The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 01 by Aneko Yusagi Page B

understand?”
    “…”
    She kept her terrified eyes fixed on me and nodded.
    “Okay then, I’m giving you this knife…”
    I then opened my cape to reveal the Orange Balloons there. I removed one and held it out to Raphtalia.
    “Stab this, and pop it.”
    “Heee?!”
    When I held out the balloon, she let out a shriek of surprise and seemed so taken aback that she nearly dropped her knife.
    “I… uh…”
    “That’s an order. Do it.”
    “I… No.”
    She obstinately shook her head. But she was a slave, and there was magic that would punish her for disobeying.
    “Ugh…”
    “See? If you don’t attack it, you’re the one who gets hurt.”
    Cough! Cough!
    Her face was twisted in pain, and her hands were shaking. She steadied her grip on the knife.
    “You…” murmured the owner, looking down at us from the counter.
    Raphtalia settled her nerves, braced herself, and stabbed at the balloon from behind.
    “You’re weak! Try harder!”
    “…?! But!”
    She had bounced backwards from her last attack. Recovering, she steadied her footing and lunged forward for another attack.
    The balloon burst with a loud pop.

    EXP 1
    Raphtalia EXP 1

    The words appeared before me, telling me that a party member had defeated an enemy, which made me question something.
    Her . She’d never actually joined my party, so apparently she’d never had any intention of actually helping me.
    “Nice one.”
    I rubbed her head. She shot me a confused look in response.
    “All right, next one.”
    The strongest balloon had been chewing on my arm for a whole week. I tore it off and held it out to her, just as before. It must have weakened somewhat, being stuck on my arm without food or drink for a whole week. Even a weak little girl, level 1, should have been able to break it.
    She gave a determined nod and narrowed her eyes before attacking the balloon from behind.

    EXP 1
    Raphtalia EXP 1

    Huh? An icon was flashing at the corner of my vision.
    “Looks like you’re up to it. Let’s get started.”
    “… Cough”
    I told her to sheath her weapon, and she did as I asked.
    “Oh, hey, I forgot.”
    “What?”
    The shop owner was still glaring at me.
    “You’re gonna have a hard life, and die hard.”
    “Thanks a bunch.”
    I answered his sarcasm with sarcasm of my own.
    We left the shop and made for the fields. Walking down the main street, Raphtalia seemed amazed at all the shops. She held my hand as we walked and threw glances to the left and right. On our way through town, we were both stopped in our tracks by a delicious smell in the air.
    I still had… 3 pieces of silver. Come to think of it, I was pretty hungry.
    I could hear Raphtalia’s stomach grumbling along with my own.
    I looked over to her and…
    “Ah!”
    She quickly shook her head, denying her grumbling stomach. What was she trying so hard for?
    I needed Raphtalia to be strong if I was going to make any money at all. There was no point to buying a knife if I didn’t keep it sharp. If she was hungry, she wouldn’t fight as well as she could. I looked around for a quick, cheap place to eat. I picked one, and as I entered…
    “Come on in!”
    The place was a little beat up, and the waitress seemed a little confused as she led us to our seat. On our way to the table, Raphtalia spotted a family eating across the room. She locked her gaze on them. The kids were eating a kid’s meal, and she was staring at it enviously.
    So that’s what she wanted. We took our seats, and I ordered before the waitress had a chance to get away.
    “I’ll have your cheapest lunch. This one’ll have whatever that kid over there is eating.”
    “What?!”
    Raphtalia turned on me in shock. I didn’t see what was so surprising about it.
    “Very well sir. That will be 9 bronze pieces.”
    “Sure.”
    I gave her a piece of silver, and received the remainder in change.
    We waited quietly for our food to arrive, and Raphtalia looked all around the restaurant. I noticed a few tables