look after Melty for a while. As the demi-human moves off, Naofumi, realizing that he needs to buy her as much time as possible, orders Melty to step back, then activates his Rage Shield!

The group is then forced to use their respective trump cards.

With Motoyasu still fawning over Filo and not paying any attention to the battle or his surroundings. Raphtalia uses her camouflage skill to drop something behind the otherwise helpless girl. Everybody else is distracted and momentarily blinded by Naofumi's Shield of Wrath, which appears in a flash of red light. High up on the ledge, Myne is joined by several magicians and archers, the crowns reinforcements. She orders them to "Bring down the hammer of justice" and the soldiers unleash a volley of arrows, which disintegrate upon contact with his shield much to Melty's amazement.

Unfortunately, the archers were just a distraction. A massive orange light appears overhead. Malty and the magicians having poured all of their collective powers into a gigantic fireball, which will surely kill anybody it touches. Myne chuckles evilly to herself, thinking that she is finally about to kill the Shield Hero and her younger sister.

Suddenly, Raphtalia appears behind her. Having used her camouflage skill to sneak up on the human, the tanuki firmly declares "Not on my watch!" Before Malty can react, the demi-human activates her Mana Sword, using its power for the first time. Raphtalia creates a blade of pure energy, stabbing the evil Princess through the chest, incapacitating Myne and instantly dispelling what would have been a dangerous spell.

Seeing this, Filo, dons Erhart's Power Gloves, which Raphtalia had secretly given to her. Not wanting her companion to have all the fun she charges Motoyasu. Seemingly oblivious to the situation around him, The Spear Hero, still lusting over Filo goes to embrace her once again. With her strength renewed, thanks to the gloves, Filo delivers a powerful punch to Motoyasu's gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him flying.

Enraged at the fall of their princess and one of the heroes, one of the knights (most likely the commander) orders a mass charge, telling his knights to kill Naofumi and his party members. With fierce battle cries, the soldiers jump off the ledge their weapons primed. They shoulder past Ren and Itsuki, completely ignoring the former's words of caution. Their rescue mission seems to have been completely forgotten, their minds set on finishing off Naofumi once and for all.

Enraged at this, the strength of Naofumi's shield increases. Suddenly the attachment provided by the weapons shop owner disintegrates. To Ren's amazement, the shield unleashes a massive fire blast, which throws back all of the attackers and brings down part of the mountain, but leaves the Shield Hero and his party members completely unscathed.

Marveling at the Shields power, Ren is the first to recover. As the dust settles, the Sword Hero spots Naofumi and his party members on the other side of the chasm. Using the situation to their advantage, Naofumi's team has managed to cross safely, the energy from that last attack destroying the path behind them, which means Ren and the others cannot follow. Naofumi expresses his faith in Ren, certain that the Sword Hero can figure out what is really going on. Ignoring Ren's suggestion to wait, the Shield Hero then tosses the rosary he took from Melty's guard across the gap at Ren's feet. Leaving a confused Ren behind, Naofumi and his group leave the scene.

After retreating some distance, Naofumi is eventually able to remove Filo's shackle, much to her relief. With a rustle of leaves, a shadowy figure appears before them. Raphtalia reaches for her sword but is stopped by Melty, who reveals that the woman is one of her mother's Shadows. Naofumi also recognizes (by her outdated speech manner) as the same noblewoman that warned him about the Church's activity in the first place.

The Shadow then reveals her purpose. Queen Mirella has summoned Naofumi, she is aware of what has transpired against him and wants to meet up with him. Together they can stop the actions taken by The Church of the Three Heroes. With that the woman departs, returning the supplies that Melty dropped.

Thanks to her information, the group now knows that the Queen is stationed in a country in the opposite direction of Siltvelt. When Naofumi asks if Melty knows anything about this second country, the Princess takes offense at being referred to by her title. She demands that Naofumi stop treating her like an outsider and refer to her by her name from now on. In return, she will stop calling him the Shield Hero and address him by his first name as well.

After a moment's hesitation, Naofumi complies and the two reach an accord. Raphtalia gets jealous of this but insists that nothing is wrong. Suddenly the tanuki's ears start to twitch and looking around Raphtalia says that she has detected a strange smell in their air. Far away in the distance, a section of the forest is on fire. Standing amongst the flames, the perpetrator Princess Malty laughs to herself diabolically, intending to use the fire to flush Naofumi, his party members and her sister out. The episode ends with a close up of Malty's face, the fire dancing reflectively in her evil eyes.

Trivia

 * The espionage force working under the Queen are called Shadows.
 * The state religion of Melromarc is revealed to be the Church of Three Heroes, who worship the Spear, Sword, and Bow Heroes, but not the Shield Hero. They address the Shield Hero as "Devil", while the other three are considered "Holy Weapons."
 * Naofumi's alias as "The Savior of Heavenly Fowl" is being confirmed by Malty Melromarc.
 * Naofumi's rise in fame among the people of Melromarc is being painted as "brainwashing." It is also confirmed that certain factions of the people started worshiping the Shield Hero in Melromarc.

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