Moonrise(Rising Of The Shield Hero x Great One Male Reader)

16: The Midst Of The Scourge

"I can't trust a word to come from a royal's mouth." Naofumi remarked, watching Melty leave the shop.

"You should've given her a chance to speak, at the very least." You told Naofumi. He shook his head, staring at his stats.

"Hey, Master? Why are you so cold to Mel?" Filo asked. When Naofumi didn't immediately answer, she stepped up, grabbing the book shield he had equipped.

  "Why, tell me why!" She insisted.

  "Filo, he'll answer when he's ready. The royal family's brought him nothing but heartache since he first arrived here." You told her. After a moment, Naofumi lifted his hand, resting it on Filo's head.

  "Filo... you mustn't play with that girl anymore." Naofumi ordered. Filo's eyes widened at the news as Naofumi stood up, facing the doorway.

  "Naofumi, trying to speak to her like a father now won't help her understand the situation." Raphtalia protested. You put a hand in her shoulder, stopping her.

  "Don't try and change his mind now. Remember that so far, every other encounter with royalty ended with betrayal." You told her. Raphtalia nodded before clenching her fist and looking back towards Naofumi.

  "I... I understand, but surely, he shouldn't-"

  "Raphtalia, drop it." You ordered. Raphtalia stopped, before sighing, nodding her head.

  "Yes, Y/n." She answered. You smiled at her, leaning her head against your neck while rubbing her shoulder.

  "Attagirl. I'll try and convince him otherwise another day." You promised. Your short exchange of words was interrupted when Filo ran past you, stopping to grab onto your leg.

  "Y/n! Master's not telling me why I can't play with Mel!" She cried out, tears starting to well up. You leaned down, picking up Filo and holding her up.

  "There there, I'll make sure to find a way you two can play again soon, just give me some time, okay?" You told her. Filo nodded, hiccuping as she brushed a tear away with a fist.

  "Naofumi, I'm gonna take Filo outside for a moment to let her get some fresh air, okay?" You asked. Naofumi didn't answer, looking away.

  "...I'll be right back." You told him, walking to the entrance of the shop, and out the door. You sat Filo down on a barrel, letting her stare down at her feet as you patted her back to comfort her.

  "It's gonna be okay, Filo. I promise." You told her. Filo nodded again. The clanking of several suits of armor caught your attention, getting you to look up at a rather large group of knights that had gathered in front of the store, accompanied by some other low level-looking adventurers.

  "Can I help you?" You asked, shooting a look at the one in the lead. You saw a bead of sweat travel down his face as he lifted his hands in surrender.

  "I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir, but is the Shield Hero inside this store?" He asked you. You narrowed your eyes at him, before he caught on to the suspicion surrounding his choice of words.

  "Oh, I promise it's nothing bad! In fact, we kinda owe him a lot, really." He admitted, scratching the back of his head. You sighed at the knight, before reaching over to swing the door open.

  "You have visitors, Naofumi!" You shouted out. The knights and adventures, making up about 5 in total, stepped inside. You grabbed Filo's hand, guiding her inside as well to witness the upcoming conversation.

  "You again?" Naofumi seemed to recognize the one in front.

  "What the hell do you want?" He asked. You shut the door behind you as the knight started speaking again.