Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari (WN) c351

For your reading convenience, all 0s in the skill and weapon names have been replaced with the Scandinavian vowel Ø. It was a font thing. All of those are zeroes. In the original text, it’s just a 0.

Chapter 351: The Holy Land of Filo Rials

A few days pa.s.sed.
About the wave in the ocean… well, I’ll just report that it ended smoothly.
Ren turned out to be like a hammer in water and humiliated himself greatly, and against the large whale-shaped wave boss, Sadina performed magnificently.

I learned once more the Hero of the Cane’s, Trash’s, strength.
Using the cane’s power, he can use most all forms of magic.
While he can only use up to Dreifach, even Aura and Down are fair game to him. I wonder if there’s anything he can’t cast.
I’m in the middle of teaching him how to cast Revelation.

“However…” (Naofumi)
“Gua?”
“Don’t you guys have any concept of cleanliness!?” (Naofumi)

Right now, we were in Fitoria’s carriage, headed to a temple that was supposed to be the Holy Land of the Filo Rials.
Fitoria brought us various items used by Heroes of the past, but among them were items that seemed to be no different from garbage.

So all the Heroes decided it was necessary to go to the Filo Rial Holy Land itself and sort through her equipment.
Trash is absent on this voyage. It seems that he’s busy with supporting Melty.
Gaelion and Taniko also refused to come.

And… we arrived at some ancient ruins…?
We were surrounded by a forest, and there were the remains of what seemed to a village. Nearby was a slight open area with a temple-like building in the center.
I think Melty said something about it.
Within the Filo Rial legends, there appeared a Forest of Illusions in which people would find themselves lost if they were to wander in.
This is probably the center of it.

“FUOOOOOH! Let’s make this holy land our paradise!” (Motoyasu)
“GUAAAAAAH!”

Motoyasu was sent flying by Fitoria’s kick.

“Fubu! This isn’t enough to stop-!” (Motoyasu)

But, he didn’t take any significant damage and immediately stood up once more. He begins a one sided game of tag with Fitoria.
Again and again. Just how many times does he plan on repeating this scene?

Ignoring Motoyasu, we begin examining the inside of the ruins.
And the reason I voiced my opinion on sanitation was because the narrow pa.s.sages of the abandoned temple were littered with trash-like items.
Is the abundance of s.h.i.+ny items among them because these guys are birds?
I remember the pile of goods Firo collected in the past and labeled as her treasure.

“Wa~ It’s sparkl~y” (Firo)

Yep, this place has gone to the birds. It’s pretty much the same.
This appears to be Fitoria’s nest.
The miscellaneous s.h.i.+ny items range from rare gems to cheap crystals.

“Anyways, we’ll be organizing this.” (Naofumi)

But… just how much junk is collected here?
This ruin is supposed to be a temple, but… I’m not sure if I should be saying this, but it lacks taste.
I was imagining something like finding treasure in a dungeon, but it is completely different.
Like trash, precious artifacts are casually tossed aside.
What’s more, bird feathers are peppered everywhere. It’s filthy.

“In this case, should we just burn away the feathers?” (Naofumi)
“But what if something important here is flammable?” (Raphtalia)

Raphtalia’s warning is on the mark.
So that idea is rejected.
Anyways, from Fitoria’s many years of inhabiting this nest, it’s become a castle of trash.
It’s sad to imagine the rare items sleeping here.
If we find anything nice, we’ll have to recover it and a.n.a.lyze it, so we have to go about organizing this place.

“Then, let’s split up and start cleaning!”

I really should have taken the villagers with me.
Well, we started cleaning Fitoria’s nest, and this and that happens.

