The Paranoid Shield Hero

1.0 - Introduction

In an alternate timeline, Naofumi Iwatani, a 13-year-old boy, was raised differently than his original counterpart. His parents didn't give up on him, so they made him focus more on his studies, just like his younger brother in the original timeline. As a result, he became more antisocial, as his kind nature was taken advantage of by his classmates.

His only respite was reading light novels and playing with animals in his spare time. Playing with the animals was always nice, as they somehow always trusted him, something he can't do with others anymore. However, light novels were always a good escape for him, as he just wanted to forget all his problems and immerse himself in the stories.

There was a particular light novel in which a lone hero was betrayed solely because he was deemed weak by his own kingdom. Not only that, when that same hero proved his worth, he was cast aside after his kingdom had no use for him instead of being celebrated. Naofumi could relate heavily to him until that hero turned against the whole world and became a demon lord.

Naofumi was walking down the street from his house. Why? A new volume of this light novel was released, in which was teased that a new protagonist has risen to defeat the former-hero-turned-demon-lord.  Naofumi really enjoyed the story and can't wait to get his hands on it, even though he was disappointed with how the former hero turned out.

As Naofumi entered his favorite bookstore not far from him,  he saw a book on the floor at the back of the store.

Naofumi: "Man, do people have any decency for books these days."

Naofumi was never much of a bookworm until he started focusing more on his studies. He developed a habit of taking care of the books he checks out or purchases so that their values don't dwindle, either so he won't be held accountable for the book's condition or so he can resell it at the same price he bought it after he's done with it.

The store was pretty empty since it was early in the morning, so he wonders if the book on the floor was there all night. He walked down the row of books and picked up the book on the floor, which piqued his interest.

Naofumi: "'The Record of the Four Holy Weapons'. Looks old. Must be from a myth or religion. But why is it here?"

He flipped open the book and began skimming through the text.

Naofumi: "Hmm. So these four 'Cardinal Heroes' fight off these so-called 'Waves of Calamity'. But why call a shield a weapon? Maybe the shield is sharp enough around the edges."

As Naofumi kept skimming through the book, clearly more invested, he stopped at a blank page where he should have found out more about the Shield Hero.

Naofumi: "What the!? Where is the Shield Hero? Did someone rip the pages or is this unfinished?"

Before Naofumi could question any further, a blinding light emerged from the book. He had no idea what was happening, so he dropped the book. Then, as the light died down and his eyes adjusted, he saw that he was no longer at the bookstore.

???: "O brave heroes, please save our world!"

Naofumi: "I refuse."

Everyone in the room was left dumbfounded by this quick response.

Hey, everyone. Name's Ken. This is the first story I've written publicly. I will be writing and updating it in my spare time, so don't expect frequent updates. However, do bookmark this, as I take pride in my spelling and grammar skills. Feel free to call me out on occasions when I do mess up. Most importantly, I hope you enjoyed this quick introduction to young Naofumi's journey.

Also, here is the format of my writing:

- "speech"

- thoughts

- [writing]

- *sounds within speech*