" ": You talking

' ': You thinking

* *: Narrator/Voice-off

"What ?! Our rooms are gone ?!!"

Captain: We- WE'RE VERY SORRY !! We had prepared two special rooms for you... But the heroes who arrived here first... Well... Took it... they took the captain's quarters as well, so there are no open rooms...

Naofumi: 'Those fools... I understand that they have a lot of people, but... Aren't they misunderstanding the position the state gave them ?'

Captain: We're preparing to clear a normal room shortly, so...

"That's fine, we can share a room."

Captain: Oh, yes, if you would share a room with your friends, that-

Naofumi: NOT THAT !

"We'll share a room with normal passengers. Can you do at least that much ?"

Naofumi: 'Damn... Not only are the heroes who stole his room irritating, that captain is so servile, it makes me even more irritated !'

'Is there anything that doesn't makes you irritated ?'

Sailor: We- We're here. This is the only room available. It holds six people, and there are two adventurers already here. So you should have enough room...

'They must be here for the same thing... But considering how heavily restricted is Cal Mira. Without the State's backing them up, they must've paid quite a lot to get on this ship. Kicking them out would make us the same as those morons...'

"Well, here goes nothing."

???: Welcome !

Adventurer: Got something to discuss sonny ? Hm ? Is there something wrong ?

Naofumi: 'Sonny ?'

"We'd like to share your room, if possible."

Adventurer: Oh ! I see, I see ! Of course ! Come on in ! Don't just stand there, come and make yourself at home ! Are you guys heading for Cal Mira island ? We are too ! I guess we're room buddies now ! Let's be friends ! Sonny !

'This guy is way too happy to not be taking antidepressants...'

Naofumi: You know, we're both about 20, we can't be that much younger than you...

Adventurer: Haha, my bad. I just have a habit of addressing people who look younger than me like that ! Don't worry about it !

Therese: L'Arc ! Calm down a bit ! You're troubling our friends.

L'Arc: Am I really making that much of a fuss ? Am I ?

Therese: I wonder...

Raphtalia: Umm... Begging your pardon, but... Would you be from another country ?

Naofumi: Why do you ask, Raphtalia ?

Raphtalia: Huh ? I mean... I can't understand anything she's saying...

Therese: My apologies. Can you understand me now ?

Raphtalia: Oh, yes !

"'I suppose our weapons were doing the translation for us...' Was that magic ?"

Therese: Yes ! Now, our introduction... This is L'Arc, L'Arc Berg. I am Therese Alexanderite.

Filo: Filo is Filo !!

Raphtalia: I am Raphtalia.

L'Arc: Oh ! Nice to meet you ! And you two, sonnies ?

Naofumi: Naofumi. Iwatani Naofumi.

"Just call me Y/n, 'kay ?"

L'Arc: Naofumi ? Y/n ?

Naofumi: ... What's up ?

L'Arc: Pffr... HAHAHAHA !! That joke won't pas, sonnies ! If you're going under fake names, try choosing different ones !

"... What ?"

L'Arc: i'm not mistaken, am I ? those names, are the names of the Shield and Staff heroes, aren't they ?

"Yes... Because that's who we are..."

L'Arc: You're adventurers, you should know the stories about those "heroes"... Those incredibly vile demons Fraud ! Extortion ! Abduction ! Not only that, they have ministers at their neck and call, to execute anyone who dares to oppose them !

'... In a sense... He's not wrong.'

Naofumi: 'Shut up.'

L'Arc: Right ? And sonnies, you're not like that. I could tell from the moment I laid eyes on you. You're not that kind of fiend. So ? What's your real name ?

"... Y/n..."

L'Arc: There you go again !

Filo: Woaaaah !! We're here !!

L'Arc: So what are you here for, sonnies ?

"That should be obvious, isn't it ? Now that Cal Mira is active, there's but one thing to do here."

L'Arc: Haha, that's true ! So, how about leveling up together for a little while ?

Naofumi: Huh ? Why ?

L'Arc: that we met on the ship must be some sort of fate ! And it won't be as fun on your own ! Sometimes you can enjoy things more with a bigger group !

Naofumi: ... All right, just don't hold us back.

L'Arc: Haha ! That's what I want to say ! All right then, it's settled ! Since we don't know much about the island, let's do some research and then group up !

"Sure."

L'Arc: See you soon !! Oh, and, sonny ? Next time you wanna take the name of the staff hero, try having a staff with you, that usually help. Bye !

Naofumi: I didn't really noticed but yes, where did your staff go exactly ?

"It really took you so long to figure that out ? I still have it with me at all time, but having to constantly monopolize one of my hands just to hold it is kind of a pain, sooo... I found another way."

Naofumi: is that... A pen ?

"I have interior pockets, those are quite useful."

Raphtalia: Well, they seemed nice.

Naofumi: really ? They never believed we were heroes... What ? Why are you smiling so much... ?

Filo: Hehehe... Filo will do her best to level up !!

Raphtalia: I'll do my best too !

Naofumi: Well... Whatever...

'Now that I think about it... When was the last time our only true goal was to simply strive to be stronger... I suppose this is how a hero should think, maybe...'

Habenburg: Welcome ! I oversee the islands of this Cal Mira island. My name is Habenburg. And... I assume these are the rest of the heroes... ?

Ren: Gah...

Naofumi: Ah... They're seasick...

"Funnily enough, this is not a sight that I found to be displeasing."

Motoyasu: Why... Why are you two the only ones unaffected... ?

Naofumi: Hell if we know. But Raphtalia and Filo are unaffected.

