At the blacksmith shop, Erhard took Naofumi to the back room. As Naofumi looked around, he saw that the backroom held a small living area as well as a kitchen. Erhard stood over a wood stove and poured some tea into a cup once it was heated and he set it in front of Naofumi. He then said, "Here kid. Drink this."

Naofumi took the cup, blew on it a bit and took small sips from it. Even when he sipped the drink he couldn't taste the contents, but he felt himself getting warmer inside. Erhard sat on the stool across from Naofumi and he looked at the shield hero with concern. The old blacksmith then said, "Are you feeling better now kid?"

Naofumi set his cup down, looked at the liquid inside and he said softly as his balloon monster friend was watching, "A little."

Erhard rubbed the back of his neck having trouble telling Naofumi the reason why those thugs jumped him. He then let out a sigh, looked at the shield hero and said to him, "Listen kid, there's something I gotta tell ya."

In the shop, Motoyasu was leaning towards the doorway so he could hear better and he heard Naofumi say, "What is it boss?"

Erhard then folded his hands in front of him and said, "There's a rumor going around the capital and it's about you."

"Why me?" Naofumi asked as he lifted his cup to take another sip of tea.

Erhard continued to tell him, "Well, the word is that you, the shield hero, raped a girl."

Naofumi stopped drinking, looked at the old man with shock and he asked in disbelief, "Wh-What did you say?"

"Well, a rumor started spreading that you went into the room of one of the party members of the spear hero and coaxed her into sleeping with you. Now, I'm not one for idle gossip, but there's a law that anyone who commits rape will be executed or sent to the castle dungeons," Erhard explained the best he can.

Naofumi began to get images from last night. With the knights above him and forcing themselves on him and the woman at the door staring at him with an evil glint in her eye and watches it all happen. Naofumi clutched the mug tightly in his hands after he heard all that he said with a shake of his head, "That can't be true. I didn't rape anybody. I don't even know anyone in Motoyasu's party."

Erhard looked at Naofumi with worry and curiosity and he asked him, "Why do say that kid?"

Naofumi pounded his fist on the table and exclaimed, "Because I was the one who was raped!"

Hearing the exclamation, Motoyasu flinched on the other side and he frowned and lowered his head sadly. When Erhard heard Naofumi's exclamation, the old blacksmith frowned sadly and said, "I'm sorry kid. I really am."

Naofumi placed his face in his hands and right in front of the old man, he started to cry remembering the knights and the red haired woman standing at his door with the evil glint in her eyes. Erhard got up from his spot, and rubbed the boy's shoulder to console him and the old man said, "Hey kid, why don't you stay here for the night till you're ready to head out tomorrow. Seeing as you are now, I don't think you're stable enough."

Naofumi lifted his face a little to look at him and asked, "Are you sure?"

Erhard nodded and said, "Absolutely."

The old man looked at the balloon monster next to Naofumi and he smiled and said, "Your little friend is welcome too."

Naofumi thanked the old man for taking him in and on the other side of the curtain, Motoyasu nodded and stepped out to rejoin his party and he thought he would follow Naofumi a bit more tomorrow. That night, Naofumi laid in the spare room Erhard made up for him and he stared up at the ceiling trying to close his eyes. However, the night he was raped gave Naofumi not only his loss of taste, but a bit of insomnia too.

The shield hero let out a sigh and said quietly, "I want to sleep but if I do, those horrible images will just appear before my eyes."

Hearing him, the balloon monster hopped up on the bed and nuzzled Naofumi's face like a cat. Naofumi looked at the little monster, smiled and said, "At least you're trying to comfort me like the old man and the others."

Naofumi turned on his side to looked at the little monster better and he said while looking, "It would be a shame if I just called you balloon monster all the time. Plus, I got some monster skins that came from your buddies. Maybe if I gave you name, it might help with my shield a little bit."

