"Ten Blades"—this name was the title of a strong man in my original world, and I hope you will not let it down."
"Yes!"
"Soon."
Looking at the high-spirited state of the battle of Jack and the others, Jason nodded in satisfaction.
After confirming the team name of Jack and the others, the group set off again.
Since the strength of Jack and the others had already been strengthened, a carriage full of stones alone could no longer provide a significant training effect.
The team had grown to three carriages, so to increase their training intensity, Jason loaded two of the carriages with stones and asked Jack and the others to divide into two groups to pull them.
At first, Jack and the others complained, but they did not give up. In order not to disgrace the name of the Shield Hero and the name of Ten Blades, they gritted their teeth and pressed on.
Though the team's forward speed was slow at first, it gradually recovered. This meant that, under pressure, Jack's potential was being stimulated, allowing them to grow rapidly.
Of course, killing enemies for experience along the way was also necessary.
Additionally, Jason took the time to teach them the Six Naval Styles, starting with one: Shave.
Because Jack and the others had developed strong muscles and explosive power from pulling the carriages, Jason believed practicing Shave would be easier for them to master.
As for the other styles, the success rate was not high. Techniques like Iron Body, akin to martial arts like the Golden Bell-covered Iron Cloth Shirt, required extensive body conditioning. Given the need to keep moving, they didn't have time for such intense training. Jason decided it was best to focus on Shave for now.
However, to use it successfully, one must step on the ground at high speed dozens of times in an instant, creating explosive reactions to move quickly.
For Jack and the others, it was clearly a difficult task.
Even after five days, none of them had succeeded. No... they hadn't even come close. Most fell to the ground after their attempts, their bodies bruised and battered from the effort.
Jason began to wonder if they'd end up mastering Iron Body instead of Shave by accident.
Among them, Irene, the most promising, could only manage to step on the ground six or seven times in an instant—still far from being able to use Shave.
In this regard, Jason wasn't disappointed. This was more of an experiment, their training time was short, and the power system of this world was different. It was normal for things to progress slowly.
Days passed like this until a girl who seemed to be around 10 years old appeared before the team.
She had long navy-blue hair tied into double ponytails and wore expensive clothes. In this world, only nobles wore such attire, so it was clear she was from a wealthy family.
Notably, she had a pair of determined eyes, and several colorful Filo birds accompanied her.
But it was puzzling: how could a rich girl be here, with only Filo birds and no guards? This was a remote area, and the nearest village was at least seven or eight kilometers away.
"What's going on?"
Seeing the team stop, Jason got out of the carriage and asked.
"Master, there's a little girl ahead. What should we do?" Filo turned her head, asking curiously.
"Little girl?"
Jason looked forward and immediately saw the girl standing in the middle of the road. He recognized her at once.
He couldn't help but wonder: his path had diverged from Iwatani Naofumi's in the original story, so how had he still run into her?
"What a big Filo bird! And it talks! What's your name?" the blue-haired girl exclaimed as she heard Filo's voice.
"Filo! Master got me, doesn't it sound nice?" Filo, unalarmed, raised her head proudly.
"Little Filo? My name is Melty."
"Then… I'll call you Little Mel."
"Of course, Little Filo. Do you want to eat this?" Melty pulled out some dried meat from her pocket and offered it to Filo.
It was clear that Melty liked Filo birds and was familiar with their greedy nature.
But at that moment, a figure appeared among them.
"Hey... don't act like you know us. Tell me, second princess of the kingdom, why are you stopping us?"
This was, of course, Jason. He instantly recognized the little girl before them—Melty Q Melromarc, the kingdom's second princess and future queen.
When Jason mentioned the "second princess of the kingdom," everyone became alert. They knew that palace members were not to be trusted; they all had sinister agendas.
"You already know my identity?"
Melty's face showed surprise.
"Quickly tell us your purpose. We're in a hurry, and I don't have time to play house with a child like you."
Jason said impatiently. Though Melty was different from Myne—less malicious and with a stronger sense of justice—her naïve and serious personality was a hassle.
"Playing house? I may be young, but as the kingdom's second princess, I'm no child in the way you're thinking."
Melty, pressing her hand to her chest, was slightly agitated, believing Jason was underestimating her.
"Don't waste time with nonsense. You know I'm aware of your identity. I'll give you two sentences to explain yourself, or I'll cut out your tongue and give it to someone who can put it to better use."
Jason brought his face closer to Melty, his indifferent expression frightening her into stepping back.
"Knowing I'm the second princess, how dare you speak so rudely!"
A flash of anger crossed Melty's face. She clearly wasn't pleased with Jason's villainous attitude.
"Say what you like. But just so you know, that's one sentence."
As Jason said this, Jack and the others behind him began slowly drawing their weapons.
"I-I... you... you must be the legendary Shield Hero! I heard from the guards that the Shield Hero was nearby, and judging by your appearance, it must be you..."
Melty, initially frightened, hesitated for a moment before regaining her composure. "Although there are many rumors about you, after seeing you for myself, I'm very disappointed. You treat your companions like this? Not only do you use them as laborers, but you even beat them! It's like you're treating them as slaves!"
Hearing her words, Jason turned to look at Jack and the others and immediately understood the situation.
In addition to pulling the two carriages, Jack and the others had been undergoing intense training for "Shave," which resulted in them frequently falling, leaving them with bruised and swollen faces. They looked utterly battered.
Melty, seeing their pitiful state, had misunderstood, thinking Jason was abusing them. Out of kindness, she immediately stood up to defend Jack and the others.