The Sword Saint (FateRoute!Shirou in Danmachi)

There was something… relaxing about the rhythmic sound of a hammer hitting steel.

The clank, clank, clank that filled the sweltering room thrummed in my chest, and I could swear my heartbeat was starting to match the rate of the hits Ashe was delivering to the red-hot blade-shaped piece of metal she was working on. Childlike as she looked, her divine enhanced strength was enough to shape the metal with ease.

Clunk.

I had to keep the grimace out of my face when the discordant sound of a glancing blow disrupted her flow, and her rhythm was broken.

"Stop," Atticus said in a calm voice from his place at the other side of the anvil. Ashe winced and she did as he said. "Easy now. You were doing great. Don't rush your hits, keep them constant and accurate," he instructed, his scarred face looking almost kindly at the blue-haired pallum.

He looked nothing like the mess of a man I rescued from that forest just a couple of days ago. Only his missing arm remained as proof of what he suffered that day.

"Sorry, sorry. It's just that…" Ashe glanced at me.

"Am I in the way? Should I leave?" I offered, a little uncomfortable. They had told me they didn't mind me waiting here while they were working but Ashe seemed a little self-conscious. "I can come back later."

"No, it's not that! I just felt a little bad for making you wait for me to finish, so I rushed a bit." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled. "Okay, I'm fine. I'll continue."

Ashe's eyes returned to the piece of metal, her expression focused, and started to hit again.

A few minutes later, she deemed it ready. The blunt hiltless blade was still unfinished, still missing half of the process that would make it durable as a weapon, but it looked to be going well. I couldn't see any flaws in its structure and any misshaping left would be gone with the heat treatment and the sharpening.

Still, there was something I needed to ask.

"What kind of metal is that? I thought it was steel at first, but there's something weird mixed in the alloy." I squinted at the metal.. There was iron, carbon, some other minerals and…collagen? Calcium? "Is that an alloy of metal and bone?"

"Huh, how did you know that?" Ashe asked, confused. "I mean, yeah. It's mixed with a drop item, a Hard Armored's shell."

I haven't heard of that monster yet, but I'm guessing it's a turtle or armadillo type of monster. Normally adding such a thing to a metal would do nothing but compromise the integrity of the alloy, but I guessed things were different with monster drops.

"Did you… figure out the composition of the metal with a look?" Atticus asked, looking at me intently. "Have you seen it before? Do you have forging experience, Shirou? You didn't tell us."

"No, never forged anything with my own hands. I just have a good eye for weapons."

"Well, that sounds like a waste of a good eye, in my opinion." My shoulders tensed when an amused voice answered from the entrance of the room. I turned and met the ruby red eye of a goddess. "Didn't know you were talking with a prospective member, kids. Should I come later, once you've convinced him to test a hammer?"

She's gorgeous. I should have expected it, really, but on this occasion I had an excuse for my surprise.

Because the fire I could feel burning in her being, the comforting heat reminiscent of the forge I was in right now…this divinity couldn't be anyone else's but Hephaestus'.

The God of the Forge from my world was rather famous for his deformity and ugliness in comparison to the other gods and goddesses. And yet, this slender red haired woman was nothing like that. With her sharp, mature features she was a different kind of beauty than Astraea, but I didn't think she was any less attractive.

Not even the eyepatch covering almost a third of her face could detract from her looks.

She entered the room with a confident stride, an easy smile on her face.

"My lady! Ah no. This is Shirou, the one who helped us in Westmount! He's not here to join!" Ashe rushed to stand and explain, only for the goddess to chuckle, a twinkle in her eye.

"I know, Ash. I'm just messing with you a little. Even without that familiar blood in his veins, I would have recognized him from your descriptions." Hephaestus turned to me and gave me a once over, focusing for a moment longer on Alise's sword. My hand moved to the hilt when the fiery feeling of her divinity flared for a moment. "That's not one of mine," she mused. "Goibniu's work?"

I nodded, forcing myself to relax. "One of his children's." Hephaestus nodded back, and focused back on my face, looking at me curiously. Figures that the goddess of the forge would focus first on my weapon. "Though I'm just borrowing it until I get one made for me. Well forged as it is, it doesn't fit my style."

"Thus, you coming here," she finished. "Shirou Emiya, was it? The young man who saved my Atticus and delivered my Rath's last creation. " Hephaestus smiled softly. "Astraea's newest child."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Lady Hephaestus." I bowed slightly, trying to show some respect to my goddess' acquaintance. "I heard great things about you from Astraea."

"Exaggerations, surely." She waved off my words, a slight flush on her face. "But I heard better things about you and your actions. Thank you, truly. You are the only reason my child could come back home." She's like Astraea, huh, I thought when I heard the sincere gratefulness in her words. A god that loved their mortal children.

I shook my head, beginning to relax. "I did what anyone else would have done, I'm just glad I was in the right place to help." I glanced at Atticus, who raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "And Atticus is already thanking me with a weapon, anyway." Ashe cleared her throat at that. "And Ashe too, of course."

Hephaestus chuckled. "Spoken like a true child of the goddess of Justice. I'm starting to see how you caught her eye." She then nodded. "Okay, if you made arrangements with my kids, I won't get in the way. Atticus." The blond man straightened up when her goddess called his name. "Come to my forge later. I'll provide the materials this time." Atticus' eyes widened.

"Thank you, my lady. I'll be sure not to waste them." He bowed deeply.

