In his whole life, Naofumi has never seen someone as tall and beautiful as the woman in front of him. His face was so red he felt steam could come out of his ears. He watched as the light-blue-haired woman asked if he was alright, her voice stern but gentle. It sounded so soft and serious.
He took note of her eyes, dark purple and pale yellow; he felt he could stare at them for hours. Her outfit was like there was no way to describe it, but it did anyway. Her hair has a black headband above her bangs with a four-pointed silver, white, and blue hairpin to her left.
Her outfit consists of a blue cape on her right shoulder, a backless black bodysuit covered in white on top, white sleeves, a blue tie, a pair of black gloves with blue palms, blue stockings, and thigh-high boots.
Her bodysuit has a silver symbol of her clan on each hip, and the white cover on top is secured below her breasts with a black belt. Her boots are accented with silver with an additional strap, silver heels with spurs, and blue soles.
It all made her seem very important along with the big sword she carries. Naofumi wonders how much strength she has to be able to land a wide slash on those Hilichurls. And along with a cyan gem on the front of her cape.
Naofumi couldn't help but blurt out "You're beautiful!" without thinking of the consequences of saying those two words to someone he just met.
He expected an expression of disgust or at least harsh words, but all he got was…
"You dare to say those words to me? Mark my words, vengeance will be mine!"
A threat, Naofumi received a threat of vengeance against the woman who saved him. But at the same time she turned away, hiding a small blush on her face, never did she think she would hear those words from someone other than her friend.
But she did turn back to face him as she took note of his appearance, and she concluded that he was a foreigner who must have gotten lost and ended up in the mountains just north of the city. She wondered why he used a shield instead of a sword, or a bow. In her mind, she only saw elemental shields and actual shields from Hilichurls.
As well as not having heard stories of… She wondered how to approach this, but before she could do anything, Naofumi bowed to her.
"Thank you for helping me against those Hilichurls. If it isn't much trouble, may I ask for your name?"
Naofumi spoke with politeness and thankfulness. To have met a savior it was obvious to know the name of his savior. The woman didn't speak for a moment, as if she was fearing something, but spoke.
"My name is Eula Lawrence, 4th captain of the Reconnaissance Company of the Knights of Favonius, the Spindrift Knight! Foreigner, may I ask for your name?"
Eula did a salute while stating her title, which made Naofumi widen his eyes, an important figure from a group of knights. He then realized what she said and asked as he introduced himself.
"Ah! My name is Naofumi Iwatani, and… Uh… Yes, I'm a foreigner from a faraway land."
He guessed that she hadn't heard of the legendary heroes, more specifically the Shield Hero, as she did look at his legendary shield and showed no reaction, just curiosity. If that was the case, then how was he supposed to admit he's from another world? Did this world even accept outsiders?
"Well, Mr. Iwatani, your clothing isn't native to other nations. But what kind of far-away land do you claim you're from?"
She asked with suspicion in her voice. To Naofumi, it was understandable. She is a knight, and the city he saw before must be her home. She would ensure that he isn't a threat to the city. Not that he would ever be because of his stats. But he is wondering what level Eula is at to be that strong.
Naofumi thought of the pros and cons of telling her the truth, but in reality, could he even lie to a knight? And if this were a game, then there should have been choices of what he could choose to answer. He saw none of that and understood what he said would be his choice. So after thinking with the stare that Eula was giving him, he braced himself and spoke.
"I'm really from a far-away land, to put it more simply, I'm from another world, I was summoned here to be the legendary Shield Hero."
He answers her question as he raises his shield up for her to see. To Eula, she thought it was preposterous that a man like him claims to be from another world, there was no record of people ascending from other worlds, or any legends of a hero wielding a shield.
But before she could say anything, the shield in Naofumi's hand began to glow in bright green as a small gust of wind surrounded the shield it changed form. It went from a rock-looking shield to a shield that looks like a sunsettia.
Eula was shocked that a shield could change to a different kind. It wasn't like how she summoned her greatsword and that he didn't have a Vision. Or maybe that green gem on his shield must be equivalent to a Dendro Vision as it did glow but didn't show any Dendro elements.
"As you can see I can change my shield to a different version of it. Do you or anyone have an ability similar to this in this world?"
