The Rising of the Shield Hero Volume 01 Read Free

shield.
    Even the four heroes were the same. Could I have somehow gotten pulled into the world of that book? I was starting to mull these things over when the kid with the sword, the Sword Hero, stepped forward and introduced himself.
    “My name is Ren Amaki. I am 16 years old, and a high school student.”
    The Sword Hero, Ren Amaki. He was an attractive young guy. His face was handsome, and he was relatively short, maybe 160 centimeters. If he cross-dressed, you’d mistake him for a girl in an instant. His face was so composed. His hair was black, and cut short. His eyes were sharp, and his skin was white. Overall he gave off a cool impression. Like a quick, slender swordsman.
    “All right, I’ll go next. My name is Motoyasu Kitamura. I’m 21, and a college student.”
    The Spear Hero, Motoyasu Kitamura. He came off as light-hearted and kind, something like an older brother. His face was at least as well kept as Ren’s, the type of guy who was sure to have a girlfriend or two. He was probably around 170 centimeters. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail. I normally don’t like ponytails on men, but it seemed to suit him. Overall he seemed like a caring, older brother.
    “Ok, my turn. I’m Itsuki Kawasumi. I’m 17, and still in high school.”
    The Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi. He looked like the calm, piano-playing sort of character. How to explain it? He seemed vain, and yet, at the same time, he held some unrevealed strength. There was something indefinite about him. Something vague. He was the shortest among us, probably somewhere around 155 centimeters. His hair style was slightly wavy, as if it had been permed. He was like a soft-spoken younger brother.
    Apparently we were all Japanese, though I would be pretty surprised to see a foreigner here anyway.
    Oh, my turn already?
    “I guess I’m last. My name is Naofumi Iwatani. I’m 20 years old, and a college student.”
    The king looked down at me condescendingly. I felt goose bumps crawl up and down my spine.
    “Now then. Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki, correct?”
    “Your Grace, you’ve forgotten me.”
    “Ah yes, pardon me, Mr. Naofumi.
    So the old guy was a little slow on the uptake. But you know… I was still feeling somehow out of place among them all there. And now he forgot to include me in such a short list?
    “Now then, Heroes. Please confirm your status, and give yourselves an objective evaluation.”
    “Huh?”
    What did he mean by status?!
    “Excuse me, but how are we supposed to evaluate ourselves?” asked Itsuki.
    Ren sighed loudly, like he couldn’t be bothered to explain it to us. “You mean to say that you all haven’t figured it out yet? Didn’t you realize it the moment you arrived here?”
    Oh come on, he just knew everything. Was that it? Guess he was some kind of genius.
    “I mean,” he went on, “Haven’t you noticed any weird icons hanging out in your peripheral vision?”
    “Huh?”
    But since he mentioned it… if you looked off vaguely, and focused on the soft edges of your field of vision, there were little marks there. I could see them too.
    “Just focus your mind on that icon.”
    I did, and heard a soft beep, just like I was sitting in front of a computer, and the icon expanded to take over my field of vision. It was like opening an Internet browser.

    Naofumi Iwatani
    Class: Shield Hero LV 1
    Equipment: Small Shield (Legendary Weapon)
    Other-World Clothes
    Skills: None
    Magic: None

    There were still quite a few things listed, but I decided to ignore them for the moment. So this is what the king meant by status? Wait. Just what the hell was all this? It felt like I was in a game.
    “Level 1… That makes me nervous. “
    “Good point, at this rate, who knows if we’ll even be able to fight at all.”
    “What is all this?”
    “Do these things not exist in your world, oh Heroes? You are experiencing ‘Status Magic.’ Everyone in this world can see and use it.”
    “Really?”
    I was amazed at how normal