"Ashe." The blue haired pallum jerked up in attention. Hephaestus smiled and approached her. "Show me what you're working on. I have some free time, so I can help you finish your sword and give you some pointers while we work. If you're going to help with this, I want you to be at your best."

Ashe gasped. "Really? Thank you so much!" The goddess of the forge patted Ashe's head, leaving her preening, and turned to me.

"Let Astraea know to visit me soon, will you? I'd like to catch up with her." She smiled. "I'll make time whenever she wants to come."

I nodded, knowing that Astraea would be glad to meet with her… if only to brag about my abilities. She always spoke of Hephaestus with a twinkle in her eye. She's probably going to be another victim of my goddess' teasing. "She was probably going to come visit soon enough, but I'll be sure to tell her." I smiled with some amusement. Better her than me.

Hephaestus tilted her head in confusion but then she grinned. "Ah, she's up to her old antics, isn't she? That girl can be quite the handful once she warms up to you. Hope she isn't giving you a hard time," she said, her tone nostalgic.

"I'm slowly getting used to it," I admitted. "I'm glad she's going to have a few more targets now that we're here."

Hephaestus shook her head, chuckling. "I'll be sure to be ready when she comes, then." She turned to Atticus. "So, want to take the details for his weapon while I work with Ashe for a little while, Atticus?"

Atticus nodded seriously and Hephaestus turned around and went with Ashe to the other side of the room. I would like to say that my eyes weren't tempted to follow her retreating form as she walked away from me, attracted by the tight leather pants she was wearing.

But I would be lying.

These goddesses are dangerous to my heart. I thought with some chagrin.

Fortunately, my will was stronger than that, and I just kept my eyes on Atticus the whole time.

Hephaestus and her child huddled near one of the furnaces of the room and started to talk about the process Ashe had already completed and what came next. Atticus stood up with a small smile and came to me, leaving the women to their talk.

Weird how this girl talk consisted of tempering steel infused with monster parts.

Different worlds, I guess.

"So, you told me you wanted a longsword, correct?" he asked, sitting on a workbench nearby and starting to take notes on a piece of paper. "Do you have any specifications in mind? Length? Shape of the guard?"

Atticus spent some time asking questions and taking my measurements. My height, length of my arms and forearms, and even my hands. He meticulously filled the paper with his observations and the details of what I wanted

"A shame you don't have your actual weapon with you," he mused while sketching a design on another paper. "I never actually saw it, now that I think about it. Did it break on you?"

Hm? My actual…? "Ah right, I never told you, did I?" The only people that had seen me doing my Tracing were Astraea and Ann. As far as Ashe and Atticus knew, I killed the goblins with actual weapons.

"Tell me what?"

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show them.

Some part of me rebelled at the thought. Years of hiding my magecraft were hard to shake off…but magic was commonplace here.

I wouldn't tell them all my secrets, but some explanations and showing them Sir Kay's longsword would go a long way to make this easier.

Besides, Astraea seemed to trust Hephaestus, so that was enough for me to do so as well.

"I'm a mage," I said, and Atticus lifted his eyes from the sketch, a question in his eyes. "Most of the time, I don't fight with an actual sword. I have a spell that creates copies of weapons out of my magic. That's how I killed the goblins."

"Really? That's interesting. You had magic before your blessing?" I nodded. He put the pencil down and focused his attention on me, curiosity filling his yellow eyes. "Care to show me?" There was an intrigued edge to his taciturn voice.

Hm, I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that such a spell would be interesting to someone who dedicated his life to the forge.

I extended my right hand, and with a strike of the hammer of a gun, a magic circuit opened.

"Trace On."

I don't know if it was the fact that I was in a smithy, or that I just saw Ashe put so much work in her own creation, or maybe it was that the Goddess of the Forge was in the same room as me, her burning divinity serving as a beacon to my senses, but when I closed my eyes, the first four steps of my tracing stood out starkly in my mind.

Judging the concept of creation.

Hypothesizing the basic structure.

Duplicating the composition material.

Imitating the skill of its making.

I could clearly feel the heat of the forge and the phantom reverberations of the strikes of the hammer as it shaped the steel into its final form, each and every hit molding the metal with meticulous intent.

I could almost see the red-hot sword as it was heat treated; the hardening, the tempering.

And then the sharpening.

The silver sheen that remained afterwards, before it was even held by one of the most famous warriors in the history of mankind.

Green light filled my hand, extended and then turned into the longsword that helped me so much since coming to this world.

A gasp brought me back to where I was, and I looked up to see Atticus' curious eyes watching my sword, "Well, seeing this, I can get a better image of what you want," Atticus said, taking the sight of the sword with interest. "I can see why you want the upgrade. It's a good sword, but it won't last much in the dungeon."

"Yeah, I heard that monsters after the…" I trailed off when I noticed Atticus looking to my side, confused. And then I realized something.

He wasn't the one that gasped.

"That- Where did that come from?" Hephaestus mumbled from her place suddenly near me, inspecting the steel longsword with shock. I shuddered when the weight of her presence filled the room. "You made that? With just a short-chant spell?"

"Ah, yes?" I answered with some uncertainty, not because of the question, but because of the urgency with which she asked it. Was it so surprising that the chant was short? I mean, most of the meat of the spell was made in my mind.

Would my seven steps count as a chant, even if I never say them out loud?

"But how? It's made out of magic, but… the metal is real. Real iron was processed and turned into steel. The wood and leather of the hilt came from a real tree and a real animal. It… it was made hundreds of years ago by hands that were not yours, and yet it's freshly forged as well. How can it be?" she rambled and my eyes widened with every word.

