The Rising of the Shield Hero of Peace

Chapter 4: Betrayal

The next morning, the footsteps of various knights were heard, as they rushed through the town in search of the shield hero. Yagi had just woken up from a night of questing, along with his three students to learn the basics of helping others in need.

"Alright, a new day? Another opportunity to save lives! I should go for some breakfast with my students, continue leveling up, and resume our training." Yagi thought, getting ready to head out.

Yagi and his students had decided to sleep somewhere in the forest, not being bothered to return to the castle. After all they had done, they came out with a good amount of extra currency, upgrades, higher levels, and a great desire to rest. Yagi figured sleeping and eating outdoors would be a good way to test their survival skills if the situation ever calls for it.

"Oh, good morning Sensei..." Itsuki said with a sleepy voice.

"Good morning, young Kawasumi." Yagi replied.

Just as he said that, Ren was just waking up, along with Motoyasu.

"Morning... Dad..." Motoyasu said, stretching.

"Morning, Sensei." Ren replied.

"So, what will be our duties for today?" Itsuki asked.

"Let's go grab some breakfast, you'll need a high amount of energy for today." Yagi suggested. "Today, we'll be working on leveling up faster by taking quests of a higher difficulty than yesterday." He continued.

"What could be worse than that Hydra...?" Motoyasu mumbled, remembering how difficult defeating the beast was.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure something will be more challenging, so be ready for anything!" Yagi said. "Grab your gear, and let's get going!" With those words, they were off to gather some breakfast and begin their day.

At the pub, the four got their meals and sat down at a table near the bar.

"Man, I don't know how they did it, but this food here is way better than what we ate back at the castle!" Motoyasu exclaimed, as he bit into his food and eating faster than the others.

"What he said." Itsuki said, with food still in his mouth.

"Agreed." Ren said.

Nothing was out of place, when out of the blue, knights burst through the doors of the pub, running to where the heroes were sitting.

"The king has issued a summon for you, heroes. More precisely, the shield hero. You are to come with us." One of the knights said.

"It must be something important, we should go." Itsuki said.

"Right." Yagi said, as his danger sense perked up again. "Be on guard."

At the castle, the four heroes were brought upon the king's throne room. Yagi's danger sense grew more and more until he was surrounded by knights holding spears to his neck. Yagi was taken off guard by this, and the other three were not happy about this.

"What is the meaning of this...?" Yagi said, with his smile fading into a serious expression.

"Yeah! What the hell did Sensei do?!" Motoyasu exclaimed.

"We demand an explanation of your reasoning for this sudden reaction!" Itsuki added.

"Students, calm down." Yagi said, trying to deescalate the situation, being interrupted by the king.

"Silence, you filth!" The king shouted. "Myne, sorry to ask my dear, but would you mind repeating your testimony for us again?" The king asked, looking down at the readhead.