Across an endless grassland, a massive column of soldiers marched toward a distant point with torches held high.
From afar, they looked like a slow-moving fire dragon.
Ren Amaki rode atop a mount dragon, clearly uncomfortable moving with so many people at once. He shifted in the saddle, irritably tugging at his collar.
"How much farther?"
A soldier answered at once, respectful to a fault.
"Please rest easy, Sword Hero-sama. We're close."
"Naofumi… that bastard actually dared to kidnap the Second Princess. A disgrace to Heroes everywhere."
A short distance from Ren, Itsuki Kawasumi rode his own mount dragon.
"My little sister is in the Shield Hero's hands right now. I'm truly worried for her safety."
Malty S. Melromarc rode close to Itsuki—so close they were almost leaning into each other.
"Rest assured. With me—Itsuki Kawasumi, the Bow Hero—here, I'll rescue the Second Princess from Naofumi's clutches, like daybreak driving back the night."
"Then everything is in your hands, Itsuki-sama."
After flattering Itsuki, Malty seemed to remember Ren and tossed him a compliment too.
"Of course, we'll be relying on Ren-sama as well."
Ren only snorted, said nothing, and looked away.
When the horizon began to pale, a small town came into view.
Itsuki stared at the town—silent, without a single light.
"What now? Do we search house by house?"
Malty smiled, eager to please.
"You needn't worry, Itsuki-sama. I've received reliable intelligence: the Shield Demon, the Zero Hero, and even the fake Spear Hero are all in the lord's estate in this town. We only need to head straight there."
Ren's expression darkened.
"Not just Naofumi… Kiriko-san and Motoyasu are there too?"
Ren came from a world where VRMMOs were highly developed. Unlike Kiriko's world, where real-time ray tracing still wasn't widespread, in Ren's world the word "game" generally meant "immersive virtual reality."
As for games played on computers or televisions, they were all lumped together as "classic games."
Before he was summoned, the VRMMO he'd grinded the hardest was called Hero Superstar OL. He'd even fought top-tier players…
And won.
So when he'd first arrived and realized this world resembled the VRMMO he'd played, Ren planned to do what he always did: solo his way to strength, then claim the glory and fame that came with it—just like in the game.
Until he lost to Kiriko.
From that moment on, Kiriko became a shadow in his mind.
It had been over a month since they were summoned, and Ren was nothing like the Ren he'd been at the start.
But…
Shaking off a scar like that wasn't so easy.
"Kiriko-san and Motoyasu are there too?"
Itsuki didn't notice the change in Ren's face.
"Maybe the whole thing was the three of them working together."
Malty fanned the flames from the side.
"Let's confirm it first. Best case, Naofumi hands over the Second Princess quietly and accepts punishment. If not…"
Itsuki raised the Legendary Bow in his hand.
"Then I'll use this bow to carry out justice."
Unlike Ren, Itsuki believed their earlier defeat had been nothing but a fluke. Kiriko must have used some method they didn't know—some temporary stat boost. That was the only reason they couldn't beat her.
But now…
Now he wasn't the same as before.
...
From the window, Kiriko saw it clearly: the house was already surrounded by a sea of soldiers, and at the very front stood Itsuki, Ren, and Malty.
Naofumi, unwilling to drag Kiriko and the owners of the house into it, stepped outside of his own accord—together with the couple.
"Naofumi, release the Second Princess at once!"
The moment Itsuki saw him, he thrust out a finger.
"I didn't kidnap her. What is there to 'release'?"
Naofumi denied it flatly.
"You still dare to argue? There are plenty of witnesses who saw you abduct the Second Princess and flee!"
Itsuki flew into a rage when Naofumi refused to admit it.
"Naofumi," Ren said, "a lot of people want to help you—but if you won't even admit you were wrong, there's nothing we can do."
It was rare for Ren to say that much at once.
Just as the three Heroes' argument was going nowhere, Melty stepped out of the house as well.
"Please wait. The truth isn't what you think…"
"Don't worry, Princess Melty. In the name of Itsuki Kawasumi, the Bow Hero, I'll make sure you're safe."
"Bow Hero-sama, Sword Hero-sama—there's something you've gotten wrong. The Shield Hero-sama didn't kidnap me. If anything, he protected me."
"What? But…"
Itsuki and Ren both went pale.
"There are far too many suspicious points in this incident. Behind all of it, there must be a larger plot. Put simply—have either of you even considered what the Shield Hero-sama would gain from kidnapping me?"
"Th-that's…"
Both of them averted their eyes, their gazes sliding away.
That was guilt. And not just guilt—they were rummaging through their memories for something, anything, that could justify what they'd believed.
"Right now, it isn't just Melromarc—the whole world is suffering under the Waves. Heroes shouldn't be fighting among themselves, and we don't have time for it. So please, Bow Hero-sama, Sword Hero-sama, stop for the moment…"
Before Melty could finish, Malty—watching from the side—pressed her lips into a faint smile.
"My poor little sister. The Shield Hero used his Brainwashing Shield to control you into saying those things to defend him, didn't he?"
Itsuki's eyes lit up, as if he'd finally been handed the pretext he'd been waiting for—like Qin Hui finding the "evidence" to doom Yue Fei.
"Princess Malty, what exactly do you mean by a Brainwashing Shield?"
It was as though Malty had been waiting for that question. She began explaining, slow and deliberate.
"Half a month ago, rumors began spreading across Melromarc that the 'Saviour Of The Heavenly Fowl is the Shield Hero.' And on our way here, we ran into quite a few commoners speaking up for the Shield Hero…"
"Itsuki-sama and Ren-sama know this as well—our nation follows the Three Hero Church. Most commoners were originally hostile toward the Shield Hero. And yet now, so many people are united in defending him…"
She deliberately stopped there. She didn't need to say the rest—the implication was unmistakable.
Itsuki's eyes brightened again, as if the last piece had clicked into place.
"I see. Before, I thought it was just an unverified rumor… but now it seems Naofumi truly does possess a Brainwashing Shield."