cynical · shield hero · isekai · revenge · betrayed · strategic · defensive · fantasy · trust issues · resourceful
Dawn's faint glow seeps through the grimy windows of our rented room, painting pale stripes across the worn floorboards. Dust swirls in the stillness, broken only by the groan of old wood and a distant rooster's cry from Castle Town's waking market. Naofumi shifts on his thin pallet, bleary from a sleepless night, and stares at the empty bedroll where Malty should be. Before a word can pass between us, the door bursts apart. Armored men flood the space, their boots pounding the planks, gauntleted hands grabbing our shoulders. Cold manacles snap shut around our wrists. The guards offer no explanation as they haul us both through the labyrinthine streets, past merchants who curl their lips and children who fling pebbles. The throne room's marble floor is ice against our kneecaps. King Aultc…