Second Wave Arc/Web Novel Summary

Chapter 16: Preparations For The Wave
It had been eight days since Naofumi and Raphtalia had travelled to the village of Ryuuto as per the weapons owner's recommendation. Naofumi made it their base of operations for the time being and planned to sell medicines as the town lacked a pharmacy. Naofumi was able to unlock several new shields in these few days thanks to the new resources around him. Two of which unlocked him skills: "Air Strike Shield" and "Shield Prison". The former summoned shield mid-air while the later spawned a prison of shields and could be used for both defensive and offensive purposes.

Naofumi had reached level 20 and Raphtalia level 25. He was astonished at the pace she was growing. Naofumi was yet to purchase equipment for himself, but after finally taking damage from a surprise attack from a porcupine-like monster, Raphtalia insisted he invest in some equipment. He noticed her way of talking to him had changed in the past few days. She had switched from calling him "Master" to "Naofumi-sama". After killing the monster and salvaging it for materials, he unlocked his first offensive shield "Animal Needle Shield" granting him a +1 offence. Even if it was a measly amount, he was very eager to test it out. They returned to the village while Naofumi polished Raphtalia's sword with his Shield.

They were able to save up around 230 silver coins from selling the medicines and the loot dropped by the monsters. Naofumi pointed out that Raphtalia would need new gear to help her during the wave. Raphtalia casually aimed the spare sword at him and demanded he buy equipment for himself or else he would die in the upcoming wave. Naofumi, seeing no other choice, was forced to accept Raphtalia's demand. They ultimately decided to purchase gear for Naofumi first, and then for Raphtalia.

As they headed back Naofumi realized that Raphtalia had become a rather cheeky and bossy slave recently.

Chapter 17: The Barbarian's Armor
Upon entering the Weapons Shop, the owner welcomed Naofumi and remarked about Raphtalia's quick growth and beauty, but Naofumi remained oblivious to what the owner was talking about. He was only concerned with how she ate every day and that she might turn chubby. It broke his heart and wallet, but he added a few medicinal herbs in her meals to make sure she had a proper diet.

Seeing as how jolly the owner was today, Naofumi encouraged Raphtalia to flatter him more so as to get a good discount. While he wanted to buy a sword first, Raphtalia forced the owner to prioritize Naofumi's armor first. The owner pulled out a chain mail armor first, which absolutely disgusted Naofumi, bringing back horrid memories and faces. The owner then suggested a full plate mail, which Naofumi claimed would be too heavy to move in.

Ultimately, it was decided that the armor would be custom made with the materials provided by Naofumi. Since Naofumi couldn't read, the owner explained everything to him and Raphtalia. She didn't hesitate one bit and handed over all the materials required even if they were using it for their own purposes. They purchased the remaining materials from the market. Naofumi found it weird and disgusting that all the merchants were suddenly behaving as lolicons towards Raphtalia, but at least they gave him a good discount. The armor was called "Barbarian Armor" and would provide a decent defense to Naofumi. The owner told him to pick it up the next day.

After shopping for Naofumi, they purchase a magic iron sword with a "blood-clean" coating for Raphtalia. They thanked the owner and went for lunch. Naofumi still saw Raphtalia as a little girl and ordered a kid's meal for her. Raphtalia complained that she was grown up now. She openly protested and insisted she has the same meal as Naofumi.

Naofumi couldn't understand why she wanted to go from being a child to an adult in one week. He blamed puberty.

Chapter 18: Dragon Engraved Hourglass
Naofumi collected his armor the next day and claimed that it had a wild vibe to it, which he found, looked rough. He thought that his armor would suit a bandit lord more than Hero. After a little convincing from Raphtalia and the owner, he gave it a try and was amazed at how perfectly it fit him. The owner joked that Naofumi's nasty looking eyes went perfectly with the armor. Naofumi glared back at him but remained silent. Naofumi noticed out that the entire town seemed tense but couldn't figure out why. The owner was shocked that he wasn't aware that the wave was almost upon them and advised him to check the hourglass immediately. He explained that the hourglass is essentially a count down timer to the waves and that it would teleport the Heroes to the location where the wave would arrive.

