The Sword Saint (FateRoute!Shirou in Danmachi)

"Goddess Astraea, I'm so pleased to see you back in our proud city," Rayman Mardeel, the rather rotund elf in charge of the Guild said to my goddess, with a sour expression on his face that didn't match his words. "I wasn't expecting for you to grace us with your presence once more after…that sordid affair."

"I wasn't planning to, either," Astraea admitted, as she took a seat in front of the desk, her hood down, while I just stood to her side. Rose Fannet nodded at the man and left the room, closing the door behind her. "I was going to settle in Solingen and reform my Familia there, but circumstances have changed."

Rayman Mardeel glanced at me with cold eyes. "So I see." Then he looked back at Astraea, dismissing me entirely. "Can I ask about your reason for returning, my lady?"

"Aside from looking for my wayward child? The same reason many gods have for coming here."

"The Dungeon." Astraea nodded. "Then, I'm afraid we have to talk about your Familia's circumstances going forward."

"Miss Fannet mentioned some irregularities."

"The first one is the most important as it involves your wayward child, as you put it." The elf steepled his fingers under his chin. "How aware are you of the actions Gale Wind took after you left this city?" I could see Astraea stiffen after hearing his words.

Gale Wind? Wasn't that Ryuu's Title? Every Adventurer gets a Title from the gods when they hit Level Two, a second name related to their abilities, their personality or their deeds. Alise's was Scarlet Harnel, Kaguya's was Yamato Rindou, Ryuu's was Gale Wind, to name a few Astraea told me.

"...Not as aware as I'd like to be." Astraea winced. "The first few months after I left I was either on the road, or in small villages. I hadn't heard anything about Orario until almost half a year passed, and then it was only rumors or hearsay. Most just talked about how the Braver managed to stop Evilus."

"And about Gale Wind?"

Astraea sighed. "I sent her some letters, but she never answered. I only heard something about a… rampage."

"A rampage?" I blurted out incredulously, and all the eyes in the room fell on me. "The same Ryuu Lion you told me about?"

Innocent, caring, easy to fluster, and the one possessing one of the strongest sense of justice Astraea had seen, that Ryuu Lion went on a rampage?

Rayman was the first to react to my interruption, letting out a tired sigh. "The truth of the matter is slightly more complicated than that." He replied. "What do you know of the conflict that encapsulated Orario the last few years, Mr…?"

"Emiya, Shirou Emiya." The elf nodded. "Mostly nothing, just a few things I heard on the road."

"Then let me enlighten you about the past of your Familia and the weight you will carry on your shoulders once others become aware of your goddess' return, because Gale Wind's actions relate to that. With your permission, of course, my lady." Rayman glanced at Astraea for a moment, and she nodded.

"It's something I should've told him already, anyway." She turned to me, an apology in her eyes. "Something you must know, Shirou."

And so, I was told in more detail of the conflict between the Guild aligned Familias, led by Loki, Freya, Ganesha and Astraea, against Evilus, a group led by a coalition of evil gods. About how the two groups fought repeatedly over the years, in and out of the Dungeon.

About how the city was again and again brought to the brink of collapse, only for it to be saved every time by those that swore to protect it.

About how the Familia led by my goddess contributed every step of the way, not only during the fights, but in the reconstruction, in the treatment of the wounded, in organizing donations towards those that were in need.

Everything they could to protect the peace, she told me proudly.

To uphold justice.

A lot was skipped, I realized, but it wasn't the time to have an in-depth history lesson.

It was after most of the aggressive and proactive Familias of Evilus had been vanquished, and the group started to mostly rely on more subtle tactics, like ambushes and contraband, that the Astraea Familia started to pursue one of the remaining leaders, the Rudra Familia.

They clashed a lot, but my goddess' Familia was gradually capturing more and more members of the Rudra Familia. It was only a matter of time until they would finally be stopped.

And that was the moment that everything went wrong.

"We were tipped off about a location, deep in the Dungeon, in which most of the members would be present at a certain time, so my children decided to strike."

I frowned, was there something I was missing? Because that convenient information could only possibly be…

"It was a trap, of course," Astraea continued with a mirthless smile. "Everyone realized that from the get go, but Alise still thought that it was the perfect chance to stop them for good. Now that they knew about it, she judged that whatever the trap was, they would overcome it and then strike back." Her words were filled with fondness and sorrow.

I knew Alise was as brave and determined as Astraea's stories portrayed, but there was another word that came to mind then, after hearing her plan.

Reckless.

It sounded like the kind of plan I would formulate. If I knew where the enemy was going to strike, how it was going to ambush me, then I could take advantage of that and turn it around. Hell, that's what I did against the goblins, and turned an almost hopeless situation into complete victory.

A known trap could be useful.

But it didn't stop being dangerous.

"And she was right. The ambush didn't kill them," Astraea said. Then how…? "They had an entire floor dropped on them, and it wasn't enough to stop them. It was what came afterwards that did it." Her voice was shaky, but her eyes were firm. She was trying not to show her feelings in this place.

I placed my right hand on her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. Astraea gave me a brittle smile and placed her hand over mine, intertwining our fingers.