It sounded like she was tracing it, reading its history as she spoke.

"That's because it's not real, Lady Hephaestus," I explained, letting her take hold of the sword to continue her inspection. She traced her fingers over the blade and then glanced at me. "You could say it's just an illusion of a real sword I shaped with my magic energy."

"An… illusion," she whispered. "I've never seen anything like this. It's only because I saw it being created that I looked deeper and noticed at all. To anyone else, this sword would look and feel like the real thing."

I shook my head. "Not… really. There's always some slight flaws, a downgrade, when I make them, but it's hard to notice the difference sometimes." It's only because I created them and had the perfect image in my head that the differences were so glaring to me.

She took a last look at the sword and returned it to me, then she grew serious. "It's remarkable. Just this would be enough for you to earn a place in my Familia, should you want it. That's how impressed I am about it." Hephaestus looked at me for a second more, before she grinned ruefully. "But you are Astraea's, so I won't insult you by asking."

"Thanks." I nodded, knowing that I would have rejected her without question had she asked me to join her, but if she was so curious about the spell… "But, I can answer some questions if you want."

I smiled when she nodded eagerly, feeling some amusement at the fact that both her children did the same behind her. "I'm curious about how you ended up with such an ability. Is it a Skill-ah." She grimaced. "Sorry, that was rude of me. I shouldn't pry about private matters."

"It's okay, I don't mind. Astraea trusts you, and I wouldn't have offered it if I wasn't willing to answer." Hephaestus sighed in relief. "It's not a Skill. I think Astraea called it congenital magic? I had it before I met her."

"Wait! Aren't you a human?" Ashe asked, taking the chance to approach and start to poke at my sword. "Are you a quarter-elf or something?"

"Or half-dwarf like the captain?" Atticus added. "It would explain the proficiency with creating weapons."

"Ah, I never met my grandparents, but my parents were fully human." I don't usually think about them, but as far as I remember, my birth parents were normal people. "I was born with the ability to use magic, and learned the basics from two masters before I met my goddess."

"So, it's magic that can be learnt?" Hephaestus interjected with interest.

I grimaced. By the way Astraea had berated me for my reckless use of magic, I don't think mages here do things the same way I do. "I… don't think so. I have some… special circumstances that allow me to cast spells the way I do." I haven't met any mages yet, actually, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be able to replicate my magecraft.

"But you learnt the spell from your master, so there's a possibility, surely!" Ashe exclaimed, a little complaint in her tone.

"Ah, actually, I just learnt the basics from them." I smiled sheepishly. "The spell I use to create my weapons is one I created. Or rather, I improved upon an existing one until I ended up with what I have."

"Which is?" Atticus asked, using the opportunity to continue his sketch, now that he had a model of what I wanted in front of him.

"The basic spell is called Projection or Gradation Air, but I like to call my version Tracing. It works by using the image of an object in my mind to create a copy in the real world, duplicating the materials, the forging or creation process and the history it accumulates over time."

"The materials, the process, and history..." Atticus mused. "To even picture one of those things should be… hard. To do all of them with enough clarity to create something like this…"

"Should be impossible," Hephaestus finished, a question implicit in her words.

"I have another spell, Structural Analysis, that allows me to read the composition of any object, down to its materials and structure." I smiled, letting the implication hang.

A spell that needs the details of an object, and a spell that reads them. One would think that I can create my Projections due to me using them together, but the actual reason I could make use of it with such ease was the addition of what seems to be a natural ability of mine, one that probably appeared due to my sword element, or so Tohsaka had hypothesized.

The ability to learn and remember every detail of a bladed weapon with just a look, no spell needed.

If it wasn't for that, I would be forced to keep a real sword with me each time I wanted to use my tracing.

I can, with some time and patience, use my Structural Analysis repeatedly to learn and remember the details of an item enough that I can trace them without having the original with me, but it isn't the same.

However, even with that limitation, the two adventurers seemed to become more interested in it.

…I wonder what they would think if I explained myself fully.

"That's so cool… I wish I had something like that myself. I would know if I left any cracks after I shaped the metal, or if my sword became brittle in the furnace, or- Sorry I'm just rambling and making your magic sound lame." Ashe trailed off with a small blush on her face.

"It's okay, I understand. Until just a while ago, I mostly used my magic to repair stuff around my home. It's really useful to know if something can actually be repaired or if I should just throw it out." I smiled sheepishly. "Though, lately I just use it for combat. Circumstances change, I guess."

"And you never tried to use it to properly forge a sword on your own?" Atticus asked. "I can imagine you could learn the basics pretty quickly if you locked yourself in a room with some weapons and a forge."

I scratched my cheek, remembering thinking about it when Astraea tried to get me to join the goddess in front of me. "No? I mean, I've thought about it, but I never had the chance to test it out. Not that I would have the time anyway, with how busy I'm going to be now that I can go to the Dungeon. I prefer to use my free time to improve my swordplay."

"And you think that's okay?" Hephaestus, who had been silent since I explained my magic, cut in sharply. I looked to the side, where the goddess of the forge still stood, and frowned.

Hephaestus was looking at me with pity.

"...my lady?" Ashe asked with some trepidation.

"You are saying that you can learn anything from a weapon if it's in front of you, and yet you limit yourself to combat?" she asked, her tone almost sorrowful. "That's… such a shame."

What? A shame? Isn't fighting the whole reason a weapon is made for? "I… don't understand," I admitted and that just made the pity she seemed to have for me grow.

