Chapter 10: The Weight of a Shield
Inside the carriage, silence reigned.
Anna sat upright, her back tense, while Emily slept soundly on her lap. The gentle rise and fall of the girl's chest was the only sign of calm within the enclosed space.
Anna glanced toward the carriage wall, her fingers tightening slightly against the fabric of her dress.
"It's been a while since the young master went outside…" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible.
"It's awfully… too quiet…"
What Anna didn't know was that the silence wasn't natural.
Fate had deployed a two-star silent barrier around the carriage, completely sealing off all sound from the outside world. No clashing steel. No shouts. No screams. Nothing could pass through.
Outside the barrier, the battlefield was far from quiet.
Isaac remained restrained, magical chains tightening around his body as the bandit's skill Bind continued to hold him in place.
(Hang on, young master…) Isaac thought grimly.
(The restraints are starting to loosen.)
Nearby, Fate and the bandit leader clashed without pause.
Neither allowed the other even a moment to breathe.
Fate activated his skill.
(Flowing Butterfly Sword.)
A faint, shimmering image of a butterfly formed around his blade, its wings appearing to flutter with every movement of the sword. The bandit noticed immediately and raised his shield, attempting to block Fate's strike head-on.
But Fate didn't meet the shield.
Instead, he shifted—his movements light, flowing, unpredictable—slipping past the shield's range entirely. His blade carved across the bandit's back.
Blood splattered.
The bandit staggered forward, then quickly regained his footing, gritting his teeth as blood continued to seep from the wound.
"Why, you damn brat!!!" he roared.
"I'll make you pay! How dare you strike me from behind! Do you have no honor?!"
Fate responded with a small smirk.
"Honor?" he said calmly.
"Coming from someone who tried to gang up on us?"
The bandit snarled and suddenly lunged forward, attempting a surprise strike.
Fate reacted instantly.
(Fortified Guard)
A condensed energy shield manifested over Fate's left arm, reinforcing his body at the same time. The bandit's attack slammed into the shield and was stopped cold. The bandit fell silent.
Fate didn't waste the opening.
"Crystal Spikes."
Crystal Spikes
Rarity: Uncommon
– Spawns crystallized spikes from the ground to attack and lock the target in place.
Crystalline spikes erupted from beneath the bandit's feet, piercing through and pinning him to the ground. He screamed as the spikes stabbed into his legs, immobilizing him completely.
Before he could react Isaac broke free.
With a powerful leap, Isaac surged forward, blade flashing. In one clean motion, he severed the bandit's arm—the very arm wielding the Shield Eater.
"ARGHHHH!!!"
"My arm! My arm!"
The scream echoed across the road.
It was loud enough to draw attention.
Two capital guards, who had been patrolling nearby, rushed toward the source of the noise. When they arrived, they were met with the sight of unconscious bandits scattered across the ground.
The leader lay restrained, his right arm severed.
Fate and Isaac stood nearby, weapons still in hand.
"Hands where we can see them!" one guard shouted.
"Drop your weapons!"
Without resistance, Fate and Isaac complied, placing their weapons on the ground and raising their hands.
One guard approached cautiously.
"What happened here?"
Isaac spoke calmly, explaining everything—how the bandits had been tailing them, the confrontation, and how the fight unfolded.
The guard listened carefully, then nodded.
"I see… our apologies for the misunderstanding," he said.
"We should have realized these were bandits."
"It's alright," Fate replied.
"None of us were seriously wounded."
Fate glanced at the shield lying nearby and picked it up. He attempted to hand it to the guard, however, the guard shook his head.
"You should keep it," he said.
"It's the spoils of your fight—and a token of our gratitude for capturing and sparing these criminals."
Fate hesitated, then nodded.
"If you insist… pardon me."
After the guards finished securing the bandits and calling for reinforcements, another guard approached to confirm the details one last time. Isaac recounted the events again, and with that, they were cleared to leave.
They returned to the carriage.
Fate canceled the barrier.
Anna immediately looked up in relief, and at the same moment, Emily stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
The journey resumed.
Later that day, after arriving home, Fate headed straight to Vale's office.
Knock. Knock.
"Father, it's me," Fate said.
"May I come in?"
"Ah, Fate," Vale replied.
"You may come in."
Fate entered and bowed slightly.
"Good afternoon, Father. I have returned."
Vale wasted no time.
"Tell me," he said, his tone firm.
"How was your visit to the Capital?"
Fate hesitated for a moment, then spoke honestly. He told everything, nothing was left out. The visit, the ambush, the battle with the bandits.
When he finished, Vale nodded.
"So… you were attacked by bandits," Vale said,
"and you won with Isaac's help."
Fate closed his eyes. In his past life, fighting always led to scolding. He braced himself.
But—
Instead of anger, Vale smirked.
"Well done," Vale said.
"As expected of my son."
Fate froze. Slowly, realization dawned on him this wasn't his past family this was his new one, a family that supported him.
"Thank you, Father," Fate said softly. He then presented the shield.
"This is the shield I obtained."
Vale examined it carefully.
"And what do you plan to do with it?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," Fate admitted.
"I don't usually use a shield… but this one has a powerful ability."
Vale nodded thoughtfully.
"Why not synchronize it with your defensive skill—Fortified Guard?"
Fate stiffened.
Elizabeth's warning echoed in his mind.
Vale noticed his hesitation.
"Fate," he said.
"You're spacing out."
"I… don't know if I should use it," Fate replied.
"Mother told me to be careful with my Unique Skill."
"I see," Vale said quietly.
"Don't limit yourself. Embrace what you have—but remember your safety."
Fate nodded.
He made his decision.
Unique Skill: Memory Of The World
(Synchronize Fortified Guard with Shield Eater)
[Synchronization]
[Synchronizing: Fortified Guard + Shield Eater]
A dark, purplish aura spread across the System Window.
Then—
[Synchronization complete]
Gluttonous Aegis
Rarity: Legendary
– A purple-black shield with a monstrous mouth-like design. Absorbs the energy of attacks it blocks and converts it into mana. If mana is already full, absorbed energy is converted into regeneration, healing the user. Can change size depending on the user's control.
Vale listened to Fate about his new skill.
"That's… incredibly useful," he said, then looked at Fate.
"Why don't we test how much it can handle against one of my skills?"
Fate smiled.
"I would be honored."
Vale returned the smile.
End of Chapter 10