She was about to continue, about to explain what happened to them, but…

"But that is not something that should be spread around, my lady," Rayman interrupted, his tone admonishing. "Lord Ouranos wants to keep the truth of the matter only known to those in need to know."

Astraea's eyes narrowed. "You can't keep the truth concealed forever. I agreed when I was told to keep it a secret to avoid causing panic, but it's been a year. Shirou is going to be the vice-captain of my Familia, he needs to know." With Ryuu Lion as the captain, I gathered. 

"I can't stop you from telling him in the privacy of your home, but here? I will have to ask you to not disclose that information."

Astraea kept her glare for a couple more seconds before she let out a sigh, and nodded in agreement.

The story continued, Astraea telling me that after Ryuu, the sole survivor of a tragedy that was so terrible the Guild wanted to cover up to not cause panic, returned to their home, she begged for Astraea to leave so she wouldn't be attacked by their enemies now that she was unprotected. And so she did, leaving her child behind.

Why didn't Ryuu Lion leave with Astraea? Why did she stay behind in the city her whole family died in?

Retribution, apparently.

There was more to it that she wasn't telling, but she assured me that we would talk more about it eventually when we were at home.

Not in front of outsiders.

Then Rayman continued, picking up when Astraea left.

"Officially, what happened after you left the city, Lady Astraea, is this: Overcome with grief over the deaths of her Familia, Gale Wind, a Level Four Adventurer, went on a rampage to get revenge from Evilus, causing massive amounts of collateral damage and the deaths of unrelated bystanders in the process. Taking action to control the chaos by removing the reason for her attacks from the board, the Loki Familia attacked the last stronghold of Evilus and finally defeated them."

I felt a little disgusted at hearing the clinical way he was retelling the tragedy of a girl my goddess loved.

But Astraea was taking it worse.

It was the first time I saw her get truly angry. Her Divinity started to fill the room, the oppressive feeling of the normally warm aura weighing heavily on my shoulders.

"Officially?" she asked coldly. "Even though most of the words that just came out of your mouth were lies?"

"I didn't say it was the truth," the elf clarified, unrepentant. "It was the version that would work to pacify the city the best, my lady, so it's the one we used. We had a bright hero in the Braver and the evil vanquished in a clear victory," he explained. "Some were demanding the arrest of Gale Wind, but after serious deliberation and taking consideration of her mental state, instead of incarceration or execution, she was blacklisted from working with the guild and most believe she was banished from the city."

And now I just felt sick. She was used as a scapegoat to fit the narrative they want to portray to the masses?

"And unofficially?" I asked, trying to stay calm in Astraea's place. "What's the truth?"

"Ryuu Lion did not rampage, or at least not as indiscriminately as the public seems to think she did. Coldly and methodically, using the same tactics Evilus liked to use, she ambushed and assassinated every member of three Evilus Familias to the last man, finishing with Rudra's." I felt a shiver go down my back. I couldn't believe the girl that Astraea told me about would do something like that.

But could I blame her? These people murdered her friends, her family.

If someone did the same to Fuji-nee…

I'd kill them too.

"In the end, by the time the Braver acted, the only thing that remained of Evilus were a few broken men waiting for judgment… and corpses." The elf sighed. "Evilus wasn't stopped by the forces of good in a great battle, but because as a result of their actions, they created a better murderer than they could ever be."

"Then why? It wasn't the cleanest way but didn't she stop the cancer spreading into the city? She's a hero, so why punish her at all?" I asked, my fist clenched in frustration.

"Because she didn't stop there," the elf continued, and I froze. "She continued down the list, killing every drug dealer, every slave peddler, every thief, everyone that she could find that worked with Evilus. And then merchants that sold them supplies, smiths that gave them weapons. Even with little proof, as long as there was a connection, she attacked. We were as lenient as we could be with her by not pursuing her, but there were demands for harsher punishment, and even a bounty put up by merchants that was removed eventually due to our assurances."

I stood there, not knowing what to think. I didn't want to think badly of the noble girl Astraea loved so much, but had she been in the right? If what Rayman said was true, most would say no.

But if the people she killed allowed Evilus to run rampant, didn't they deserve punishment as well? How many people did those weapons they gave the group kill? How many murderers did those merchants feed?

I didn't believe she was in the right, but some part of me thought that she wasn't wrong either.

Even if it is not something you approve of, a hero of justice requires a villain to defeat.

But what if they were not villains? Ryuu Lion acted as judge, jury and executioner. Was it possible she killed someone uninvolved? Or threatened into helping?

What should I believe? I truly didn't know.

The room fell into silence for a while.

Astraea looked… crushed. Dismayed.

"So she was just blacklisted?" she asked softly. "Is she still in the city?" She hadn't said anything about her child's actions, but her expression was dimmer than I had ever seen it.

"Yes, she was just forbidden access to our services, but last I heard she was still living in Orario," Rayman answered. "I will see about having someone check the reports and inform you of her last whereabouts."

"I see, I'd appreciate that, Rayman. If she's here then the rest is something I can work with." Astraea sighed, her face twisting into a grimace. "How much will it be?"

What? How much?

