The Strongest Shield

Around noon the next day, the palace was complete.

The building, crafted over more than a day with slaves, was miniature—but still looked remarkably like a palace.

A palace-style manor, really.

At first, I’d thought, “We don’t need a palace,” but seeing it finished, I was glad we’d made it.

I turned, and offered praise to the four slaves standing beside me.

“Good work, all of you. Especially you, Yuria.”

I singled out Yuria, the one who’d designed the palace.

“Thank you.”

“I think it could’ve been a bit larger, though.”

“This size was Master’s wish, Rirya. We obeyed without question.”

“That’s true… but to show the Master’s glory, it should’ve been more—”

“Glory isn’t in the building. It’s in the Master himself.”

Yuria said it with her usual tone.

Risha gasped.

"Yeah, that’s right."

"Rirya thinks the same. The glory just needs to be with onii-chan."

That was Rirya’s wish, so it was a slightly different matter.

Anyway, she’d made it clear she was lifting me up.

"Hey, Master, wanna go inside?"

Mira said it, eyes practically twitching with anticipation.

"Yeah, let’s go in."

I said it, and the four of them nodded in unison.

But nobody started walking—just stared at me.

So I’m supposed to go first.

We headed toward the palace. Up the stairs, opened the door at second-floor height.

The moment we stepped through the main gate and into the interior—

The DORECA tucked in my pocket suddenly flared with light.

This… is a rank-up?

"What’s wrong, Master—ah."

"What is it, what’s wrong—wait, what?"

"...The slave cards are glowing."

"Rirya’s is glowing too."

Nothing happened outside, but the moment we stepped inside the palace, my DORECA and the slave cards of the slaves all started glowing.

At first, they flickered—piko piko, long intervals. After everyone had gathered, the intervals gradually shortened.

What was seconds apart became a rapid flicker. Like some kind of countdown.

Then, all five cards flashed at once, like a sudden burst of light, and settled down.

“W-what’s going on…?”

“Probably…”

I opened the menu, checked the list of things I could create.

“…Yeah. New things can now be made.”

It’s not something that’s happened before, but I figured this was probably how it worked.

“What can we make now?”

“Barriers.”

“Barriers?”

Yuria tilted her head. The other three looked just as confused.

On the menu, the words “Absolute Barrier” appeared.

We couldn’t tell just from looking, so we checked with the video function.

To our surprise, the video showed the palace.

Light wrapped around it—then spells, arrows, cannonballs flew in, striking dead on. The palace didn’t so much as flinch.

We scrolled through the video, scanning walls, ceiling, the interior décor.

Looks like a barrier meant to be cast over this palace.

☆

“This should do it.”

I poured a million mana into erecting a barrier around the palace.

The sensation was like setting something onto an existing structure—like dismantling, only the opposite. After I did it, the option vanished from the menu.

First time doing something like this… is it one-of-a-kind? Irreversible?

Anyway.

“Let’s test it out. Risha.”

“Yes! Everyone, help!”

Risha called out, and the slaves all sprang into motion.

They rushed off in unison, returned after a while, each carrying a net.

Four net cannons, deployed at the outskirts of the city, were aimed at me.

Four people stood by them, their eyes locking onto mine.

I nodded. The cannons fired in unison.

Three rounds struck the palace. One missed.

The palace was untouched. Not a scratch. Not even a flinch from three boulders launched at once. Just like in the video.

The stray shot hit a nearby warehouse and reduced it to rubble.

"Damn it..."

"Fix it, Yuria."

Yuria nodded and turned toward the warehouse.

I turned to the remaining three.

"Try shooting them. Fire arrows, whatever. Just try."

The slaves obeyed. They grabbed bows and fired arrow after arrow.

The arrows didn’t pierce. The flaming arrows landed on the building’s roof—no scorch, no fire, nothing. They just died out.

Just like in the video. Bombs. Arrows. Nothing works.

How much of an attack she could block—now that was starting to interest me more and more.

I pulled out the True Eternal Slave, waiting for Yuria to return.

She sheathed the four of them into the blade, poured in roughly a hundred thousand units of magic, and slammed a near-full-force strike into the palace.

The outcome.

Even so, unharmed?

The shockwave kicked up dust around the impact, but the building itself was untouched.

A blow infused with roughly ten thousand units of magical power, aimed at the True Eternal Slave.

It should’ve been enough to knock down a dragon with a single blow.

That just wouldn’t work at all.

"Damn, this barrier's solid."

(Not even the master's attack could break it...)

"Absolute barrier, right? There was one, wasn't there?"

A perfect pair—strongest spear and strongest shield, wouldn’t you say?

"The shield looks stronger."

(Here, at least, I can relax a bit.)

"Indeed."

(But but, how do we handle rebuilding this place?)

Rirya’s question catches me off guard.

If it can’t be destroyed, then rebuilding it’s impossible too.

“Right… what about dismantling it?”

I pull out DORECA, open the menu, and try to select “Dismantle” on the palace.

“Won’t take. Can’t dismantle it either?”

I try “Dismantle” from every angle, every spot.

Kept failing—over and over—until the moment I step inside the palace, it works perfectly.

“Can’t do it from the outside, huh. I see.”

Let me sort this out.

The barrier probably won’t budge no matter what kind of attack you throw at it. And even with DORECA, you can’t use “Dismantle” unless you’re inside.

So, only someone with DORECA—or a slave card—can enter and break it.

Pretty solid barrier.

“Akito!”

Lost in thought about the barrier, I hear my name called from outside.

I looked out through the door left wide open. There was Maiya standing there.

Maiya came straight forward—into the palace—yet...

"What? What's this?"

She couldn’t get in.

As if there were an invisible wall at the doorway, she just... couldn’t step inside.

I pushed at the air. Shoved it lightly with my shoulder.

Maiya couldn’t get in.

"Akito?"

She looked puzzled. So did I.

What the hell was this?

The next moment—

—Would you like to grant permission to the visitor?

That voice again. The same one that rang when magic was charged.

No way.

"Grant permission."

"Oof!"

The instant I said it, the transparent wall vanished. Maiya, still pushing against it, stumbled forward.

She fell straight into the palace.

I adjusted the barrier’s logic in my head.

So this barrier only lets in people I’ve personally allowed.

No attack works on it.

Could only be broken from the inside.

No human without permission could get through.

Not bad, actually.

The perfect, strongest barrier fit for a headquarters.