The Rising of the Shield Hero (Original Japanese Version)

College student Iwatani Naofumi is reading a book titled "The Records of the Four Cardinal Weapons" in the library when he is suddenly summoned to another world and told he has to save the world as the Shield Hero, one of the Four Cardinal Heroes.

Naofumi follows the slave merchant to his store, where he looks for a partner to act as his sword. But all he has the money to buy is a diseased demi-human girl named Raphtalia, whom he then forces into an incredibly harsh battle.

Naofumi has obtained many abilities and skills, and his teamwork with Raphtalia is improving as well. To prepare for the incoming Wave, he upgrades their equipment and heads to the dragon hourglass to find out exactly when it will arrive.

The Wave is gone, but Naofumi's relief is short-lived as Motoyasu challenges him to a duel. Motoyasu insists that owning a slave is unbecoming for a hero and that Naofumi free Raphtalia at once.

After Aultcray reluctantly offers Naofumi a paltry reward, he heads to the slave merchant to redo the slave crest as per Raphtalia's wishes. He also buys a monster egg there, which hatches a few days later and gives him a new party member.

The mysterious girl that showed up out of nowhere was actually Filo. She's a filolial queen with an advanced transformation ability, and she can even take human form thanks to it.

After hearing of a village that's in immediate need of herbicide, Naofumi and his party head there to do business. The village has been overrun by plants that have turned into monsters, and its residents were forced to abandon it.

After hearing of a village in the East that's being ravaged by an epidemic, Naofumi and his party head there to deliver medicine. The epidemic was caused by the corpse of a dragon that had been killed a month before and left there to rot.

In the Eastern village, Naofumi meets a girl named Melty. She instantly becomes friends with Filo and then requests to accompany the party on their journey.

After refusing to hear Melty out, Naofumi switches to planning for the next Wave. When a bunch of young soldiers ask to join his party, he agrees, but on a certain condition.

Naofumi faces another Wave, this time in a remote village. With the help of the soldiers who volunteered to join him, he's able to secure the safety of the villagers, but the Wave shows no signs of letting up.

A mysterious woman showed up out of nowhere and destroyed the second Soul Eater in a single blow. She then proclaimed the start of the true battle of the wave and blew away the other three heroes when they attacked her.

Naofumi foils the attempt to take Melty's life and fights off the royal knights, but he's then framed for abducting Melty and killing several knights, so the party is forced to go on the run.