"...I'll have to discuss this with Lord Ouranos. If it were anyone else that caused that chaos, the blacklisting would be permanent, the Guild can't be shown to be lenient in these matters."

The elf thought for a second and then nodded. "But considering the good your Familia did over the years and the fact that Gale Wind hasn't stepped out of line for almost a year now, my Lord would probably agree to make an exception… Let's say fifteen million. With that amount the Guild could convince the merchants of the city to… forget your child's indiscretions and cover the costs of the collateral damage she caused. Maybe less, depending on the contributions your Familia makes to the city's peace going forward."

So, a bribe so no one complains if Ryuu returns to Adventuring.

How… pragmatic.

Fifteen million.

If it were yen, that much money could be enough for a family to live comfortably for years in Japan, but I wasn't still familiar enough with the cost of living here to truly consider how much that amount is worth in Vali.

I can't imagine how long it would take to gather such an amount. A year? Two? Maybe more, considering the money for necessities.

"Alright, it will take some time, but I'll have the money ready."

My eyes widened when Astraea just accepted the cost without hesitation. But then I smiled, a little exasperated.

Of course she did. Astraea wouldn't be Astraea if she gave up on her child without even trying.

"Are you sure about this, my lady? Even if she's allowed back into the fold, there's the possibility that she wouldn't want to continue being an Adventurer," Rayman said. "And even if it was in the name of justice, what she did was a crime, would you be okay with paying for such a thing?

"You are mistaken, Rayman, what Ryuu did wasn't in the name of justice- I took that right away from her when I left." Astraea's cold tone made me wonder what in earth truly happened during that last meeting. It wasn't like her to say such things, especially about her children. "But even so, I would want her to have the option," she declared. "I'll take responsibility for my child's actions, so she'll be free to do what she wants after. It's the least I could do for her."

Then I would do my best too, even if I was still conflicted about Ryuu. As a fellow child of the Goddess of Justice, I would do what I could to help her.

Fifteen million, huh. I guess I had something to work towards now.

-Line Break-

The meeting concluded a little time after, the only matter remaining being that due to the year of inactivity and the fact that the only active Adventurer she had was a Level One, Astraea's Familia rank had gone down to I. Not that we cared much, of course. After that talk about Ryuu, I think we both just wanted the meeting to be over.

The downgrade worked in our favor, anyway. The Familia would lose some privileges but now we would be able to afford the monthly payment by just doing small trips to the Dungeon.

Of course, that meant more money we could save for the Guild Head's bribe.

To be honest, I wanted to leave the building as soon as possible and return with Astraea to Stardust Garden, but I had to finish my registration with Rose Fannett, who was waiting for us outside of the office.

Well, at least with that over with I was officially a Dungeon explorer.

Or I would be after completing my beginner classes tomorrow. I still didn't know who my Advisor was, but that's something I would find out then.

I worried about Astraea, though, who was silent the whole time, her expression carefully neutral.

It was when we were approaching Stardust Garden, our plan to refill our pantry forgotten for the moment, that she finally spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Shirou," she said softly and I had to shake my head. Of course the first thing out of her mouth would be an apology. "We came here to have you start on your adventure, but not even on your first day in this city and you got involved in something… unpleasant due to my past."

"You don't have to apologize, not for this." I tried to smile at her, but she kept her head down. "Astraea, please look at me."

She shook her head, almost petulantly. "You are too kind. But don't worry, I'll do my best to not let any of this affect your explorations." She… tried to assure me. "Whatever arrangements I made with the Guild, I will handle them."

I stopped.

"So you just focus on advancing and getting stronger, and becoming the best hero you can be and I will handle Ryuu, alright?" Astraea kept walking a few paces, until she noticed I wasn't following "...Shirou?"

"...No, I refuse," I declared and Astraea's eyes widened when she saw the glare in my face. "You told me that you wanted us to continue being friends, that we were family, but now you say such a sad thing just like that? Letting you handle everything on your own? Why would I do that? It's not even your fault-"

"IT IS!" she exclaimed, raising her voice for the first time since we left the office. "All of this happened because of me! Because I told her!" Her shoulders were shaking, her voice breaking at every word.

My chest tightened when I saw the tears falling from her eyes. "...What do you mean?" I asked, approaching her with soft steps.

"I felt them, you know," she said, dully. "We gods feel the blessings we give our children, like beacons of light in our minds, and that day I felt almost every one of mine disappear…one after the other, their fires snuffed out forever," she whispered. "Only one remained, only one came back… and when she told me she wanted to face Evilus even if she was alone, I knew. My last child is going to die as well."

I stepped forward and hugged her shaking frame to my chest, my heart breaking just imagining how terrifying, how soul crushing, must have been to feel your family dying one by one, and knowing there was nothing you could do about it.

"I knew that if she fought with justice in her heart, trying to follow the teachings I imparted on her, she would die, and I didn't think I would be able to handle it, not anymore. I… didn't trust her to be strong enough, so I cursed her. I told her to abandon Justice." Her arms finally grabbed onto me and she began to sob. "I forced her to do that. I took her justice away from her and left her all alone in her grief. No wonder she never answered my letters, with how much she must hate me now."

So that's what she meant back in the office...