“This is~? It’s s.h.i.+ny, and pretty, you know. Was it called a crystal?” (Firo)
“It’s tras.h.!.+ What’s more, it’s already been used up.” (Naofumi)
“Um, was this a rare gem? Naofumi, what should I do with it?” (Ren)
“Keep it. We’ll sort through them later.” (Naofumi)
“Why are there swords just lying around!? Ren-san, what should we do with this?” (Ris.h.i.+a)
“Hmm? Wait… this is a sword I’ve never seen. Um… Ascalon? What’s this? It’s extremely effective against dragons.” (Ren)

I get the feeling I just heard the name of a familiar powerful sword, but we’ll continue working.
(TL: Ascalon is the name given to the lance Saint George used to slay a dragon. It has become a sword in popular culture.)
And wait, it’s good that Gaelion didn’t tag along.

“There’s a spear wrapped in cloth and hung high up. Motoyasu-san, please go get it. You can leave feather collecting and sniffing for later.” (Itsuki)
“Understood sir! Funu! I can’t get it down.” (Motoyasu)
“Then how about you try copying it?” (Itsuki)
“That’s right! Cursed Beast Spear? Oh, this one can move by itself, how convenient.” (Motoyasu)

I feel that we’re finding some dangerous artifacts here. But I’ll leave it be.
And like that, we arrange the various rare items and trash.
The shed feathers… yep, they’re the same as my bird’s back home.
I’ll have the bird deal with them herself.

“There were also dragon bones lying around… for now, let’s just collect them.” (Naofumi)

There are even weathered bones… just how much history has been discarded here?
What’s more, it would be nice if they were intact, but due to the lack of protection from wind and storm, they’re all in terrible shape.

“This…”

In a ruined room lies the weapon the pope used against us.
This… is a replica, right?
Why is even something like this here?

I thought about reusing it… but that would probably be difficult.
It needs a large input of magic. I guess I’ll take it to the castle and have the old man a.n.a.lyze it.
By the way, I tried to copy it, but an unrelated s.h.i.+eld popped out.

Something called Ancient s.h.i.+eld.
Its abilities… aren’t particularly high.
It only really increases magical defense.

Ren and the others also unlocked the Ancient Series from it.
Apparently, theirs were able to inflict a status ailment called Magic Jamming.
If you call it convenient, I guess it is, but it only works against individuals.

“Good grief… there’s way too much garbage. How does it look deeper in?”

We continue to proceed towards the heart of the temple.
Eventually, we reached an area that seemed to be an altar.
Garbage hasn’t been spread this far in.
On the ground, a stone-made clock-like gear system was installed.

“It seems gloomy here.” (Itsuki)
“That’s right.” (Ren)
“Goodness gracious, there are so many wonders in Filo Rial-sama’s house.” (Motoyasu)
“Motoyasu, don’t go wandering forward without us.” (Naofumi)

Motoyasu walks to the center of the clock and sticks his spear into the ground.
And something clicks into place.
…
An ominous rumbling starts to come from below us…

“Motoyasu!” (Naofumi)
“W-what could be happening?” (Motoyasu)
“How should I know! 「Meteor Wall」!” (Naofumi)

Just in case, I cast Meteor Wall and deploy a barrier to protect everyone but Motoyasu and his following Filo Rials.

“Fitoria, do you know anything about this?” (Naofumi)
“Gua?” (Fitoria)

Don’t tilt your head like that.
She really is unreliable!

“Oh? Oh? Oooooo…” (Motoyasu)

Light starts pouring out of the hole Motoyasu had stuck his spear into.
And… while leaving a faint afterglow behind, the light is sucked into the shaft.
…

“F-fuee… w-what just happened?” (Ris.h.i.+a)
“No idea.” (Naofumi)

It doesn’t look like anything else is happening.

“Motoyasu, did anything change?” (Naofumi)
“Let’s see… a spear called the Dragon Era Minute Hand was unlocked.” (Motoyasu)

Motoyasu changes the shape of his spear.
It’s quite slender.
It looks like quite a simple design…. Like the weapon name indicated, it looks like the hand of an old clock.

