Shortly before the adventurers ventured into the castle, Shuutarou was frantically looking through his dungeon menu.
“What should I do about this invasion…?”
He’d never placed any traps in his dungeon. The Evil Overlords were insanely overpowered, the yin-yang dragons patrolled the skies above the castle, and the residents of Regiuria were all well-trained, but was that good enough to ensure everyone’s safety? He simply had no clue how dungeon defense worked.
At least, he was relieved to hear the intruders were over level 100, because that meant they weren’t players. If they were NPCs, he wouldn’t have to feel bad about wiping them out.
“Please allow me to take care of this,” offered Vampy, the Second Evil Overlord.
But Shuutarou shot her a worried look.
“These foes are the same level as the riffraff I squashed during your job-change ritual, Master. You can trust me with this,” she added confidently.
In the light of how Vampy, Elroad, and Gallarus had exterminated enemies of a similar level to the intruders during his job-change quest, this invasion wasn’t as scary as Shuutarou had first thought. Vampy seemed best suited to this task on account of her instant-death area-of-effect skill. But before he agreed to unleash her on the intruders, Sylvia came up to him.
“I’m sorry to interrupt—”
“How dare you! I was talking to Master. Wait your turn!”
Vampy started throwing a tantrum, but Sylvia was paying her no attention. She looked at Shuutarou and Bertrand.
“Iron has returned.”
Shuutarou’s and Bertrand’s faces lit up. Gallarus made a small grunt of excitement.
“He’s back?!” Shuutarou cried.
“Yes, Master, he has only just returned from my realm. Why not send him to deal with the intruders? As a test of his strength, ability, and loyalty.”
Shuutarou nodded several times, happy tears welling up in his eyes. Iron was back!
Neither Vampy nor the other Overlords objected. Knowing Iron’s past, they had to admit he deserved to be chosen for this job.
…Except Bertrand.
“Sorry to be the difficult one, Sylvia. Putting Iron to yet another test is fine, but this attack on our castle puts our master’s life at risk. I wouldn’t say it’s wise to leave this matter entirely in Iron’s hands when he’s only just returned.”
Sylvia looked at him, then turned away again, sighing. “You’re being overprotective. What makes this test better than any other is precisely that Master’s life is at stake. Besides, when did I say it would be entirely left to Iron? Should the intruders make it past him, we’ll be there to deal with them. We’re also going to guard Master, no?”
Sylvia, Queen of the Beasts, wasn’t a primitive creature who’d leave her charges to fend for themselves to see which ones made it. She insisted on sending Iron to battle because she was confident that Iron would succeed.
While both Bertrand and Sylvia might be accused of demanding the impossible of Iron, they were motivated by a strong desire to bring out its true potential, which they had no doubt it had.
Bertrand wasn’t saying anything back, so Sylvia turned to Shuutarou again.
“Should I call him?” she asked.
Shuutarou nodded gingerly.
Sylvia extended her arm in front of her, conjuring a circle of dark mist. They heard footsteps.
“Welcome back…!”
Shuutarou’s voice was quivering. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Iron no longer looked like old, rusted armor. The eye it had gouged out to allow its passage into Sylvia’s realm had been restored. The extent of change it had undergone was more than just enhancement—Iron had evolved. Thousands of battles that tested it to the limits had made it stronger and bigger.
Iron knelt before Shuutarou, ready to take orders. The Overlords had earlier criticized Iron for displaying a hint of unreliability and potential for erratic behavior, but that was no longer the case. The harsh, extreme environment that Iron had survived had reforged it into a powerful, dependable warrior.
“Bert, you don’t mind, right?” Shuutarou asked the King of the Elves, wiping his tears.
Bertrand’s eyes narrowed in a smile, and he shook his head.
“Iron,” said Shuutarou, “as promised, from this day on, you’ll be the tank in my party.”
Still on one knee, Iron slowly nodded, savoring Shuutarou’s words.
“This is a gift from me.”
Theodore gave Iron some equipment he’d crafted specially for it. Iron accepted the items humbly and equipped everything.
Theodore smiled at it. “Now you’re a full-fledged knight.”
The gift was a set of shiny armor with exquisite decorative details. Iron’s blue eye glowed inside the helmet, which featured dragon-like horns. In addition to the armor, Theodore had given Iron a sword, which rested in a scabbard on Iron’s hip. In its left hand was a shield engraved with an ornate crest.
Shuutarou was beside himself with joy.
“Now we should think of a new name for him!”
Shuutarou believed that names given by parents—or the summon’s master, Rivir, in this case—were special and deserved to be respected, but if he was going to take Iron along with him outside the castle, he’d need a new name for the monster, just to be extra cautious. Iron would have to make its comeback as a brand-new monster with a new name.
Iron nodded. It understood why it was necessary to be renamed, and it was eager to receive a name, so as to sever its old ties to the memory of Rivir and cement its allegiance to Shuutarou.
“So, Bert. Do you have any suggestions?” Shuutarou asked.
“Pardon? You’d like me to come up with a name?”
Shuutarou laughed at Bertrand’s stunned face. “You care about him the most, and I’m sure he knows that.”
Iron slowly nodded.
“Let’s not exaggerate…,” Bertrand mumbled, although he did appear to be contemplating a name.
The King of the Elves walked over to stand behind Iron. He put his hand on the monster’s back.
“You owe your life to Master Shuutarou. Your old life is no more—you have been born anew. You are now to be our master’s shield. Do not ever be defeated, and do not ever fail, as that would endanger Master. Do not forget this for a moment. Be as strong as the hardest metal in the world, Beorite. That is now your name, brother.”