Shield Hero With Barrier Magic

(Author Note: This chapter is full of explanation and it is required for the story. I advise you to read it even though it's boring. And for people who commented with asking for an explanation, you will get your answers in this chapter. Ask me if you still have doubts after reading this. Best of luck.)

(Hiro's POV)

Gaelion: "Hahaha... You are clever, shield boy. Yes, I am related to Ouryuu. To be exact, I was the Ouryuu."

Hiro: "'Was' huh? Do you mean you are not the Ouryuu now?"

Gaelion: "Hahaha... No. Now, I am just a weak dragon and also the weakest of dragon emperors. There is no Ouryuu in this world anymore. I have stopped being one a few centuries ago."

Hiro: "Can you explain it clearly? Why aren't you strong if you lived that long?"

Gaelion: "Haa... The story goes way back. Let me start by explaining the four beasts. Hiro, if you have to choose between the world and its people, what would you choose?"

Hiro: "Well, I am fine as long as my family is happy. And they are good people. They will be happy only if everything is saved. So, I think I will go for both."

Gaelion: "Hahaha... Well, the beasts choose the world. Our purpose is simple. Save the world at any cost. So, they will drain the world from 2/3 of its life and form a barrier around the world to save it from the Waves."

Hiro: "So, the cost is 2/3 of this world's life huh. That's a lot. Do you know what's the reason for the Waves?"

Gaelion: "No. But I think that there is an unknown entity aiming for this world."

Hiro: "So, the other way is to stop that entity huh."

Gaelion: "I wonder if that's possible... It's your job as a hero to do that. Anyway, the reason for me becoming like this is because there is someone who chose the people of this world."

Hiro: "Who's that?"

Gaelion: "The Queen of Filolials, Fitoria."

Gaelion: "She fought me and defeated me as I was draining this world to stop the Waves at that time."

Hiro: "Just one filolial queen? What level is she?"

Gaelion: "I don't know but she's definitely above 200"

Hiro: "Are you kidding me? 200? How did she get across the level cap?"

Gaelion: "She has no level cap. Because she's one of the eight vassal heroes. The hero of vassal carriage."

Hiro: "I thought the other heroes were only seven."

Gaelion: "Humans forgot about vassal carriage through generations. So, it's only seven for them now."

Hiro: "Haa... It gets more complicated. I have to meet this Fitoria."

Gaelion: "I advise not. Fitoria kills the four cardinal heroes if they don't cooperate so that another four can be summoned. She knows that only heroes can save this world. And she will keep doing it until the worthy heroes are summoned. Going by your story, the other three are idiots."

Hiro: "Wow, so violent."

Gaelion: "Hahaha... Anyway, Fitoria fought me and shattered me into fragments. And I hid my consciousness in one of those shattered fragments. This body is the familiar I formed with the last of my power with that fragment as it's core. And I am the weakest fragment. Originally, I was going to look for a different retainer, but in that situation, I didn't have control over my common sense. And do you remember that I was about to say something else about how dragons are born? It is that anyone who consumes these fragments will also get dragon characteristics. And a lot of monsters and dragons consumed my fragments and started a deathmatch for the other fragments to become the next Ouryuu. And I couldn't do anything as I am the weakest."

Hiro: "Can't you take over others after you let others with fragments eat you. I mean, you were the original, right?"

Gaelion: "That's not possible. When others eat my core, they will think of becoming the next Ouryuu by instinct. So, if I am killed and my fragment is eaten by one with a stronger fragment, they will take over my consciousness. I will be completely dead. The only way for me to get hold of those stronger fragments is to kill the owner first."

Hiro: "So, to put it simply, you can't take over a fragment if it's possessed by something else as you are the weakest."

Gaelion: "Yes. So I decided to quit becoming Ouryuu again and lived my life among humans. There are three threats to me due to the fragment. First is the other dragon emperors. They aim for the core. Second is the filolials. They gobble the fragments by instinct and contain them. We can't take over filolials. The third is the demi-humans from the dragon tribe. The most dragon emperor fragments are in the possession of this tribe. They literally hunt down the others with these fragments. I hid in Melromarc fearing these people."

Well, no matter where you go, the ones who can think are the greatest threat.

Gaelion: "As the dragon tribe demi-humans have the ability to think more than monsters, they didn't kill among each other but they became one and started collecting the fragments by killing other dragon-emperors."

Hiro: "Is it possible for demi-humans to become the next Ouryuu?"

Gaelion: "Anyone can become Ouryuu as long as they have a huge amount of fragments with them."

Hiro: "And this doesn't really explain why you are so weak even though you lived that long hunting monsters?"

Gaelion: "I think I did. This body is familiar I made around the fragment. So the status of this body is limited to that fragment. I can only get stronger if I take more fragments."

Hiro: "So, do you want to become the Ouryuu again? And you have a family now. So, If you became the Ouryuu, what will you choose? The world or its people?"

Gaelion: "Hahaha... Yeah, I choose my family. And I want to become the Ouryuu again to save my family. But this time, I will avoid draining the world my children won't like it. But if everything else fails, I will still drain the world to save my family."

Hiro: "Alright, I will help you become the Ouryuu again. In exchange, you help me fight the Waves. Okay?"

Gaelion: "Are you not afraid that I might go for the last option?"

Hiro: "I am okay as long as you don't kill people dear to me. I am pretty sure that the number will be definitely less than 1/3 of the world's population. You can take the remaining 2/3."

I extend my hand to Gaelion.

Gaelion: "Hahaha... Deal."

He extended his claws and I held his claw and shook it. And that's how I made a deal with one of the Sacred Beasts. Well, it's just a deal between two selfish harem-seeking beings who care only about their family.