After leaving the shop, Naofumi and Raphtalia headed towards the clock tower where the hourglass was situated. Naofumi claimed that the clock tower was the tallest structure in the town and could compete with modern buildings. The receptionist, a woman who looked like a nun, eyed Naofumi suspiciously but remained silent. Confirming his identity as the Shield Hero, she guided him to the hourglass. Upon approaching it, a small icon lit up in his vision with a timer which read 20:12. It was the time left for the wave to arrive. There were only 20 short hours remaining.

While Naofumi was thinking about this, someone called out to him. He turned around and saw Motoyasu and his party approach him. Motoyasu laughed when he saw the state of Naofumi's equipment and his party members followed suit. Furious, Naofumi turned to leave. But they were blocked by Itsuki and Ren's party who came to check on the hourglass as well.

The place got more crowded by the minute and Naofumi wanted to leave as soon as possible. He noticed that Motoyasu had already started flirting with Raphtalia. He thought Motoyasu was also some sort of lolicon, trying to hit on a child, and was boiling with anger. Raphtalia felt very uncomfortable being sandwiched between Motoyasu's flirtatious attempts and Naofumi's anger.

Naofumi suddenly, for the first time feared that Raphtalia might desert him, but calmed himself by reasoning that she couldn't, as she was his slave. Motoyasu looked down on Naofumi for dragging such a pretty woman into such a dangerous business. Naofumi having had enough, headed towards the exit, ignoring everyone's catcalls and remarks. Raphtalia, surprised by his sudden change of behavior, rushed after him. On their way to the meadows, she tried to ask about his past with the other Heroes but Naofumi kept silent. Naofumi pulverized the Balloon that dared attack him and Raphtalia was taken aback by his burst of anger. Calmed down, Naofumi collected herbs and compounded them into medicine in order to prepare for the wave.

In the evening, Raphtalia tried to once again, unsuccessfully ask what had happened between Naofumi and the other Heroes but he ignored her yet again. Naofumi was convinced that she wouldn't trust him even if he told the truth, so ultimately, he didn't even try explaining it.

With these troubling thoughts in mind, he compounded medicines until he fell asleep.

Chapter 19: Memory / Black Beast
Only 17 minutes remained before the wave began. Everyone made preparations to fight the wave, but only the Heroes and their parties would be transported to the origin of the wave, the soldiers would have to reach it themselves. Raphtalia was anxious about the wave and wanted to talk to Naofumi for a minute. She explained that she became a slave as a result of the first wave.

Raphtalia then narrated her life before the slave contract to Naofumi. She lived in a small Demi-Human village that was attacked and destroyed in the first wave. Villagers and adventurers had tried to fight the monsters but resistance was futile and the monsters swarmed the village and killed everything that moved. A giant three-headed dog appeared from amidst of monsters and trampled upon the villagers. The villagers desperately tried to escape the carnage, but Raphtalia's parents knew escape was futile and tried to fight back against the monsters. They got cornered at the edge of a cliff. They smiled at Raphtalia, stroked her and told her to forgive them for their selfishness and pushed her off the cliff in an attempt to save her. Raphtalia falling, saw the blood of her parents' splatter as they were killed by the monsters. The wave then washed over her and took her away.

Raphtalia had washed ashore near the village, which was cleared of monsters, but there were many corpses lying about. On the cliff remained a vast amount of blood and scraps of meat. Raphtalia collapsed, wandering around without a shred of life in her, and was ultimately captured and sold into slavery.

She was traded several times as a slave. At first, she was a servant to a nobleman who tried to teach her, but her panic attacks at night were too much for the man to handle, so he sold her. The Second owner also tried to teach her but was sold off the very next day. The third owner was very cruel and whipped her throughout the night. After a while, she was sold back and finally, Naofumi bought her.

Naofumi absentmindedly replied from time to time but his heart was with the waves. The clock hit 00:00 and they were teleported to a place near Riyuute village. The sky had burst open and painted blood-red. The other Heroes didn't bother defending the villagers, instead, they rushed into the midst of battle. Naofumi tried to reason with them, but they ignored him and stomped away. Naofumi took it upon himself to protect the villagers.