I kept quiet for a moment, trying to find the words to comfort my heartbroken goddess.

I couldn't possibly know, or even imagine, what went through both of their minds that day. However, even if I didn't truly know her, I know what Ryuu Lion might have felt upon hearing those words from her goddess.

Because I can guess what I would've felt had Kiritsugu himself told me that I should abandon my dream of being a hero of justice.

"As much as you believe that, I don't think she hates you. I wouldn't, in her place," I said, caressing Astraea's hair, my fingers flowing through her long tresses. "I think she might be… ashamed. She might be feeling unworthy of you after what happened, and that's why she didn't answer." I smiled, a little amused despite everything. "Really, both you and her are probably acting the same. Foolishly assuming that the other is thinking the worst of you."

Yes, I wouldn't have felt hate for being forced into another path, nor that I was cursed by the person who entrusted me with a beautiful dream.

Only shame, because if I was deemed unfit for it, it would be my fault, not his.

"But don't take my word for it. We won't know for sure until we meet with her and resolve this misunderstanding." I emphasized the 'we' because I wasn't going to leave her alone with this. "She's alive, Astraea, so we can do that. Then we can figure out what we're going to do about the Vali. Not you alone, us three together."

"The three of us, together…I think I'd like that. Just like in old times when I only had Alise and Kaguya," she whispered. "Very well, I'll save my tears until we meet with her and I offer her the justice I selfishly took away from her." Astraea shook her head against the crook of my neck. "That is if she wants to meet with me at all…"

"She will." I was sure of that. The girl I heard so much about from the woman in my arms wouldn't deny seeing her, no matter how much she might have changed. "And if she doesn't, I'll beat her up until she sees reason," I added half-jokingly.

Astraea chuckled wetly and hugged me tighter. "Please, don't. She's a Level Four, you know."

"Then, I'll do my best to at least not end up as a smear on the ground. And who knows? Maybe I'll manage to hit her once." The improvement after I got the Falna had been ridiculous, so I can't imagine how strong a Level Four could be. Strong as a Servant? Stronger? "Come on, my goddess, let's return home. I can pick up something to cook lunch later."

"Oh?" Astraea muttered, separating from me a bit to look me in the eyes. "Is today the day I am going to finally enjoy a meal cooked by you?" Her sweet smile tried to distract me from the ruddy cheeks and slightly red eyes from her crying, but I raised my hand anyway to clean the remnants of her tears with my thumb, feeling a similar smile form on my face.

Ah, was I too forward? I thought when the blush on her cheeks intensified. Must be embarrassing for her to be babied by someone she might consider a kid. "Today, and every day after, if it makes you happy."

Astraea's eyes widened for a second at my words, before she got a strange look on her face, almost like she was seeing me for the first time. "My, that made my heart skip a beat," she whispered, a giggle in her voice, but before I could react she grabbed my hand on hers, and started walking, a tender look in her face. "Come on, I know there's a general store nearby. After all I heard about your cooking, I won't wait a minute more than necessary."

I just let myself be dragged, relieved that I managed to bring her smile back, even if it seemed to be a little forced.

It didn't matter, I'd do my best and prepare something good enough to impress a goddess, and turn that brittle smile back into the beautiful one I was used to seeing on her.

…I only hope I can find proper ingredients, it's not like I would find a supermarket around here

Are the spices I'm familiar with even a thing here?

-Line Break-

The steps of my armored boots resounded amongst the rocky walls around me. It was… more silent than I thought it would be.

So far, the Dungeon hadn't been really what I had expected.

Really, considering the volume of people we saw when we came into the city, I thought it would be a struggle to even walk around here. It wasn't empty but I hadn't crossed any more than ten or twenty people since I entered the place almost an hour ago.

I guess everyone just ignores the first floor and tries their luck further down? The only Adventurers I saw so far were even younger than me, and their equipment left a lot to be desired.

I was about to do the same, to be honest. The Guild recommended that new Adventurers stick to the first floor for a while until one or two of their Basic Abilities were rank H, but I guessed that had to do more with their experience fighting than with the rank itself.

So far the monsters I faced here left me… underwhelmed. Even while keeping my Reinforcement to a level it wouldn't leave me shining like a light bulb, I was strong enough that nothing on this floor had given me trouble.

It got to a point that I was beginning to consider not using my reinforcement at all, but I guess it could serve as training for my Magic Basic Ability, if nothing else.

Really, I think I was getting more training from that than from the occasional monster that appeared.

CRACK

Speaking of…

I turned around when the noise of breaking rock reached my ears and was met with the sight of a green goblin squirming its way out of the walls.

It screamed once it laid eyes on me, snarling in anger, and rushed forward in a desperate dash, its claws raised to attack me.

I dashed as well, the weight of my armor and my sword doing nothing to slow my speed as I reduced the distance between us. The goblin reacted to my advance with reflexes and speed that mirrored what I'd seen from the brown goblins on the surface, and tried to disembowel me with a slash of its claws.

Unfortunately for it, speed wasn't the only thing it had in common with its surface brethren, because the telegraphed strike was as easy to dodge as theirs had been.