"And that made it just worse." She smiled ruefully. "That talent you possess, any smith worth their salt would kill to have it. You don't seem to understand how precious it is. Atticus, don't you agree?"

I looked at the blond man, and found him grimacing, the scar on his face twisting with his mouth. "I… agree. I owe you too much to try and force you to do anything, but you having that combination of abilities and not using them to their fullest is almost… insulting." He grimaced. "I can't help but imagine how far I could go with them."

I felt a twinge of guilt at the words he was saying. They were… basic spells. Spells that would earn only mockery from proper magi.

Yes, my Tracing might be more advanced, but it was nothing compared to what Tohsaka could do.

And yet, from their perspective, it was something precious enough to envy.

"Like he said, I won't force you, Shirou. I don't have any say in your future… but I know Astraea won't want you to live just for conflict." I froze when she placed a hand on my chest plate, right above my heart. She wasn't directly touching me, but I felt my heartbeat speed up anyway, my blood rushing like fire through my veins. "Despite how little I know you, looking at this sword, I understand. You may want to be a warrior but I know you were born to create."

My eyes widened.

Emiya Shirou. Understand, you are a maker, not a fighter.

The words that that red Archer said to me months ago surfaced at that moment.

After spending almost a month in this world, even though it hadn't been my choice to arrive here, I began to feel glad of the things I got to experience due to that.

Things like meeting Astraea, saving Ann or rescuing the victims of the hobgoblin, I was genuinely happy to have arrived here.

I had been lost after Saber disappeared. I yearned to follow her steps, to live in a way that would make her proud, to reach that place I was sure she was resting in, but in my world there wasn't a clear path to follow.

Here? Here I could fight to save people using the skills she imparted in me, with the memories of the blades that I got to see through her eyes.

Make her proud.

And thanks to Astraea's blessing, I began to think I might one day be strong enough to do what she could have done in my place. To compare myself with the memories that remained after she was gone and not find myself wanting.

And yet…

You do not need outside enemies. For you, the one you have to fight is none other than your own image.

And yet, wouldn't that guy know me better than anyone?

It had been his words that guided me to create Caliburn for the first time and overcome Berserker, it had been by following those words that I created Avalon and survived the curses of the Grail.

In my desire to follow in her footsteps, to fill the hole her absence left, had I been… ignoring what makes me, me?

"Let me teach you," Hephaestus declared. "That talent you possess, I won't - I can't- let it go to waste. You may not be one of my children, but allow me, the Goddess of the Forge, of Blacksmiths and Craftsmen, turn you into a smith."

I shuddered, feeling some part of me, deep in my soul, rejoice at her words, at her touch.

The fires of her divinity didn't feel oppressing anymore.

If anything, they relaxed me.

And why wouldn't they? After all, she is the Goddess of the Forge and  my body is made out of blades.

-Line Break-

"I'm home!" Astraea's cheerful voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I stirred the contents of my pot, checking that I wasn't about to let something burn, and was about to go greet her when she entered the kitchen. "Oh! That smells nice~."

I smiled softly. "Welcome home, Astraea." I greeted her. "I'm almost done here, but I can keep it warmed up until you take a bath, if you want. The bathtub upstairs should still be hot."

"Oh, Shirou, you are a lifesaver!" She gushed. "I'm exhausted~. Ganesha's enthusiasm for his work is a little too much sometimes," she complained, a little tiredness seeping into her tone. "It was nice catching up, but working with him is always an experience."

I nodded almost commiseratingly, from what I heard about him, Ganesha seemed like a male Fuji-nee, only ten times louder.

"Well, it sounds like you need a moment to relax." Now I'm glad I went through the trouble of heating more water after my bath. "Go on up and take your time, I can keep this warm until you are done. We can talk over dinner." Astraea nodded gratefully and I turned back to the food, but then I stiffened up when I felt her arms circling my stomach and the softness of her chest pressing against my back. "... Astraea?"

"Mm, indulge me a little…" she whispered, her warm breath sending a shiver down my spine. "I needed this, even more than a delicious dinner or a warm bath." Even as my cheeks heated up, I forced my muscles to relax so she wasn't hugging a statue. "Sorry. I know you're strong, my hero, but I couldn't help but worry all day knowing you went to the Dungeon."

…Of course she would worry. After everything she lost in that place, it would be more surprising if she didn't.

"My bad. I should have gone to see you after I was done." I apologized. "Everything went okay, I wasn't even hurt."

She shook her head against the crook of my neck. "Mm, don't blame yourself, this is just me being a worrywart," she said with a giggle. "Let me recharge my Shirou energy a little more, and I'll let you go."

…Am I an energy generator now?

"Don't take too much time, your bath is going to go cold," I reminded her.

"...you could always join me, you know? The bath is big enough for two," she answered in a voice all too casual for the words coming out of her mouth.

…And now she's just teasing me.

I thought I had finally grown used to it, but my heart trying to lurch out of my chest told me that I was still weak to her.

"That bath is big enough for five, but that's not the problem here." I sighed with some exasperation. "Don't joke about that, Astraea. It's dangerous for my heart."

"Fufu, I don't see the problem here. I already saw you half-naked, why are you being shy now?" Because I'd be seeing you, and I don't trust myself that much to not react. I didn't say anything, though, and after a few seconds Astraea giggled and let go. "Hm, you smell too nice. You didn't think of waiting for me and took a bath on your own, huh? How inconsiderate."

"Just go before I end up burning the house because you are distracting me."

Astraea left the kitchen with another giggle and a "Next time wait for me~" and I let out an explosive sigh.