Naofumi asks Eula, and she thinks of what she knows from the knights and the other nations. She did hear that Sumaru and Fontaine were more advanced than the other nations, but never heard of having a shield that could change forms.
"If you still don't believe, which is understandable, then could I punch you? I have an incredibly low attack that I could barely hurt slimes. I even think this shield wouldn't let me attack even if I tried."
This causes Eula to be alert of what Naofumi wishes to demonstrate of what he claims. She thought it was absurd to ask permission to punch her.
"I promise it wouldn't hurt at all, and you can add another vengeance to my name should it do."
He spoke as he recalled the threat she made to him, the best he could pay back for doing this was another reason to have revenge on him. Eula still didn't look corporate, but didn't see or sense any maliciousness from Naofumi as she sighed. She simply gave him a nod as Naofumi did the same.
He raised his arms, prepared a fist, then aimed directly at Eula's cheek as he landed the punch. It looked like Naofumi was attacking a knight, but in Eula's eyes, she was shocked at how it didn't hurt at all. She didn't think that it was even a punch at all.
But before she could say anything, Naofumi did another punch, then another, to the point where he was proving that he couldn't hurt her at all, even to the point where he used his shield back to its rock form.
Soon Naofumi exhausted himself as he was about to stand with one knee, but before he could do that Eula caught him as she carefully set him down. She touches her cheek and looks all over her body, no pain or any soreness anywhere.
"You really can't attack! Even the weakest bandit can hurt me! What kind of shield is that?"
"Apparently the legendary shield. I'm not even sure if leveling up would give me more attack points."
"Stats? Leveling up?"
Naofumi guessed that she didn't have her own status screen, or was even aware of the leveling system. Perhaps the legendary shield could see its own growth. What a strange world he ended up in. But he did wonder if it would work on her without having a legendary weapon.
"Hold on. Let me try something…"
He opens his party menu as he recalls the information about inviting people to his party. It said he can send an invite to others as they are informed of who wishes to invite them. Naofumi wonders if sending an invite to Eula would give her a status screen similar to his. One way to find out is to send the invite to her.
Once he sends the invite, he looks back at Eula, who is waiting patiently for an answer. But suddenly her vision began to slowly blur, and it quickly faded away as she was confused about what had just happened.
"What… Did you just do? I swear this grudge won't be forgotten."
Ignoring another threat, Naofumi quickly explained the system, at least tried to explain it to her understanding. Eula then spent an entire minute trying to find the system, which he said was in her field of vision, as she was able to open her own menu. Naofumi was bemused at seeing Eula trying to touch nothing.
Eula was amazed by how this unique screen was able to know her name, title, and class. She even saw her own stats as the numbers looked right to her. Being in the Knights of Favonius really improved her strength in combat and power. Though she is questioning why her "Level" is at one.
She assumes that the experience level is related to the system, not to her physical experience. She never saw a system that shows her own stats, and she also realized that Naofumi was telling the truth; not even the wisest or smartest scholars could have thought of a system like this. Or else it would have already been known.
"You really are from another world Mr. Iwatani. This… This is so surprising!"
"Yeah, it was the same for me when I realized I was in another world."
"So it seems, then I assume that you are unaware of where you are?"
Naofumi nodded as Eula nodded to herself as she educated him.
"You are at the northern mountains of Starfell Valley, more importantly within the borders of Mondstadt, the Nation of Freedom."
"Mondstadt?"
"Yes, this is the land of wind where our Anemo Archon, Barbatos, watches over us. Those who are from other nations will find the place here pleasant and wonderful. The breeze here makes you feel like you're safe and protected."
Naofumi nodded as he took note of the words "Anemo Archon," and "Barbatos." It seems that Barbatos is the ruler of this nation. And he can admit the winds here do feel pleasant and good.
"Our nation is welcome to outsiders, perhaps more to your current arrival. After all, you don't seem to belong to any nation as I'm telling you about Mondstadt."
"Yes, at least you're welcoming towards me. That means you're a nice knight."
Eula flinches at Naofumi's words, but she quickly shrugs it off and continues to speak. Filling Naofumi in with what he needs to know in Teyvat, the name of the world. It took as long as the sun was beginning to set. Eula notices this and asks Naofumi to follow her back to her base, as, after what she has seen and heard, she doubts he'll be able to survive out here.
