Shields still, as far as I know, do nothing, except making your character look prettier and easier to kill (Losing an extra attack).
Futhermore, the damage you do is strictly related to yor skill in the weapon. It seems that your \'axe\' skill is higher than your \'sword\' skill.
Of course, if you train, it\'s a non-issue, excepting it takes a lot of money & PP.