Naofumi started to think of names for the balloon monster. He thought of, Rolly, Orangey, Pops, Jaws, Chomp, Munchy and even Koro. But none of those names seemed to work on the little monster. Naofumi let out a sigh, looked at the balloon monster with a smile and said, "Well if those names don't work, maybe we can give you one that you'll like. Something you'll be comfortable with during our adventure."

Naofumi started to think deeply and frowned and said, "I don't know what to call you. I don't even know what name you'll like. I bet you'll just go for some stupid overrated name that some owners give their pets. For cats, it's mostly Whiskers, Kitty or Fluffy. And for dogs, it's mostly Fido, Rover or sometimes Spot if the dog has spots.

Hearing the name "Spot", got the balloon monster interested. Naofumi also saw the look in its eyes and he asked the little monster curiously, "You like that one? You want to be called Spot?"

The balloon monster let out a little growl as if it was tell Naofumi it did. Naofumi chuckled quietly and said, "Then Spot it is."

Glad with its new name, Spot nestled down next to Naofumi and Naofumi let out a yawn and said, "Good night, Spot." And he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Meanwhile at an inn, Motoyasu just entered his room and started to take off his gear and armor when he heard a knock at his door. Curious as to who would be knocking, he went towards the door and opened it. Standing there before him was Myne and he asked the red haired woman calmly while keeping his composure, "What do you want Myne? It's pretty late."

Not bothering answering him, Myne walked into Motoyasu's room, looked at him with her big blue eyes and said, "I came by to ask you something, Sir Motoyasu."

Motoyasu continued to look at the red head curiously and asked, "What do you want to ask me?"

"Why did you let him go?" Myne asked with pleading fear in her eyes.

Confused by who she meant, Motoyasu asked her, "Let who go?"

Myne glared and she said in a dark tone, "The shield hero."

When he heard her mention Naofumi, Motoyasu's eyes went wide and he said to her, "Why? He was found innocent thanks to Itsuki's reasoning."

Myne shook her head and said, "That's not even the point Sir Motoyasu. I'm the first princess of this country and anyone committing a crime against the royal family will be punished. I know the shield hero raped me and you and the other two just let him go!"

Motoyasu let out a sigh, turned away from the red head to look at the wall and said, "I think you should go Myne. Tonight's not a good night to discuss this now."

Motoyasu then thought in his mind, especially with how Naofumi acted when he looked at not only the knights, but Myne too. Myne was watching Motoyasu's back, let out a sigh and told him she understood and soon, she left the room. After she was gone, Motoyasu began to plan in his head on how he was going to shadow Naofumi the next day. When morning came around, Naofumi and Spot had some breakfast that Erhard made and the old blacksmith provided Naofumi some clothes along with some money.

As Naofumi stood outside the shop, he bowed to Erhard who was standing in front of the doorway and said, "Thank you so much boss."

Erhard shook his head and said, "Think nothing of it kid. You just take care of yourself out there and find party members who can help you gain your strength."

Naofumi nodded and told him he will. It was then that Erhard gave Naofumi a green cape, which he accepted. The boy then asked him how much he should pay him for it, but Erhard waved his hand and said, "It's on the house. However, the next time you see me, you better pay me for any shields you purchase."

Naofumi nodded, thanked Erhard again and started to walk down the road. As he was walking Erhard narrows his eyes while watching Naofumi and said to himself, "Don't die kid."

Motoyasu, who got up early to watch, heard what Erhard said and he nodded in agreement with the old man's words. He then quietly began to follow Naofumi while keeping out of sight so the shield hero wouldn't see him. As he was walking, Naofumi looked at Spot, who was riding on his shoulder, and asked, "So Spot, where do you think we should look for party members? I want to go to the castle and ask the king, but maybe we should do it on our own."

It was then that Naofumi got an idea, looked at the little balloon monster and said, "Maybe I can add you to start with."

Spot tilted his head after Naofumi said that and when Naofumi brought up his HUD, he did some adjustments until he saw Spot's name show up. Looking at Spot's level, Naofumi saw that he was LVL 1 and he smiled, looked at his little friend and said, "Looks like I'm gonna have to train you to get stronger for future fights Spot."