“Then if we stick our weapon into that hole, we can fulfill the conditions to unlock a weapon?” (Naofumi)

As a test, I searched for the hole Motoyasu thrust his spear into and tried inserting my s.h.i.+eld.
But there was no signs of anything happening.

“Could it be that it’s limited to one person?” (Ren)

Ren asks as he tries as well.

“Motoyasu!” (Naofumi)
“I-I don’t know anything about it!” (Motoyasi)

Well, sticking his weapon into strange places… we would have never figured out it would unlock anything unless he tried it in the first place…

“Hah… it doesn’t matter anymore. For now, let’s proceed forward.” (Naofumi)

There doesn’t seem to be any monsters.
And wait, this is the Filo Rials’ turf, and since the leader, Fitoria, is here, I don’t think we run the risk of encountering any.
Though, there are a few traps.

Like the old cla.s.sic rolling rocks… and needles raining down from the ceiling. Most of it could just be dealt with with Meteor Wall, so it seems traps are powerless before a Hero.
Once a giant rolling rock came into contact with the Meteor Wall and just stopped. I almost burst into laughter.
Well, it would be useless against things like puzzle solving, but it doesn’t seem they installed anything like that.

At the end of the ruins was… a stone room suspended in the air by magic.
A floating stone… is it made out of Graweik Ore?
I climb the floating staircase and take note of the inside of the room.

… What is this? The atmosphere feels very heavy in here. It’s somewhat oppressing.
I also feel a large quant.i.ty of magic hanging in the air.

“And? There has to be something special in an ominous place like this.” (Naofumi)

In the depths of Fitoria’s house, the ruins, was… a small bottle suspended in the air. Behind it was… what is that?
The form of a cat-like being with feathers protruding from it? There was a mural like that covering the wall.
There are also depictions of the sacred weapons… and the va.s.sals are there as well. They glow faintly, and light dances around them.
When I reach my hand out to grasp the bottle, it regains its sense of gravity and falls into my hand.

Inside is a blood-like red fluid.
When I tested its smell, it smelled… like blood?
What is this?

“Is this supposed to be the Holy Grail, or something?” (Naofumi)

It’s something that could appear in a fantasy like this.
A container with the blood of a saint of the past, or something of the sort.

“Gua.” (Fitoria)
“It’s not, she says.” (Midori)

Midori starts acting as a translator.

“Then, what is this?” (Naofumi)
“Gua, gua.” (Fitoria)
“Um… apparently, she doesn’t know, but it’s apparently poisonous. In the past, when Fitoria-sama was ordered to drink it by a Hero, she was suddenly overcome with pain.” (Midori)

Poison… just by looking at it, I can’t deduce anything

“At that time, the Hero said, ‘the first sip is eternal pain, the second, eternal solitude, and the third… a dreadful end.’” (Midori)
“Hmm…” (Naofumi)

Anyways, I don’t need a poison like that.
And why was such a powerful poison left in such a place?
Fitoria’s taken a sip before, right?

“GUA GUA!” (Fitoria)
“Ah, I remember. I was told to put a drop of it into my weapon as a material.” (Midori)
“The poison?” (Naofumi)
“Yes.” (Midori)

Well… it’s a strange mixture left by a Hero of the past.
I want to discard it, but that seems like a bad idea no matter how I look at it.

“Motoyasu.” (Naofumi)
“What could it be?” (Motoyasu)
“It’s punishment for before. Try putting some in your weapon.” (Naofumi)
“Understood!” (Motoyasu)

I tilt the bottle, and let a single drop of it fall on Motoyasu’s spear.
The liquid is thick, and the fact that I was easily able to let but a single drop fall might be the influence of some form of magic.

“Oh? The Spear of Ø appeared.” (Motoyasu)

Ø?
As in the number Ø?
Motoyasu definitely said Ø, right?

“What sort of abilities does it have?” (Naofumi)
“Its special ability is Arbitrator of Truth and The Hand that Protects the World. There’s also a skill. It’s just the Spear of Ø.” (Motoyasu)

???
So what sort of spear is it?

