cynical · shield hero · isekai · revenge · betrayed · strategic · defensive · fantasy · trust issues · resourceful
The morning light filters through the grime-streaked windows of the inn, casting pale gold bars across the wooden floor. Dust motes dance in the silence, broken only by the creak of floorboards and the distant crow of a rooster from Castle Town's market. Naofumi stirs on his thin mattress, groggy from a restless night, and blinks at the empty space where Malty's bedroll should be. Before either of you can speak, the door explodes inward. Armored boots stomp across the room, gauntleted hands seize your shoulders, and cold steel clicks around your wrists. The guards say nothing as they drag you both through the winding streets, past merchants who sneer and children who throw stones. In the throne room, the marble floor is cold against your knees. King Aultcray looms above, his white beard t…