Should I say something? I liked Astraea and I knew that her teasing was a way to show closeness to the people she liked… but sometimes I felt like she was treating me… like a child.

Like I'm not a man.

And that annoyed me.

I returned to my cooking, even though there was barely anything else to do before serving. I needed something, anything, to distract my mind, because if I started to think why I was annoyed at that, I wouldn't like the answer.

That way laid dragons.

-Line Break-

Astraea glared at me. "Unfaithful. One afternoon on your own and you went and found a replacement for me?"

I sighed. "Astraea…It's not like that. I haven't even accepted her offer."

"And that makes it better?" My goddess pouted, before letting a pleased hum when she took a bite of the sauteed chicken on her plate. "So good~. Ahem. While you were out there seducing my friend, I spent my whole afternoon negotiating with Ganesha so you could join their patrols. How's that fair?"

"I didn't seduce her! She just offered to teach me blacksmithing!" I protested, going along with her game, before taking a bite myself. I had wanted to cook something with fish, but the few shops I visited had none left by the time I finally had time to go shopping. I had to make do with what I found, thus chicken sauteed with onions, green pepper and garlic and a side of potatoes.

Basic, but quite delicious, even if I had to experiment a little bit with the spices to know what I was working with.

Now if I could find some good soy sauce and miso…

Astraea pulled me out of my thoughts of grilled fish and miso soup with a harrumph. "The Goddess of Blacksmiths offered to turn you into a blacksmith, how is that any different from you gaining another goddess?" she counter-argued, raising an eyebrow. It would have been a good argument if not for how her lips were twitching upwards in mirth.

"Jokes aside, please," I begged. "What do you think?"

Astraea fell silent in thought… or maybe she was too distracted by polishing the food on her plate to talk.

"I think you should do it," she declared after a few seconds. "Jokes aside, the fact that you impressed Hephaestus so much she offered to teach you herself means a lot. It's an opportunity that you shouldn't waste."

I nodded. I had actually thought the same, but I wanted to have a second opinion before I dived head first into it.

And this was something that I felt Astraea needed to have a say in.

Luckily, Hephaestus didn't mind waiting for my answer and just nodded when I told her why I couldn't accept just then.

"Eventually you may not want to delve into the Dungeon anymore, so it'd be smart to have a backup plan, just in case," she continued.

"Even if it may cut into my training time? Or my trips down there?"

"...Shirou, you reached the fourth floor on your first day, with all your Basic Abilities on I. Time is not against you." She admonished me. "Your life doesn't need to consist of only fighting and the Dungeon. You need to have something else. Don't you want to learn how to create your own weapons?"

"...I do."

"Then you shouldn't hesitate." She then gained a complicated expression. "You are young, and things are peaceful in the city for the first time in years. Take advantage of every chance you get to grow, now that you can."

"...Alright, I'll accept the offer, then. Thank-" "-But!" Astraea cut in before I could finish. "Don't forget you are my child. Hephaestus may be your teacher but I am your goddess. If you leave me for her, I won't forgive you." She warned me half-jokingly. "If she wasn't seduced today, then she will be after you tell her of your affinity with swords. I might need to prepare for a War Game for you."

She wouldn't…would she?

But right, thinking about it, I might need to come clean about my full capabilities if I wanted to learn properly from her.

She was willing to offer training after hearing the basics of my abilities, what would she do if I told her everything about my Tracing?

…Astraea might not be stretching the truth about a War Game in the future.

Silly predictions aside, I smiled with some amusement about the fact my goddess was worried about me leaving her, of all things.

"Of course, my goddess." Even if I had to fight the whole Familia to remain with her, I feel like I wouldn't lose.

"So, changing subjects!" Astraea continued, clapping her hands. "How about we do some cleaning around here after you come back tomorrow? I did some dusting this morning and you cleaned the bath but there's still much to do! Even the garden is a mess."

"Right, I found some mops and buckets in a closet near the bathroom, but should I pick up some cleaning supplies before coming back?" I offered.

"Oh! That's a good idea! I can wait for you in Pantheon and we'll go shopping together. I can give you a tour of the city at the same time!" she exclaimed with a bright smile, before starting to list her favorite stores around.

I let my eyes drink in the sight of my joyful goddess and relaxed in my seat, feeling an easy smile settle on my face. Yeah… If it's to protect this, a War Game or two sounds cheap.

"And there was a nice cafe around there too. It served a sinful cheesecake that you have to try-"

…We might end up buying a lot more than cleaning supplies.

I better do my best tomorrow and earn some money. We're probably going to need it.

-Line Break-

"It would be… eighteen-thousand, one-hundred and fifty Vali for the magic crystals, and two-thousand for the two goblin fangs," the Guild employee said almost clinically as he inspected the loot I brought from the Dungeon. "Do you wish to exchange it all?"

I thought for a second, before shaking my head. "The fangs, yes, I don't have a use for them, but the magic crystals… leave me with a couple of them to power stuff back home." I had exchanged everything yesterday, forgetting we had to have some just in case to power the lights and some stuff like the hot water for the bath.

"Shall we make it an even eighteen-thousand? Exchange only sixteen-thousand worth of crystals?"

"That sounds good." I nodded. "Sorry for the trouble." The employee just shook his head, and took most of the crystals, leaving me with a couple of handfuls.

In the silence that followed I was able to hear some whispering coming from the line behind me.

"Twenty thousand, he said?"

"On his own? Who's that guy anyway? I don't recognize him."

"With that crappy armor, he looks like a rookie..."

"How the fuck did a rookie manage to get that much on his own?"