“How are its stats?” (Naofumi)
“All Ø!” (Motoyasu)
“Excuse me?” (Naofumi)
“Just as it sounds, it provides no additional stats, Father-in-Law.” (Motoyasu)
“Um… is it cursed or anything?” (Naofumi)
“It doesn’t seem to be part of the Curse Series.” (Motoyasu)

Fumu… by testing it on Motoyasu, it seems safe.
I let a drop run down my s.h.i.+eld as well.

You have cleared the conditions to unlock the s.h.i.+eld of Ø!

–

s.h.i.+eld of Ø (Awakened) 0/0 –
Ability Bonus:
…
Equipment Bonus:
Skill 『s.h.i.+eld of Ø』
Special Ability: Arbitrator of Truth, The Hand that Protects the World.
Proficiency Level: 0

–

Fumu, a s.h.i.+eld just as Motoyasu described is unlocked.
And as he said, all its stats are 0. It’s worse than the initial Small s.h.i.+eld.

What’s this?
Let’s try changing to it.
Its appearance is exactly that of the Small s.h.i.+eld.

「s.h.i.+eld of Ø」

The moment I use a skill, the s.h.i.+eld starts emitting light.
Oh… it sure looks cool. I’ll try it out later.
It doesn’t seem to have any strange effects, so there’s no problem.
The s.h.i.+eld itself is too weak to be of any use, but its abilities may be useful.
There are games where weapons like these make their appearance as well.

“Well, if Fitoria’s okay with it, it’s probably best to feed it to all of our weapons.” (Naofumi)

And so, the contents of the bottle are depleted drop by drop.
Everyone unlocks the same Ø weapon with the exact same abilities.

“Firo, wanna try drinking it?” (Naofumi)
“Eh? … Isn’t it poison? No.” (Firo)
“Well, that’s true.” (Naofumi)

Why did the Hero of the Past feed it to Fitoria despite knowing it was poison?
Could it be this bird was actually hated?
Though, I’m just as guilty for trying to feed it to Firo.

“GUA!” (Fitoria)
“Eh? … don’t wanna.” (Firo)
“What was that?” (Naofumi)
“Um, you see, Fitoria says Firo has to drink it when Firo succeeds her.” (Firo)

Drink the poison?
Is this some custom, or ceremony of succession?
I’ll stay silent here.
We finish cleaning up and return, but Gaelion refuses to come near me when I hold the bottle.

“KYUA!” (Gaelion)
“What’s wrong?” (Naofumi)

When I step forward, he follows suit and steps back.

『D-d-don’t come any closer! From thy being, I feel something ominous. Something that causes the muscles along my spine to turn to ice! 』

I hand the bottle to Raphtalia and try approaching the dragon once more.
And Gaelion stops drawing back.
It seems the poison’s a natural Dragon Repellent.
It’s an interesting tool, Fitoria said to return it after giving it to all of the Heroes, so I’ll have to give it back later.

And now to report on the s.h.i.+eld of Ø’s abilities, or more like the abilities of the whole series.
It is a joke skill just meant to show off.
After unlocking it, I try using it to take on monster attacks, but nothing happens, and I can’t defend against them.
It shatters instantly.

Raphtalia’s 『Hammer of Ø』 and Firo’s 『Claw of Ø』…
They look flashy, but they can’t inflict a single point of damage against monsters.
It doesn’t have anything to do with holding back. The skill literally does 0 damage.

Raphtalia’s surrounds hers with light… and displays a special effect cool enough to make one want to shout out the skill name with great emotion…
Its Cooldown time is 0, and its SP cost is 0. It really is a joke.
Was there a necessity to spread something like this around all of the Heroes?

Well, like that, we cleaned up Fitoria’s house, and finished excavating the ancient ruins left by past Heroes.
As a result, we found some good equipment, so I won’t offer any complaints.