I stepped to the side, raising my blade and letting the goblin pass unobstructed, then I lowered it in a flash of steel.

THUMP

The headless body of the goblin hit the ground, leaving a trail of blood in its wake, before its head joined it with a dull thud.

That's fifteen. Nine goblins and six kobolds.

After I finished extracting the purple magic stone, I inspected the blade in my hand and grimaced at the damage that it had accrued over just an hour of short fights. They might be weak, but their flesh and bones were tough enough to damage my sword every time I attacked them.

I let go of it and let it fade back to magic, it wasn't about to break anytime soon, but better to be safe than sorry. As famous as the wielder had been, this particular weapon was a regular steel sword.

"Trace On." I focused on the image in my mind and created another copy of my trusty longsword, trying to ignore the one handed sword sheathed on my waist and the years of history it had.

Despite how unsuited it was to my style, it was hard not to get distracted by the trove of experience the sheathed blade contained.

It was one of Alise Lovell's swords, after all.

-Line Break-

I unsheathed the sword, seeing my reflection in the shiny steel. It was a good sword, much better than the others I saw around the city. Mundane, but well forged.

"Are you sure about this, Astraea?" I asked. "I can just Trace weapons until I commission one with Atticus. I don't want to break this. Isn't it important to you? Isn't this-?" I held the sword almost gingerly, like it was a priceless item. And it was, as it was one of the few weapons left in the armory in Stardust Garden. A memento from Astraea's first child.

There were also some maces, spears, and the like, but the armory was surprisingly empty, considering the number of members this Familia had in its prime. As Astraea told me, aside from their main weapons, most of the equipment they had over the years had either been sold or donated to help the city. Now the armory had only basic weapons the girls had liked to use to train, and some pieces of armor.

And none of them were longswords, unfortunately. Nor the armors fit me.

"Alise's. You can tell even that with just a look, huh," she muttered, eyeing me with surprise. I had told her of my ability to read the history of weapons after we came back yesterday, but it still surprised her how much I information could gather with it. "Really, Hephaestus is going to be so envious once she meets you. She's going to want you for herself for sure." She smiled with some amusement, before curiosity got the better of her. "What can you see in it, Shirou? What does Alise's sword tell you?"

I tilted my head, and focused on the weapon in my hand.

I could see her, the tireless dedication she put in her swordplay, the energy she put in every motion, in every slash. Straightforward and honest, but surprisingly graceful, her attacks were devoid of deception or feints.

The kind of swordsmanship that only someone with no falsehood would use.

It was bold, it was brave, it was bright.

I smiled.

It was beautiful.

"She really was an honest girl, huh," I mused and Astraea giggled.

"She was, sometimes to a fault. Really, you don't know the trouble I went through to make her stop declaring her next attack in a fight." She shook her head with fond exasperation. "It was only when Kaguya joined us and beat her in every mock duel they had that she stopped. She didn't want her new cute friend to think I was a bad teacher."

I grinned, picturing the child in my goddess' memory fighting while screaming 'Next, from the left!' or 'Here I come!', and being defeated every time by an unimpressed Gojouno Kaguya.

But then I remembered what we were doing and frowned.

"Don't try to distract me, Astraea. This sword is important to you, full of so many memories of her, I can't use it." I tried to return the blade to her but Astraea shook her head.

"Shirou, weapons are meant to be used." She chastised me. "Alise wouldn't want for you to go unarmed to the Dungeon, even if it meant her weapons would break in the process. And besides, even if it breaks you will remember it, right?"

"...yes. Now that I saw it, I won't forget it. But that's not the same. My traced weapons are just illusions. Even if they are almost the same as the original, they aren't real."

"But it will still exist in your heart, right? The memory of the original?" I nodded. "Then as long as you are alive, even if the weapon ends up broken, you will maintain a record of it and its memories… but you can't do that if the worst happens to you because you were unarmed."

I hesitated for a moment more, before I let out a sigh. I gripped the hilt of the blade tightly and burned the sight of the sword in my mind, in my soul, as much as I could, making sure to never forget it.

I would carry her memory with me from now on.

"Alright, but I'll just use it as an emergency or if I get surprised while I'm unarmed." Astraea sighed as well, and nodded. "Using my projection will let me train my Magic, anyway, so it's two birds with one stone."

And it's not like I could use it as well as Alise. Her style was developed over the years with her Magic and Skills in mind, and she had never used those fully with this sword. It seemed that she only practiced her best techniques with her main weapon.

But it would serve me in a pinch.

-Line Break-

I shook my head, dispelling the memory of this morning. It was really not the place to get lost in thoughts.

The first floor proved to be easy so far. The fact that the monsters spawned so sporadically and only one each time made it so I could dispatch it easily, gather its stone, and continue on my way by the time another spawned.

In the end, I was spending more time waiting for more of them to appear than fighting.

Maybe I should go deeper. It wasn't like the couple of next floors would be really different, it was just the rate of monsters appearing that would rise. The true spike in difficulty came in the fifth floor and ahead, the first to fourth were the floors recommended for rookies for a reason as they had only goblins, kobolds, and dungeon lizards. Nothing too challenging.

…It hadn't been even an hour yet, though. Was I being reckless?