Naofumi agrees, as he, too, knows he wouldn't be able to relax if those Hilichurls were everywhere. He would prefer to battle slimes. But before he does, he asks Eula to wait for a moment as he goes to absorb the corpses of the Hilichurls.
Eula turned around and was about to ask why, but what she saw shocked her even more. Naofumi was absorbing the Hilichurls in his shield. She was shocked that Naofumi would absorb those creatures, not even those with Visions would place actual remains in their storage.
The best they could bring back were the masks and the builds for training or the loot left behind. The corpse would eventually vanish, as it had happened many, many times before. Eula did ask Naofumi why he absorbed all of them as he explained the perks of having a legendary weapon.
It fascinates her that a shield can unlock many forms just by absorbing things. But she did ask why he couldn't use any other weapons than his shield. It was when Naofumi asked her to lend her greatsword/claymore to him. She was confused but lent her weapon to him as he went to grab it.
The moment he touched the hilt, electric sparks burst out of the shield and shocked Naofumi's hand while also shocking Eula who still held her weapon as the greatsword was flung away from the two of them.
Warning! Users cannot wield weapons that aren't from the same weapon class!
The warning pops up in Naofumi's vision, and it also sends a warning to Eula, but in similar words.
Warning! Legendary Heroes cannot wield weapons that are not from the same weapon class!
"What… What kind of limitation does your shield have? Isn't it supposed to be a legendary weapon or whatever it is?"
"I wish I could say the answer but to think it would shock me just by trying to hold it. Unless…"
Naofumi thought of something as he went to get the greatsword. Once he was near it, he went to grab it again. But this time he has no intention of using it, just holding onto it. Naofumi touched the hilt once more and this time the shield didn't shock him. This baffled Eula even more as he was now holding her weapon instead of being shocked again.
"It seems as long as I do not have any intentions of using your weapon to fight then I'm able to hold it without violating the warning."
"A strange loophole."
"Anyway, now you see why I can't wield other weapons other than shields."
He said as he handed Eula back her greatsword. She grabbed it and thanked Naofumi as the two headed off back to her base. Once the two reach there Eula prepares to make dinner as Naofumi asks if he can help.
Eula did ask Naofumi if he could cook, to which he replied that he's a natural cook. This amuses her as she agrees for him to help out. It was strange to her, she had just met this strange person, and yet she felt safe just being near him.
And… Now that she had gotten a good look at his shield, she swore she had heard something about it. But because of certain issues regarding her life, she is prevented from reading history from a long, long time ago.
Perhaps, maybe meeting an outsider like him could be a chance for her to make a new friend. Another friend from afar, like a certain lawyer from the Nation of Contract.
Before she knew it, dinner was already done, and she was surprised at how fast it was, or maybe time quickly went by. The dish looks perfect, as if it were a moon crest pie. Naofumi saw unique pies before, but not like the ones he made with Eula.
"Looks perfect, itadakimasu!"
Naofumi claps his hands as he also closes his eyes. When he opens them, his eyes are met with Eula's confused ones.
"Was that… An Inazuma gesture?"
"No, it's… Inazuma?"
"Yes, I've met a few Inazuma foreigners who use that gesture, and some even use that word you used. I never got to understand the meaning. Could you tell me what it means?"
"Oh! It means expressing gratitude for the meal before eating. It's a way of showing respect for everyone who prepares the meal or eats the meal. You should do it too, after all, we did make this delicious pie together."
Eula slowly nodded as she did the same thing as Naofumi softly spoke "Itadakimasu." The two then began eating as each found the meal to be very enjoyable. Eula did have some questions she liked to ask Naofumi, about his world, why he was brought here, and more about this system.
"Mr. Iwatani, could you please explain more about this system? I am still getting used to this."
"Sure, I don't mind telling you about it. You can also continue telling me about Mondstadt, I wish to hear more of the City of Freedom."
Eula nodded as Naofumi explained the system to her as she was able to join Naofumi's party as he now had access to view her status. And boy did he feel jealous when he saw her stats, but at the same time, he admired how high her stats are when at level 1. He even thought of the same thing Eula thought of why her stats were like that.
