I’m currently outside hunting a pack of wolves. The quest stated that there’s a new pack that have settled near the village. Before it became a problem, I need to exterminate it. 

Fighting a wolf is a little tricky. They’re experts at hunting, especially since they hunt in groups. Though luckily, this isn’t a very large group, with 5 to 6 wolves at most. At least, that’s according to the guild’s reports. 

After a 3 hour walk, I arrived at the designated village. The village is normal, there’s a lot of mercenary here, probably because this is the nearest village from the town. 

Without further ado, I immediately start my hunt in the nearby forest. The pack should be somewhere near the north side of the village. 

Before Arriving at the location, I (Weiss) turn myself into a shield for Nero to use. 

Weiss transforms into a kite-shield, much bigger in comparison to the heater-shield she uses all the time. The same goes for Nero, she turns into a great-sword, longer than the long-sword she uses. 

I’d like to get used to these bodies as soon as possible, so I’m doing a bunch of different stuff. The reason I played as a living weapon is that when that character turns into a weapon, it basically doesn’t do anything except casting supports, so I can leave the fighting to the other player, who is also me. 

The reason this race isn’t all that popular is because you basically depends on the player you latch on. And after an update, they made it so that 70% of exp goes to the player using you, to prevent players from being parasites. 

This was also problem for me until I used a second account. The only hassle is that I have to switch between characters to level them up evenly. Overtime, I ended up with the skill to control both at the same time.

Though it seems that there’s no level system in this world, I still have the tendency to switch between characters. 

___________________________________

After a while, I managed to find the pack. It took me 30 minutes.

From what I can see, they are a group of 9 wolves. So far, they haven’t noticed me yet. The area around the pack is a clearing in the forest of about 30 meters in diameter.

After preparing myself, I immediately charged straight to the closest one. 

"""!!!"""

They noticed immediately the moment I showed myself, but I still managed to kill one of them with my strike. 

“Gyauu—“

One down. Eight left. 

I immediately take a defensive stance with my shield(Weiss) in front. The wolves are also on guard, but they are overcome with rage because of what happened to their comrade. 

While watching the wolves movements, I backed off slowly into the forest. Fighting a pack of wolves in a clearing is not an option. Fighting them in a forest is not a good option either, but it’s still better than in a clearing. 

As I slowly move backwards, I purposely look behind me to make an opening. One of the wolves saw this and immediately took the chance to attack. As it’s within reach, I immediately slash at the wolf and killed it. 

Two down. Seven left. 

Since Weiss is still facing forward, I can still look at my opponent even though Nero is looking elsewhere. With this, I can also cover myself behind the shield without blocking my point of view. 

After backing myself into the forest, and placing my back against a tree, the wolves started circling around me. Using the same method, I(Nero) left an opening by looking elsewhere. Fortunately, another wolf fell for it and died. 

Six left. 

I doubt my method will work again, since they are now more wary. The next moment, four wolves surrounding me immediately leapt onto me to attempt an attack. I positioned Weiss horizontally to block two wolves, then I use my sword to thrust into another wolf that charged in. Unfortunately, I can do nothing to the fourth wolf as it bites into my torso. 

Good thing I have armor. I immediately retrieved my sword and proceeded to stab the fourth wolf and killed it.

Four left. 

The other two wolves retreated after their failed attempts at attacking me. The remaining wolves are more wary and circling around me looking for an opening. 

Well then. How about I take this moment to use some skill. 

Weiss in her shield form, suddenly shines and released a skill. 

Holy Shield Skill: Holy Bind

Chains of light immediately appears and bind all the wolves. This skill can only bind up to five targets, and last for 30 seconds. 

During this time, I immediately went on the attack. I dropped my shield(Weiss) and freely slashed my enemies. 

It’s my first time using a skill other than transformation, so I’m a little worried. It’s a good thing I used Weiss on my first try, because if I went onto the attack and my skill failed, it wouldn’t be funny. 

Well, with this, I’ll just need some proof of subjugation and head back to town. 

___________________________________

A long time ago, a demon lord appeared and declared war on the world. It’s forces was powerful enough to overcome the onslaught from the surrounding countries. 

The kingdom of Krista is one of the countries that’s on the frontlines of the demon lord’s attack. However, a knight has been chosen to be a hero. She along with her companions, fights the demon lord head on. But, before the demon lord is defeated, he sealed himself so as to prevent himself from death. At the time, no one noticed this and assumed that he is dead. 

“And now, he will return and continue with his world domination” ~Celest

In one of the guest room in the castle, the heroes are told the history of the demon lord. 

“I see, so how many companions does this hero has?” ~Akatsuki

“Well, it says in the stories that the hero party has four members, but that doesn’t include the army of our nation” ~Celest 

“I see, of course when it comes to war, you obviously needed an army” ~Akatsuki

“And, there’s also a secret fifth member not mentioned in the history books” ~Celest

“Huh? A secret member?” ~Mizuki

“That’s right, I discovered this while researching the history records, but I found subtle clues that suggested there being a fifth member” ~Celest 

“Is it okay to be telling us this? Isn’t it some kind of national secret?” ~Mizuki

“I don’t mind, you are heroes after all, and it’s not really a national secret. It only consists of records that proves the existence of the hero” ~Celest

“Like what?” ~Midori

“Like purchasing records, birth certificates, diaries, and the like” ~Celest 

“So what makes you think that there’s a fifth member?” ~Akatsuki

“It’s because on the diary, there are several lines that suggested the hero are talking to five different individuals on a personal level. Three are her known companions, one is her fiancé, while the last one is a little obscure” ~Celest 

“Obscure how?” ~Mizuki

“It’s because this one doesn’t appear until the middle of her journey as a hero, and it’s narrated as if she’s not there and there at the same time” ~Celest 

“What does that mean?” ~Akatsuki

“I don’t know, but the only clue I find is the mentioned of the name ‘Kuro’ “ ~Celest

“...Kuro?” ~Akatsuki

“Yes. And yet there haven’t been any records of her history suggesting she is traveling with anyone else except her known companions, it’s as if she is only a shadow” ~Celest 

“You seemed pretty excited about this?” ~Akatsuki

“Of course I am! It’s one of the many mysteries of our world, the scholars are calling her the hero’s shadow. It’s one of many mysteries that they are trying to uncover! They are racing to be the first to discover it, and I’m currently the one who is in the lead” ~Celest 

“Hou, so Celest is also a scholar?” ~Akatsuki

“That’s right, when it comes to knowledge, nobody in the kingdom beats me!” ~Celest

During this conversation, one person raised her hand. 

“...” ~Natsuki

“Yes? What’s the matter?” ~Celest 

“...what are we doing here?” ~Natsuki

“Ah. Right. Excuse my tangent” ~Celest 

Celest, the first princess of the Kingdom of Krista, is currently briefing the heroes about the world of Arestle. 

“Anyway, every hero that existed will be given a holy weapon, received by the gods. This weapon will serve as prove that you have devoted yourself to god and deliver justice” ~Celest

“I see, so when can we receive our weapons?” ~Akatsuki

“The ceremony for it is currently being prepared, it won’t be finished until tomorrow, so for now I suggests that you all rest up” ~Celest 

“You haven’t prepared it in advance?” ~Mizuki

“Unfortunately, there are times that the hero summoning failed, so we can’t be sure what will happen. In those times, the country is really struggling to keep it’s peace, and if we’re lucky, a hero will naturally be born from one of our citizens” ~Celest

“I see” ~Mizuki

With that, concludes the end of the briefing for Akatsuki and the others.