Probably.

My advisor told me that I should just test the waters and go back if my weapon started to show damage. It was easier- and cheaper- to have a blacksmith repair a damaged weapon over one that had broken entirely.

…But I didn't have that limitation. As long as I had magic energy -and Mana wasn't exactly lacking here- I had pretty much an unlimited amount of blades to work with.

I could continue where others would have faltered.

It wasn't like Astraea would be waiting for me at home at this time, anyway. Now that we knew that Evilus wasn't going to be a problem, my goddess decided to go out and catch up with her acquaintances to get to know the city's current state from them.

I think she was going to talk with Ganesha today, so I had a couple more hours until I needed to be back.

…Just a couple more floors, then.

Maybe I could try to reach the fourth floor? That's where monsters start to spawn in groups.

"But the best way to gain Excelia is by being challenged."

I nodded.

I had my full reinforcement and Avalon if I got over my head.

I could do this.

So, I continued my way, adrenaline starting to surge in my body in preparation for the battles ahead.

Then I stopped, a realization coming to me. Was I… excited about this?

I shook my head. It was just jitters, I wasn't looking forward to the challenge the monsters would bring.

…I hope I wasn't becoming something of a battle maniac. I didn't want to end up like a certain spandex wearing spearman.

-Line Break-

In modern kendo, or most martial arts for that matter, where the difference between victory and defeat is measured in points, one could be forgiven to think that focusing on your opponent over everything else is the proper way to fight.

When your battleground is a square mat with no obstacles other than the space limit it has, there is nothing else to focus on but your opponent, so it's… understandable to develop some sort of tunnel vision when fighting in those conditions.

Real life fighting was different. Fighting in the Dungeon after the fourth floor was different.

"HAH!" My sword flashed forward, biting deeply into the kobold's stomach. The bipedal beast screeched in pain and tried to lash out in retaliation, but I was already taking a step backwards out of its reach.

I stepped around the two dead bodies on the floor and then I ducked, dodging the swipe of the other still living monster. I slashed upwards, punishing the overzealous strike with no mercy. The clawed hand of the kobold got separated from the rest of its body in a spray of blood.

Once my sword finished its arc, I rearranged my hands in a moment and then brought it back down in a silver blur, cutting through the kobold's right clavicle, ribs and spine and coming out from the left side of its abdomen in a shower of blood and gore.

Even before the dead monster fell, I was already running forward, intent on finishing the remaining one.

The kobold, even after seeing me kill three of its own kind without receiving a single wound, and being gravely wounded itself, was still growling in defiance. However, weakened as it was, it was just a matter of a stab to the neck to finish it and make it join the others on the rocky floor of the Dungeon.

I frowned.

Even the weakest goblin I faced on the surface had some sort of survival instinct in it. Some of them were stupidly reckless, but they wouldn't hesitate to retreat if the situation was against them.

The monsters in the Dungeon were different.

There was no retreat, no fear. Only hatred.

They didn't feel like living beings, just things that had been programmed to kill humans or die trying.

The goblins I faced in the forest had at least a smidge of cunning in them, but these beasts didn't even have that.

It was… strange.

Still, it worked in my favor. I didn't have to pursue them all over the place to finish them off or worry about a trap.

I let out a breath and rolled a shoulder, taking stock of my physical state. I felt mostly okay, I had been hit a couple of times when I was caught by surprise, but nothing that left a wound behind. I was starting to feel some mental fatigue, though, and keeping my reinforcement active, even if it was at a low simmer, left my muscles feeling a little overworked.

Three hours of fighting will do that to you, I guess. I thought as I began to extract the magic stones from the dead monsters, putting the number I gathered on this trip alone at more than fifty, plus a goblin fang drop item I was lucky enough to get. Not bad for a three hour trip, I think. The two small pouches I had tied to my belt were bulging with my loot.

Would have been more, but I broke a few of them when I misjudged my strikes.

I think that's enough for a first day. I decided, and started to head in the direction of the stairs going up.

I entered the Dungeon at around two in the afternoon, so it would be around five now. A little early, but I needed to report to my advisor before she started to believe I was dead in a ditch somewhere.

And I wanted to see if I could meet with Atticus and get him to start on my sword.

I didn't want to risk Alise's sword more than necessary… and I gathered I would need a better weapon to descend even more. Right now I couldn't fight for long before I had to recreate my longsword, and using a Noble Phantasm, or one of the better weapons I saw in Saber's memories, felt a lot like overkill against these monsters.

I wanted to become strong on my own terms, not by relying on the weapons of the heroes of the past.

I would have used my bow and arrows to help preserve my weapon's integrity, but the fact that the monsters appear almost on top of me every time made ranged combat a poor option in the upper floors, and that's without taking in count the multiple turns and curves that blocked my visibility. Hopefully, lower floors would be wider enough for me to comfortably fight in range as well.

I wanted to become a better swordman, but I didn't want to abandon the bow for that.

…I guess I could keep practicing at Stardust Garden's backyard for no-

"No! S-stay back! Erik, get up and fight! ERIK!"

It was when I was crossing paths with a group of three older Adventurers that a scream coming from farther ahead tore me from my thoughts.