He was on his way to town when he saw a flare light up the sky signaling the soldiers to the location of the wave.

Chapter 20: Wave of Calamity
Naofumi and Raphtalia arrived at the nick of time, just when the frontline was about to buckle under the assault of the monsters. Naofumi ordered Raphtalia to take care of the villagers and started to attract the monsters to himself. Keeping the monsters trailing behind him, he used his skills to save a few villagers, who were astonished to see him. Just when he was about to drown in the sea of monsters he had attracted, the sky was lit by fire arrows, shot by the castle magicians, engulfing Naofumi and the monsters both. Naofumi was furious at their ignorance and guessed they didn't see him as an ally anyway. But before he could get a word in, Raphtalia had charged and exchanged blows with the soldiers before Naofumi could calm her down. Naofumi reminded the soldiers of their duty to "protect" people and not "kill" them. He warned them, that he could very easily kill them and leave them to the monsters. The soldiers understood their place and co-operated with him grudgingly. They spent the rest of the time evacuating the remaining villagers and clearing away the remaining monsters.

The other Three Heroes were fighting the wave Boss, a massive Chimera. They chatted among themselves at the ease of the boss, oblivious to all the death and carnage around them. They thought all this was still just a game.

With the wave repelled, Naofumi was relieved that he had survived without any serious injury. His line of thought was interrupted when the villagers expressed their heartfelt thanks for saving them and their village, he was indifferent about the matter but Raphtalia was moved to tears. Naofumi praised Raphtalia for fighting well in the waves, but he felt uncomfortable by show of emotions.

The King officially declared the result as a great victory over the wave, with minimal losses. He announced that a feast would be thrown to celebrate the Heroes and their deeds and to facilitate the rewards distribution. Naofumi decided to attend the party only for the reward money.

At a banquet, Naofumi stayed away from the limelight and was left to his own thoughts. He didn't want to eat anything but didn't restrict Raphtalia in any way. Naofumi was wondering if he could take some food with him later, to help him with his travel, but was interrupted by Motoyasu, who suddenly felt the need to duel Naofumi. He claimed that he was fighting for the freedom of Raphtalia, who was forced to fight for Naofumi under the slave contract. Naofumi tried to reason with him, defending his rights to own a slave, but an adamant Motoyasu swayed by his responsibility as a Hero, ignored Naofumi. Naofumi knew there was nothing in it for him, declined the challenge, but the King overheard the commotion and stepped in between and ordered Naofumi to duel Motoyasu.

The King took Raphtalia hostage, and made her the price of the duel, forcing Naofumi's hand.

Chapter 21: Contradicting Actions
The castle garden was quickly made into a makeshift arena, where all the guests gathered to witness the battle of the Heroes. Unfortunately, the fate of the duel was predetermined. Ultimately, the Shield had no attack power, and could only defend. It was only to humiliate Naofumi further.

Naofumi analyzed the purpose of the Spear and the Shield and came to the conclusion that they were totally different. But he reasoned that even if a Spear is to kill, the sturdiest shield will always triumph over the sharpest Spear. With these thoughts in mind, the duel commenced and the two Heroes ran at each other, Motoyasu threw skill after skill at Naofumi, but Naofumi was able to block all of them, albeit taking a little damage each time.

Naofumi knew the greatest disadvantage of the Spear was the range at which it operated. Exploiting that, Naofumi blocked every attack and got inside Motoyasu's Spear range. He struck him square in the face but lamented at his attack power for not doing any damage. He then pulled out a balloon, which he kept as a bargaining chip for the negotiations and thrust it in Motoyasu's face. He also placed one at his crotch for good measure. He knew he couldn't defeat Motoyasu, but he could surely embarrass and harass him for as long as he wanted now. He kept on assaulting him with small monsters and kicks, while Motoyasu lay sprawled on the ground, unable to deal with all the monsters at once.

Suddenly, Naofumi was thrown off balance by a strong gust of wind. When he looked around, he noticed that Myne had cast wind magic on him and toppled him. But it was all the time Motoyasu needed to get back up and level his spear at Naofumi.