Spot let out a growl after Naofumi said that as if he agreed with him. Naofumi then began to think to himself and he said, "But just one little balloon monster won't be enough when the Waves come. I need to add someone I can train. And since I can't handle a sword, maybe I can train someone to do it. The question is, who?"

Motoyasu was standing nearby and heard what Naofumi said and he nodded and thought, that sounds like a good idea. Just then, a pudgy little man approached Naofumi and Motoyasu took out his spear as a precaution thinking Naofumi was gonna be attacked again. The man tipped his top hat at Naofumi and said, "Excuse me, Sir Hero. But I couldn't help but overhear you saying you want to add someone to your party."

Naofumi saw the man was wearing tiny glasses and he had a big mustache besides his shortness and pudginess. He then asked the man, "Who are you?"

The man smiled a big toothy grin and said, "My name is Beloukas. And I have a business that will surly give you what you need."

Thinking that it all sounds suspicious, Naofumi agreed to the man's offer. Beloukas nodded and told Naofumi to follow him, which he did, and Motoyasu was right behind him keeping out of sight. After walking for a few minutes, Naofumi saw they were approaching a tent that's mostly used for circuses and Beloukas opened the tent's flap and motioned Naofumi to go in with his cane. Naofumi walked in and Beloukas followed behind him. Motoyasu snuck up to the flap and lifted it a little just to get a peek and hear what's going on.

Inside the tent, Naofumi saw there were hundreds of cages and some were stacked up to the tent's ceiling. He looked at Beloukas and asked, "What's going on? What's in these cages?"

Beloukas looked at the shield hero with a grin and said, "They're slaves. The business I run is slave trading."

When he heard the word slave, Naofumi widened his eyes with worry and he looked around hearing the banging and yelling from the things in the cages. Naofumi asked, "Why?"

Beloukas started to walk and explain while Naofumi followed him, "Because I do. Most of the slaves here were dumped by their previous owners. I just hold onto them until they are purchased by someone new."

"So you don't own the slaves here, but sell them off?" Naofumi asked and the short man nodded.

Naofumi looked at the cages and saw some of the occupants didn't look so good. Some of them were so skinny they looked like they could die soon. Naofumi began to have doubts coming to this place because in his world, slavery is illegal but people still do it anyway without being caught. The shield hero was surprised that people in this world considered slavery to be legal and he wondered why the king would allow this.

Overhearing the stuff about slaves, Motoyasu was thinking the same thing and he thought about talking to the king about it later. Back in the tent, Beloukas approached a cage with a wolf man in it and he looked at Naofumi and said, "Now if you want someone strong to be in your party, I recommend this guy. He has a high level and is very good with a sword, plus he'll be able to listen and obey any command you give him."

Naofumi saw that Beloukas was right when he looked at the wolf man's level and he began to think about it when Spot jumped off of Naofumi's shoulder and rolled to a different cage. Curious as to why Spot was at the cage, Naofumi approached the little monster and asked, "What is it Spot? Did you find something?"

When Naofumi lifted the cloth that was covering the cage a little bit, he looked inside and saw a girl laying on the straw bed. The little girl sat up when the light from the tent hit her face and Naofumi saw how she looked. The girl had long messy brown hair that reached her back, her eyes were a pinkish red, she wore a tattered brown dress and her face and hand were covered in bruises and dirt. Naofumi also saw that she had animal ears and a tail that resembled a raccoon's ears and tail.

Beloukas approached Naofumi, saw what he was staring at and he said, "I see you're interested in that demi human, Sir Shield Hero."

"A demi human?" Naofumi asked curiously.

Beloukas nodded and explained, "They kind of resemble humans, but they have animal features. Demi humans are mostly bought by nobles and used as slaves. If they get tired of them, they dispose of them to a trader, like myself, or just leave them to die."