The sound of combat was a constant background in this floor so I mostly muted it out, but these screams were afraid, desperate. They were fighting a losing battle.

They needed help.

I took a second to look around and pinpoint the direction of the screams, while the three Adventurers elbowed one another with mocking smiles.

As soon as I found the direction, I started to dash, magic energy surging from my circuits, and ignoring the mocking laughs of the adventurers I left behind.

"Heh, another rookie bites the dust." I heard one of the adventurers say.

"Hey, don't be a dick, man." Another snickered. "C'mon, let's go. We could use some more Va-"

I gritted my teeth for a second, incensed at the lack of empathy, but soon I forgot about those three and focused on following the sounds of the Adventurers in need.

It wasn't far, but as the voice grew more desperate, and his screams for his companion to get up and help became more frantic, I knew I didn't have much time. I turned around a corner, and then again, my feet barely touching the ground as I rushed.

For a second I was brought back to the forest outside of Westmount, and to Ann's voice as she was attacked.

Come on, I have to be faster! The green light of my reinforcement illuminated my way as I ran through the Dungeon, the sounds of combat and the screams of fear and pain getting closer and closer. Just a little closer, just around this bend!

CRACK! CRACK!

Just as I thought that, two goblins emerged from the walls, their screams overlapping the ones coming from the fight ahead.

I didn't stop.

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

My goddess' wings burned in my back.

Less than a second, less than a moment.

Before I realized it, I was already in their midst, having closed the distance between us in an instant. Surer than ever before, my blade flashed and I cut through the two creatures with ease, their tough hide doing nothing to slow down my slash.

And then I continued around the corner, the golden glow of my magic brightening the cavernous room and the three kobolds attacking a guy my age who was protecting another one lying on the ground.

Some small part of me wondered about the golden hue that replaced the familiar light green of my magic energy. Reminiscent of the glow of the Sword of Promised Victory, reminiscent of the shine that the Everdistant Utopia emanated.

Reminiscent of Artoria.

There was another part that marveled at the speed I was moving, at the ease in which my magic flowed from my circuits to my body, at the strength that filled my muscles, dwarfing any other time I used reinforcement.

But the bigger part of me? The bigger part of me was in charge of my body as I rushed forward, my sword raised. "Like I'd let you-!" Like a shooting star, my sword struck before the beast that was about to attack the Adventurer could react.

It was like there was nothing there. I easily cut through the flesh and bone of its neck, decapitating the kobold before it knew I was there.

So easily in fact that my sword continued and struck the wall of the dungeon. Sir Kay's sword snapped in two, but I had no time to care, I just let go of the hilt and turned around, my hand lashing out in a backhanded strike and hitting the nearest kobold's in the chest, caving its ribs in.

The beast let out a wail of pain as it fell to the ground, still alive, but not for long.

My right hand went to my waist and, with a whisper of steel on leather, I unsheathed Alise Lovell's sword.

The memories buried deep in the blade sang, and I felt myself taking an unfamiliar stance, switching the sword to my left hand and raising it. Her stance, the one Alise learned from Astraea.

Following steps that were not mine, I leaped across the room, light as a feather. With Strength and Agility being insufficiently replaced by my own enhanced abilities, the sword danced in my hand and I tried my best to follow it.

One slash, two, a spin, then a stab. I delivered attack after attack, the sword cutting the last standing kobold with grace and poise I wouldn't be able to match without its assistance, ending the monster's life with ease.

I turned around, finished off the kobold I had left dying in the ground with a flourish and then, like I had practiced it countless times, I spun the blade in my hand and sheathed it with a single movement.

And then it was over.

I shook my head, letting go of the sword like it had burned me. That was… new. I thought as the golden glow around me turned back to the familiar green,

It wasn't the first time I took advantage of the memories in a sword to perform techniques that would be otherwise impossible to me. That's how I trained my sword style after the Holy Grail War. But during those times it was something I did intentionally.

That? It was like the sword did it on its own. For that moment it felt like my body was a blade being used by Alise Lovell to save the two Adventurers in front of me.

The ease in which I followed the movements of the sword, the grace I moved with. I never got so influenced by a sword that the memories overwrote my movements so naturally.

And that golden glow, accompanied by the boost in strength and speed.

Was that… my Skill?

"...What the fuck."

I turned around, my breath still going a little fast after the rush through the Dungeon, and met the raised sword of the Adventurer still standing.

He was around my age, more or less, with Asian features and deep black hair- would that be Far Eastern features here?- He looked like someone I could have passed by in my school hallway, if one ignored the studded leather armor, the shield and the sword he was still pointing at me.

"Hey! Hey! It's fine, I took care of them! You okay there?" I asked, raising my hands and trying not to make any sudden movements. It would be quite the irony to die stabbed by the person I just saved. "Ah, your friend, Erik, was it?. He probably needs a potion or something." He obviously did, but I just said it to remind the guy still frozen in shock of his priorities

"My- Shit! Erik!" Erik's friend turned around in alarm, and kneeled in front of him. He rummaged through a pouch in his belt and took out a vial full of red liquid. A healing potion. "C'mon, man, drink!" he exclaimed, shoving the whole thing in the unconscious man's mouth.