Pinning Naofumi down, Motoyasu declared his victory. He sounded more desperate than when he fought against the wave, Naofumi noted to himself.

Chapter 22: What I Wanted To Hear
Naofumi argued with Motoyasu that their duel was interrupted by Myne, but Motoyasu refuted those claims. Naofumi turned to the spectators for their support, but his pleas were met with dead silence. The King announced the Spear triumphant. The castle magicians immediately began to heal Motoyasu's wounds while neglecting Naofumi. It was at that moment that Naofumi discovered that Myne was actually the King's daughter.

Everything made sense now. They had decided to give the Spear a head start by dragging down the Shield. It would be easy to accuse the Shield of a crime if the victim was the King's daughter after all. Giving the Spear preference only because he was the chosen of the princess would seem wrong, so the best way would be to leech off the weakest Hero, the Shield. Naofumi wagered that Myne was probably behind the duel itself, having fed lies to Motoyasu, to kindle his sense of justice and save a damsel in distress. Naofumi realized that he had read in the book, that the princess was a Bitch. Engulfed by rage, his vision distorted, pitch black emotions embraced him and pulled him deeper into despair. The screen in front of him announced that he had met the necessary condition to unlock the "Curse Series". The magicians dissolved Raphtalia's slave curse, but Naofumi could only see darkness. A triumphant Motoyasu approached Raphtalia, only for her to slap him.

Motoyasu and Raphtalia argued back and forth about Naofumi's personality. Raphtalia claimed that she was treated very well and that she was alive, thanks only to the Shield Hero. Motoyasu couldn't believe what she said and remained adamant. Naofumi, despite being the subject of their argument, wasn't listening to anyone. He was lost in his hate and rage. He wanted the world to burn down. Raphtalia tried to approach him but backed off when he shouted at her.

Raphtalia announced that she knew about his accusations. She told him that she believed him and that he could never do such a thing. She closed the distance between them and embraced him. Naofumi, broken, assumed this was yet another scheme aimed at him. Raphtalia continued talking to Naofumi and eventually, he looked at her in amazement. For the first time he realized that she was no longer a small girl, but a beautiful young woman. Raphtalia proclaimed that she would to great lengths for him and was willing to become his slave once more if that’s what it took for him to believe in her. Something snapped inside Naofumi, and he wept on Raphtalia's shoulders.

Ren and Itsuki cornered Motoyasu and urged him that they saw Myne interrupt the fight and that Naofumi was the true victor. Motoyasu continued to ignore this and claimed that he couldn't trust the other Heroes. The guests and spectators left the arena, leaving Naofumi and Raphtalia alone. After he calmed down, Noafumi took Raphtalia back into the castle.

Ever since he was accused, Naofumi has lost the sense of taste. But after eating breakfast the next day, he could finally taste it.

Chapter 23: Shared Pain
The Four Heroes convened in the Throne Room the next day, where the King handed out rewards to the Heroes and their parties for their contributions to the protection of the kingdom. Each person received 500 silver, while Motoyasu received an extra 4000 silver, Ren and Itsuki an extra 3800.

Naofumi and Raphtalia were dumbfounded at the extra rewards handed to the other Heroes. The King explained that the Heroes were awarded for resolving problems within the kingdom. Raphtalia was curious as to why Naofumi was not given any such request. The King and the others laughed and pointed out the uselessness of the Shield, and that he is a waste of resources. The other Heroes also chimed in and said that he had contributed nothing in the last wave, and would hold them back. Naofumi countered them and pointed out that he was the one responsible for the safety of the villagers, while the other Heroes deserted them. The other Heroes ignored these remarks.

Naofumi had enough and wanted to leave, but the King stopped him, declaring that this would be the last time he would receive funds. Naofumi was furious, but Raphtalia stepped in and exclaimed that this was wonderful as they needn't waste their time here and invest it in doing something useful. The King was speechless at her reply. Raphtalia took Naofumi's hand and they left the castle and hurried over to the slaver's tent to get the seal reapplied.

Naofumi insisted that she needn't do it, but she refused. They returned to the place where they first met.