"Beats me. Damn rookie, I could use some of that. Make some of the girls in the pleasure district happy."

"Ha! You, with that face?'

I grimaced, better be careful on the way back, these guys sounded seedy.

I was brought back from my thoughts by the clinking of coins. The Guild employee came back and set a heavy looking sack on the desk with a smile, and I swear I could feel multiple sets of eyes settle on it. "Twenty-thousand, sir. There is a place on the side for counting, if you wish, but the Guild prides itself in being fair with our exchanges."

That sounds smart. You wouldn't want to stiff people that had divine blood coursing through their veins, I guess.

"Ah, it's fine." I placed a hand on the sack, and whispered. "Trace on." A hammer of a gun struck, and a circuit came to life. I poured the magic energy into the sack, and information flooded my mind: the material that it was made of, the way it was made, and, more importantly, what it contained. "It's twenty-thousand, alright." I nodded, satisfied.

"A magic that counts money?" The employee asked, the professional mask dropping for a second. "Heh, you could make a fine Guild employee with that. Think about it if the adventuring thing doesn't pan out." Then he looked at the sack, and added ruefully, "Although it seems to be going well so far."

"Seems that way, but we'll see." I shrugged. "Nice to know, though. I'll keep it in mind," I said, just to not be rude. It was probably a little too soon to be thinking about changing careers. "Well, that's everything. Thanks for the help."

The employee straightened. "No, thank you, sir, for your patronage. Have a nice day."

I waved and left the line, my sack of coins in hand. Ignoring the greedy looks sent my way, I walked in the direction of the entrance of Pantheon, dodging the surprising amount of people around. The building was packed with Adventurers.

Guess I shouldn't come around this hour next time. Must be the busiest time of day.

I let out a sigh when I finally got out and the afternoon sun hit me. Must be around four or five o'clock. Eight hours of Adventuring, give or take. Good enough for the second day.

I looked around the busy street with a grimace, looking for someone in particular. She should be around here, right? She said she'd wait for me by a fountain nearby.

"Hey, you saw her too, right? By the fountain." A voice nearby caught my attention. "I'm not going crazy, right?"

I looked to my side and saw two Adventurers, a guy and a girl, walking in the direction of the Guild building.

"Hm? You mean the goddess? Do you know her?" The guy asked, confused.

"Know her? How can you not?! That was Lady Astraea!" The girl hissed. "You know, the Goddess of Justice?"

And that's my answer.

"Huh, really? Didn't she leave the city?" The guy looked behind him, like he wanted to catch a glimpse of her again, and I began to walk in the direction he was looking at.

It was only a couple of seconds later that I found the fountain. Or rather, I followed the eyes and voices of those around me and was led to it. "-Astraea Familia-" "-justice-" "-came back-" "-beautiful-" "-Lady Astraea is-" She really is popular, huh? I thought, smiling as I finally caught sight of her, in a plaza less than a block away from the Guild Building.

My goddess, as always, looked beautiful.

The scene was almost picturesque. Astraea, wearing her pristine white dress, was sitting on a wooden bench, her indigo eyes focused on a small book in her hands. A water fountain stood behind her, and the light of the sun as it struck the flowing water seemed like a halo of gold that framed her.

There was an area around her that was almost devoid of people. Like those around threaded carefully to not approach and bother her as she read. The rush of the city faded around Astraea, and those that saw the scene relaxed, the tension on their shoulders disappearing.

My smile softened. It seemed that the effect that Astraea's presence had on me was something that everyone felt.

…And yet, for some reason, I felt a pang of sadness in my chest.

The tumult of the city faded to the background, the mutters and whispers and voices disappeared as I approached her.

The people around her didn't want to disturb the goddess in their midst, fracture the image of calm that surrounded her, and thus, remained afar. She was surrounded by people, and yet there was an air of loneliness around her. An impenetrable bubble that no one seemed willing to burst. Until I did.

And so, when I approached her calmly, my steps seeming far too loud in the silence, I felt every pair of eyes around us burn me with their sight.

I ignored them, I had far better things to focus on.

"Astraea," I said, and she blinked, looking up with a little surprise. How engrossed was she in that book?

And then she graced me with a soft smile that I found myself returning. "Shirou," she said, closing the book and standing gracefully. "You're here. I was about to go pick you up, just in case."

"As I thought, she is Lady Astraea…" "She is back-" "Who's that guy-" "-bothering her-"

"It wasn't hard to find you. You are popular, my goddess, I was led right to you." I felt a pang of worry, though. Astraea told me that Ganesha had dispelled most of her worries of ambushes or attacks from remnants of Evilus, and so she decided to stop hiding so much. "Was everything okay?"

Her coming here without a cloak was her way of announcing her return to the people of Orario.

Astraea looked around, and waved at some of the people around us with a smile. "It's curious how different things are. Before, I wouldn't have dared to just wait in such a public space, surrounded by so many people." Her eyes followed a couple of children running around and her expression softened, but there was a hint of melancholy in it. "Orario has changed."

And it only took the sacrifice of her children to cause that change. Before I could do anything to try to comfort her, Astraea shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring the mood down. We're supposed to go shopping, not reminisce." She sighed, before she seemed to shift gears, and her smile became a lot more livelier.

"It's fine, I understand. We're doing this to get me to know the city better, after all. It being so different just means that we're learning about it together. The Orario your children's actions created." I did not mention Ryuu Lion, but her shadow hung a little in my words. What she did was something I wasn't sure I could accept, but the smiles around me spoke of the results.