Hearing all this made Naofumi raise his eyes in shock and outside the tent, Motoyasu did the same thing. Naofumi then asked, "But why are nobles so cruel to demi humans? What have they done to make the, be treated this way?!"

Beloukas crossed his arms and said in a stern tone, "Years ago, before you and the other heroes were summoned, Melromarc was in a war with the demi humans. After that, demi humans were kidnapped and stolen from their villages and put into noble households to be used as slaves. They don't see demi humans as humans at all, but animals that should only be used for labor."

The slave trader looked at the girl in the cage and continued, "The other reason is demi humans tend to age quicker than us. This one may seem like a ten year old girl now, but who knows how big she'll get if she's in a party with someone. I recently just got her from her previous master. So far, I've had no luck selling her."

Naofumi looked at the raccoon girl and he saw that he was skinny as a rail and pale as a sheet. He knelt on the floor so he could be at the girl's level and asked kindly, "What's your name, sweetie?"

The girl opened her mouth, let out a dry cough and said in a scratchy voice, "Ra-Raphtalia."

Naofumi smiled and said, "Raphtalia, huh? That's a pretty name. Mine's Naofumi. Naofumi Iwatani."

Raphtalia looked at the shield on Naofumi's arm and she reached through the bars to touch it. She looked at him with pleading eyes and he took her little hands in his and he said, "Don't worry. I'll get you out of here."

Raphtalia asked, "Are you, the shield hero?"

Naofumi nodded told her he was. He then looked at Beloukas and told him, "I'll take her."

Beloukas narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you sure? She might not be that helpful to you given her condition."

Naofumi stood up and said with a determined tone, "I feed her so she'll gain some muscle. And I'll also give her some medicine so she'll get better!"

"But might not want to handle a sword, much less fight the waves," Beloukas said while nudging his glasses."

Naofumi then said, "I'll train her how to use one. And we'll practice everyday so she will be stronger."

Beloukas smiled a toothy grin after hearing Naofumi say that and he said, "If that's how you want to do it, then she's all yours."

Naofumi smiled and looked at Raphtalia, buthen he frowned when he saw the slave crest on her chest. He then looked at Beloukas and said, "Also, I'll pay extra to have that crest removed from her."

Beloukas narrowed his eyes when he heard that and asked, "Are you sure, sir hero?"

Naofumi nodded and said, "Yes. It's makes me dreadfully uncomfortable that she's a slave. Well I'm not buying her to be one. I'm buying her to be strong and a fighter. And like I said, we'll train together everyday until the Wave happens. So please sir, I ask you, for a few extra coins remove her slave crest!"

Motoyasu heard him say that, nodded and thought, that's the way Naofumi. Beloukas chuckled, looked at Nalfumi with a grin and said, "Very well, I'll do it. However, no word of this gets out. Because if the nobles found out I removed a slave rune from a demi human, I'll be out of business."

Once Beloukas unlocked Raphtalia's cage, she shakily stood up and walked out towards Naofumi. As soon as she was out, Beloukas took a potion bottle and dropped some of the liquid onto Raphtalia. When that was done, the rune on Raphtalia's chest disappeared and Naofumi smiled when he saw it was gone. Beloukas looked at the shield hero and said, "The deed is now done."

Naofumi thanked the man and paid him, but after he did, Raphtalia started to sway and Naofumi caught her before she hit the floor. Naofumi looked at the raccoon girl with worry until he felt her forehead and pulled back when he felt how hot it was. Naofumi clenched his teeth and said to himself, "She's burning up! I have to get her to a doctor and fast!"

Soon, Naofumi picked up the little girl in his arms, thanked Beloukas for his help and he ran out of the tent to get Raphtalia some medicine. Motoyasu had his back against the tent so Naofumi wouldn't see him when he ran out and once he saw the shield hero was far away enough, he followed Naofumi in the direction he ran in.

AN: Hey all! Sorry I'm late. I hope you enjoyed this part and to all you Raphtalia fans, I told you she was gonna be in this one.😊There will be more to come so bear with me till then. Till then my little kittens😘😘😘