Erik looked… fine? Unconscious, but there was no blood around him. He was really well armored, plate armor over chainmail, so there was little chance of the kobolds claws hitting him. If anything, his friend looked even worse after fighting the kobolds on his own until I got here. Did he get knocked out by a hit to the head or something?

He would probably wake up with a killer headache if that was the case, but at least he seemed to be alright.

I smiled, some tension leaving my shoulders.

I placed my hand back on the sword on my waist. "Thanks for the assist, Alise," I muttered under my breath.

I guess I should probably thank Astraea as well, once I went back home.

-Line Break-

"Seriously, man, thank you!" The two Adventurers waved at me as they went to line up to exchange their loot after our return from the Dungeon.

Really, fighting our way up was way easier as a party, it hadn't been even thirty minutes since I killed those kobolds on the fourth floor and we were already in the Guild building.

I turned around and went to the other side of the building, away from the exchange point. I wanted to exchange my stones too, but…

I looked around for a moment, and promptly found the deep red hair of my advisor. I grimaced when I saw the line of people in front of her, but then shrugged and lined up. I had noticed that Rose Fannett was popular with most Adventurers, so I guess I had no one else to blame but me after I chose to accept her as my advisor this morning.

Luckily the line advanced pretty quickly…though, for some reason, most seemed to leave in low spirits. Soon enough I was next.

"Next person, please."

I stepped in front of her desk and smiled. "I'm back, Fannett."

The werewolf's eyes widened for a moment, but her expression soon settled back into what I was beginning to learn was her usual deadpan expression. "Shirou Emiya, I expected you back here hours ago. I was starting to believe you got over your head." She gave me a once over and then took a file from one of the drawers of her desk.

"Ah, yes, sorry about that. Thanks to your explanation I didn't have trouble finding my way, but finding a quiet place away from everyone to fight was a little harder." I scratched the back of my head, smiling sheepishly. "Really, at first I thought I had overestimated how many explore the Dungeon, but the fourth floor was really packed."

"I see, that makes sense, that is where most beginner Adventurers gather once they- did you just say you went down to the fourth floor? On your first day?" she hissed, disbelief in her tone. "Didn't you hear my explanations today? You should have waited until your Basic-" She cut herself off, and took a deep breath, forcibly calming herself. "My apologies, I… lost my composure and almost talked about your private information in public."

I shook my head, not blaming her at all. I seem to have a knack for getting girls angry at me easily, so I was used to it. "It's okay. I guess I was a little reckless, after all." "A little?" "But you told me that I should go lower when I felt comfortable fighting the monsters, and, as you can see, that's what I did."

I shrugged, and untied one of the bulging pouches from my waist to show the contents to the shocked werewolf.

On my way back up I didn't get many more magic stones as we took the most direct route, but it was quite a sizeable haul. Luckily they were all around the size of a pinky finger nail, because my pouches wouldn't have been able to contain them otherwise.

Fannett looked at the stones, then at my face, then back at the stones. "You… If you weren't Lady Astraea's child, I'd think you were lying about getting your Falna less than a week ago." She sighed. "I guess it was my fault for expecting an average Adventurer to join her Familia. It seems that the normal approach won't work for you."

"I won't be stuck fighting only goblins for long, if that's what you mean. I won't bring shame to my goddess by stagnating like that." I don't care what others might think about me, but I won't give anyone reasons to think less of my Familia. Not when they did so much for this city.

"It seems you won't. You are just as proud as she was, I see," she said, the ghost of a smile on her face. Was she talking about Kaguya? "Very well. Floors one to four I can accept, but if you want me to remain as your advisor then you will only go lower when one of your Basic Abilities is rank G and not a moment before." She warned me with narrowed eyes. "If you want to survive against Killer Ants, or Lord Ouranos forbid, a War Shadow, you'll need that much. Are we in agreement?"

I know that with my reinforcement I could probably fight those monsters before my Basic Abilities reached that point.

…But I wanted her to continue being my advisor. If she was chosen by a high class Adventurer like Kaguya had been, then she must be that good.

And it would be wise to not underestimate the Dungeon. Not after Astraea told me last night about what truly happened to her children.

I wouldn't forget anytime soon that the Dungeon could spawn on a whim an invulnerable creature that was strong enough to easily kill ten high class adventurers.

I would be careful.

"Agreed." Fannet nodded and made a note on the file she had opened.

"Then, I'll expect to see you tomorrow at eight for a session. We'll discuss today's exploration, and I'll begin explaining the floors five to seven. If you are as stubborn as I think you are, I gather that it will not be long before you can explore those."

I nodded, making a mental note to later review what I've seen today. "Right, I'll see you then. Thanks for your time." I smiled at her once more and turned around to leave.

"Emiya." Fannet's voice stopped me. I looked at her over my shoulder. Her yellow eyes looked at me intensely before she sighed. "Don't make me regret this," she said, and I pretended not to hear the slight concern in her voice.

I straightened up and nodded. "I won't, Fannet."

I had much to do before I could allow myself to die, if that's what she was worried about.

And I wasn't going to leave Astraea alone if I could help it.