"You guys are just being pathetic. Well, that's karma for stealing the rooms. Serves you right."

Habenburg: This is problematic... I thought to prepare a carriage to take to your lodgings...

Ren: Guh...

Filo: Filo has her own carriage !

"Speaking of, where did I put it... Which pocket is it in again..."

Naofumi: You guys, this is not the time...

Habenburg: Then... How about this ?

"Hm... So this is the market city..."

Habenburg: Originally, the Cal Mira Archipelago...

Motoyasu: C- Could we take a break, please...

Ren: It... Hurts...

Naofumi: 'Tourism... ?'

Filo: Master, can Filo go on ahead ?

"Just hold on for a bit..."

Raphtalia: I wonder if L'Arc and Therese have already started leveling...

Naofumi: Maybe. 'We've just started, and this trip is already screwed...'

Habenburg: take a look. This is a statue built by the aboriginal population.

Naofumi: You mean... before humans arrived... ?

Habenburg: As expected of the Shield hero, an astute observation. Those are the four species of demons: Doggy, pengy, bunny and squirely. Many monuments on these islands are built in their image.

"Do... Do they still live on these islands ?"

Habenburg: No. It's understood that after they settled the land, they moved somewhere else. By the way, the origins of these names, seem to be names of animals in the World of the heroes who once came here to train.

"I see... interesting choices indeed... 'They had even less imagination than me... Well at least we know that all heroes probably came from the same world, our own...'."

Habenburg: The epigraph they left behind is here. They told us they prepared it for the next set of heroes.

Naofumi: Let's see...

Motoyasu: This is a fake.

Itsuki: yeah, no way around it.

Ren: What do you mean ?

Itsuki: If they want us to read it, then it should be written in a script we can read. And we can't read this.

"Can you guys at least use magic ?"

Motoyasu: Yeah, what of it ?

"I mean actual magic, not use magic items. You really should study it, for your own sake. This, without a doubt, is a magic script from this world. The letters themselves are from this world, but you can't read it because of the magic infused within it. You need a special aptitude to decipher it, and even so, each one of you will probably read a different thing."

Motoyasu: well, can YOU read it or not ?

"Who do you take me for ? For that matter, I am at least 4 parallel universes ahead of you... "

"Let's see... I, the Staff hero, origin of all powers, orders you... Reveal your true form, relic of the past, and grant me your power... [WHITESNAKE]- wait what ?"

Filo: WAH !! I'm overflowing with power !!

Itsuki: It couldn't be...

Motoyasu: An across-the-board stat buff !

Itsuki: From this magic stone tablet used by legendary heroes ?!

All three: LET ME HAVE A GO !!

Naofumi: ... I have several questions about what just happened...

"Me too. Why the hell did that script happened to be an incantation, and most importantly, why did it included the real name of the stand... ?"

Naofumi: Was one of the previous heroes a Jojo fan as well ?

"That wouldn't make any sense... Why would they write an incantation only usable by a hero they never even heard about... Was that the Staff's doing... ? According to that legend, the first hero was the one that first 'created' the magic... Did I unconsciously translated the script into something that could be of use to me ?"

Naofumi: Considering how successful they are on their own, I'd say there's a good possibility...

Motoyasu: I can't read it.

"They really need to study more."

Itsuki: Where did you get that ? What kind of god gave you the ability to understand magic text ?

"That bullshit again ? This is proof of my own efforts. And even if this is the effect I got, it doesn't mean that you'll learn the same thing."

All Three: ...

All three: We might be able to learn something even better !!

Motoyasu: Whore ! Can you read this ?!

Bitch: H- HUH ?!

Itsuki: Mald, what about you ?

Mald: Lord Itsuki, I don't think it works if other people read it for you...

Naofumi: those guys really are hopeless...

"You mean you had hopes for them at some point ? That's new."

Naofumi: Heh.

Filo: WHOA !! It's so big !!!

"Well, as expected of the queen's preparations."

Filo: Wow ! Master ! Let's go exploring !!

"A little later Filo, please..."

Raphtalia: In the end, we only got to be tourists today.

Naofumi: And we also learned manners for online gaming.

Raphtalia: Online... gaming... ?

"The rules to follow here. With so much adventurers roaming these islands at the same time, it's almost inevitable to avoid trouble..."

Filo: Master, are you tired ?

"Yes... Yes, I am... And just thinking about tomorrow is tiring me even more already..."

Raphtalia: Ah...

Naofumi: Did you hit on an idea ?

Raphtalia: ... Yes. They should just settle down and listen...

L'Arc: Yo, sonnies !! Are you heading out ?

"You guys are back already ? It's not even noon yet..."

L'Arc: yeah, I was really looking forward to it !! And now for a short nap !

"You're way too inconsistent for your own good, you know that ?"

Naofumi: ... Well, as long as you're happy.

L'Arc: By the way, have you heard ? Sonnies ! Apparently the five heroes are on this island !

"Oh, really ?"

L'Arc: What ? You seem unsurprised.

Naofumi: 'You're literally talking to two of them...' Have you heard any rumors ?

L'Arc: Yeah, I heard some at the ferry. Apparently the Sword hero went off alone to go hunting early in the morning. And the Spear hero is hitting on girls at the marketplace. Um ? What's up, sonnies ?

"Nothing..."

Naofumi: And... What about the other three ?

Adventurer: We just met the Bow hero. If you're heading to the northwest part of the island, be careful. We just came back... It was a massive pain.

"... What happened this time... ?"

Adventurer: BASTARD !! You stole our prey !!

Itsuki: What are you saying ? I attacked first, didn't I ?