Astraea seemed to find what I said comforting, though, because her smile brightened. "Right, we can get to know the city together," she said softly. "Shall we go, my hero of justice?"

I flushed slightly, narrowing my eyes at the mischief in Astraea's eyes. Oh, she knew it embarrassed me a little. In the end, I just sighed, and smiled ruefully. "We shall, my goddess." I offered her my arm and Astraea hugged it eagerly to her chest. We began walking away from the plaza, all the eyes around focusing on us. "Should we get something to eat first? You said something about a cafe yesterday?"

"Oh! That's right! You just came from the Dungeon, you must be hungry," Astraea fretted about me a little. I wasn't, not really, but Astraea had seemed excited to visit this place yesterday. It felt like a nice way to distract her from her maudlin thoughts. "Let's do that, then. That cafe is quite close, actually."

I smiled, letting some amusement show. "Oh? What a nice coincidence."

Astraea raised an eyebrow. "What's that smile for, mister?"

"It's nothing. I just thought it was quite convenient that you wanted to meet me near the place that, how did you put it? 'Serves sinful cheesecakes'?" I said, making air quotes with one hand.

Astraea flushed slightly, and turned her face away from mine. "It's not fair for you to tease me, Shirou. That's my prerogative as your goddess."

I shrugged with a grin, just glad to have grasped one of her weaknesses. We kept silent for a couple of seconds, Astraea glancing at me with a small pout every now and then, but soon enough she bursted into giggles, and hugged my arm tighter. "Let's see if you can keep teasing me after you try that cake. It's to die for."

As we left, neither of us noticed the goggling eyes the many residents of Orario gave us, and so we ignored how the rumour that the returned Lady Astraea, the virgin Goddess of Justice and Purity herself, seemed to be on a date with an unknown man began to spread around parts of the city, only to be dismissed almost instantly as nonsense by those that weren't around to see.

-Line Break-

"What were you reading, anyway? You seemed really focused," I asked as we walked through the streets of Orario.

"I was... reacquainting myself with the laws of the city," Astraea answered, a tired sigh escaping her. "It's not only the city that changed, but a lot of the laws as well. If we're going to work with Ganesha, I need to be aware of what changed and what not."

I grimaced. "I need to do that as well, then," I did not really know any of the laws in this city, now that I thought about it. I might need to rectify that. "I might ask you to lend me that later."

"Ah, maybe not this one," Astraea said with a complicated expression, I raised an eyebrow, curious. "This one was written by Ganesha himself. Unless you want to read how he introduces himself every two lines or so, you might want to wait until I get a more official version."

"That... might be better, yes."

"There must be a more official version, right?" I pretended not to hear Astraea talking to herself, exasperation in her tone. "Surely Shakti would have put a stop to that."

We were leaving the busiest parts of the city when Astraea seemed to get out of her slight funk.

"So, leaving that aside, how did your day go?" Astraea asked me. She gave me a once over, and I could feel her hold on my arm relax slightly. "You seem unhurt. Did you have any trouble in the Dungeon? Did you have to use any potions?"

"Hm, not really," I mused. It was only my second day, but I already could feel myself growing used to fighting in the tight hallways of the Dungeon. "A couple of bumps here and there, but nothing that will even bruise." If anything, my own magecraft seemed to have hurt me more than the monsters. The strain my reinforcement put on my muscles would probably last through the week.

Of course, that was if I don't use Avalon to heal it… which I will.

"I am a little tired, though. I'm not used to fighting for so long, even if now I have enhanced Endurance."

"Fighting in the Labyrinth tires you not only physically, but mentally as well, so it doesn't surprise me." Astraea nodded, before turning to me with a small frown. "Please, be careful to not overdo it. You are alone in there and, by the time you notice you are tired, it might be difficult to return back up." I felt some warmth seep into my chest by the concern she showed for me.

I smiled. "I promise, I'll be careful," I said, before I remembered something. "Ah, now that I think about it, I did use a potion, though." Her eyes grew intense. "Not on me. I gave it to a kid that needed one."

"Oh, did you?" she asked me softly.

I nodded sheepishly, remembering the scene of a group of goblins surrounding a kid no older than thirteen years old, his screams for help. The monsters had not lasted long against my Skill enhanced strength.

"He was a little hurt after I got him out of a tight spot against a group of goblins," I explained, and couldn't help the smile that bloomed on my face when I thought back on the gratefulness on his face as the wounds on him faded. "Might need to start carrying a couple more, just in case." I felt the handkerchief tied around my arm, the one that had belonged to the dog I had to let die to save Ann. It wouldn't happen again.

"Of course," Astraea answered and hugged my arm tighter. "We can buy a few after we have something to eat."

"Right." I did have the money from my exploration with me. What better way to use than to ensure I have stuff to heal people when I need to? "We'll add it to the list."

Astraea kept silent for a second or two, before she stopped and turned to me. "Shirou," she whispered with a sweet smile. "I'm proud of you."

I flushed, and couldn't help but smile back.

After that, Astraea kept guiding me through the winding streets. It was only a couple of minutes later that we found ourselves standing in front of a quaint wooden building. Is this it? There were a couple of tables outside, but aside from that there was not really much that showed if this was indeed a cafe, not even a sign.

"We're here," Astraea said, pulling me along.

The sound of tinkling bells announced our entry. I looked around at the cozy looking place. It was on the small side, giving it a more personal- almost homey- atmosphere. The building itself was made out of wood and it was tastefully decorated, with flowers and plants of all kinds placed all around.