Once everything made sense to her, she then continued to explain the history and knowledge of the city, in which she had somewhat grown up. Up to the point… Where she had to explain the dark meaning of her name.
"There was a time, so many centuries ago, an aristocratic era, my family name was the most powerful clan of all Mondstadt. After centuries of the old Mondstadt, greed, wealth, and power drove my ancestors to believe they were untouchable. That nobody can oppose them, not even the other clans, nobles who are part of them, or their citizens. Even outsiders weren't welcomed like in today's era.
They even went so far as to enslave their own people and foreigners who dared come to the city. It went on for a long, long time, possibly to the halfway point of the ancient Archon War that happened thousands of years ago. But there was someone who was a slave, who would do anything to protect her people.
She is known as Vennessa, and she led the rebellion against my ancestors and was able to free Mondstadt from their rule. With the help of Lord Barbatos who gave her the strength to defeat the Lawrence clan. My ancestors, along with the other nobles who followed their example, were exiled from Mondstadt.
Vennessa then established the Knights of Favonius to prevent tyrants from taking over Mondstadt again. But my ancestors, to the point of my generation, tried many times, many ways to take back the power they once had. It also didn't help that the entire population of Mondstadt sees my family and me as threats that shouldn't remain in Mondstadt."
Naofumi was shocked by the information about what had happened to Mondstadt so very long ago. But for the citizens of Mondstadt to also see Eula as a threat, especially as she is a knight herself. That should mean she isn't a threat to the people's eyes, right?
"I was a different child within my family, I have views different from my family, I felt that we were the problem, not the other way around. It was a difficult life for me as everyone would avoid, ignore me, and even refuse to let me shop even if I had the money to buy food, clothing, or even rent a room.
You can say I grew used to surviving outside the city, I fought for survival, and eventually joined the knights two years ago. It caused an uproar among both the people and my family. Even the citizens signed a petition to remove me from the knights. But the Grand Master Varka, along with other knights who didn't mind me joining them, was able to ease the uproar.
But that didn't mean the people saw things differently for me. Even if I became a knight or not, I was still a parasite to everyone. Some even claim I only joined the knights to spy for my family. And no matter how much I've done for the people and the city, I still received glares and hatred from everyone.
The only places I can get to sleep are within the headquarters of the Knights of Favonius and my friend Amber in her home. I carry the name of the sins. And honestly, I couldn't care less about the treatment I receive."
The moment she said that Naofumi stood up and looked at her with utmost seriousness.
"That doesn't give them the excuse to keep treating you like this! You shed sweat and blood to fight for the city you swore to protect. But those people obviously don't appreciate everything you do! What is the point of being the people of freedom if they wouldn't see you as a person of freedom too?
Eula, I wouldn't care less about your family background or history. Just meeting you and getting to know you just makes me see that you're not what everyone sees you as. You're not the sinners of your family's dark past, you're your own person, your own self
You are a different person compared to your family. To me, you're a knight who helped me, spoke, and even helped me understand this world. I don't care if I'm from a whole different world, I know that you're not a threat or someone I should hate. You're a kind person Eula, and nothing is going to change that!"
Eula watched in pure shock at Naofumi's words, her eyes beginning to look swollen with tears threatening to be shown. But she looked away, unable to properly meet his eyes.
"Daring to say those things to me! I will remember this grudge!"
This time her threat only made Naofumi smile as he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Your talk about vengeance must be a defense mechanism to hide away the hurt and pain of every word people normally say to you. Honestly, if something similar happened to me like it did to you, then I would close myself off from the world. You don't have to admit it, Eula, I understand, there are still people out there who would be your friend, and I'm one of them."
"I… I swear! If you don't stop… I'll… I'll add it as another vengeance!"
He didn't say anything more as he gently hugged her from behind, Eula flinched once more as the dam finally broke through. Tears were now flowing down her eyes as quiet sobs were being heard. She slowly embraced the warmth that Naofumi gave her as she accepted it.
In her mind, no one, no one other than Amber and her grandpa, even when it was similar or not, has said those things to her. She felt that she could trust Naofumi completely. To her, she finally found someone else she could quietly admit as her friend.