There weren't many tables inside, but it didn't seem to be a busy place. It was supposed to be rush hour in the main parts of Orario, but the streets around this small cafe were calm. A couple of the tables were occupied, mostly by people on the older side, but there were also some young couples as well, deep in conversation.

An out of the way nook, to enjoy a quiet time. The atmosphere reminded me a little of Copenhagen back home.

In the back of the room there was a counter, where an old lady sat, her eyes focused on a knitting set. There was also a single young waitress that smiled at us as we entered.

The sound of our entering made a small old lady lift her eyes from her knitting, only to drop it in shock when she saw Astraea. The sound of the needles hitting the wooden floor made everyone inside look at the woman, and then to where she was looking at.

"As I live and breathe," the woman whispered shakily as she stood. "Lady Astraea, could it possibly be you?" She walked around the counter and approached us with swift steps.

Astraea let go of my arm and approached as well with a kind expression. "It is I, indeed," she said and grabbed the old lady's shaking hands. "It's been some time, Hyacinth. I'm glad beyond measure that you seem in good health."

"Ah," the woman, Hyacinth, breathed, pressing her forehead on Astraea's hands. "You were missed, my lady, terribly so. This city has become peaceful lately, but it still feels a darker place without you and your children in it."

Astraea kept her smile placid, but her hands twitched minutely. The woman's breath hitched. "Oh, my most sincere apologies. My heart broke in thousands of pieces when I heard of the tragedy. I cried for them, and prayed for their bright souls to find peaceful rest," she said shakily. "If there is anyone deserving of Heaven, it is them."

Astraea's smile softened, "Thank you, truly. I'm sure your prayers reached them," she whispered.

They stayed that way for a couple of seconds, the attention of the cafe focused on them, before the woman seemed to gather herself. "But, where are my manners? Please, my lady, take a seat. You are here for tea, I assume? And something sweet?"

Astraea smiled brightly, "One of the things I missed the most from Orario was your cakes, Hyacinth," she whispered conspiratorially. "Once I had a free day, I knew where I had to come."

"Oh, you flatter me, my lady."

Astraea giggled, and turned to me. "Shirou, don't just stand there, come closer."

"Ah, and who might this handsome young man be, Lady Astraea?" Hyacinth asked curiously as I did so. I faltered a little in my step.

Astraea giggled brightly, "This is Shirou," she said, grabbing one of my hands in hers. "He is my newest child. He's a little unfamiliar with Orario, so I had to show him one of my favourite places."

I heard some of the other patrons whisper amongst themselves at the words Astraea said, but my attention was focused on the woman, who now was looking at me like I was something precious.

"A new member of the Astraea Familia..." she whispered to herself.

"Ah, nice to meet you, madam, I am Shirou Emiya," I introduced myself to the still spellbound woman. "I might be still a little out of my depth, but if you ever need something, I will do my best to help you." There, it was a little stiff, but talking had never been my forte.

Hopefully, I will get to prove myself with my actions in the future.

"Ah, you sound just like them. I can see why Lady Astraea chose you, young man," Hyacinth nodded with a kind smile, before turning to Astraea. "My lady, then, does that mean…?" she trailed off.

"I'm forming my Familia back," Astraea said, and then her voice rose, as she talked not only to Hyacinth, but to those in the cafe as well. "We might not be able to help as much as we did before, but know that the Sword and the Wings of Justice will be in Orario to bring assistance to those that need it."

I smiled. After seeing how downtrodden Astraea had been after the meeting with Rayman Mardeel, seeing her like this, so resplendent, determined... It relieved me, and made me glad we chose to come here.

"That, I swear in my children's memory."

-Line Break-

Adventurers were… reckless.

There's a saying about thrown rocks and glass houses, but I feel that on this occasion, I was allowed to say it.

Because, while I have been going to the fourth floor for the past week without having received any updates to my Falna, I felt that I was more than ready to face the dangers of the monsters from that floor.

Many I met over the course of this week couldn't say the same.

I let my eyes roam through the cavernous room of the Dungeon, my blade held at an angle behind me. The three Dungeon Lizards a few feet ahead of me hissed and squealed, looking like they wanted nothing more than to get past me.

I wouldn't let them.

Two had already tried before, and the result was their corpses lying at my feet, their blood and guts spreading on the rocky ground. Adding the one I had killed as soon as I entered this room meant that three had already fallen to my sword, and the ones in front of me gave no sign that they would retreat.

So, they would die.

The whimpers behind my back were enough reason for it. My eyes narrowed and I tightened the grip on my sword. I have to hurry, before she loses more blood.

"If you are not coming-!" Feeling the strength given to me by my Skill fill my muscles, I lowered my stance, tension coiling through my body. "-then, I'll do it!"

The ground cracked under me as I bursted forward. I didn't so much as run as I leapt, one, then two times, and then I was right in front of the dog-sized lizards.

The first one didn't have time to react as I slashed, the momentum making my sword cut through the brown scales of the monster's neck like they were made of butter. Its head flew through the air, and I spun on my place, turning the upwards slash into an horizontal one that cut through the second lizard's side.

The third Dungeon Lizard reacted before the first one's head hit the ground, leaping into the air like it had springs on its legs. The open toothy maw was inches away from my neck when my hand lashed out in a backhand that destroyed many of its fangs. It fell to the ground in a heap, not dead yet, but it only took me a step and a stab to change that.

Thunk.

The first head finally hit the ground, and I let out a breath- and I leapt back, just as a fourth, hidden, lizard fell from the ceiling of the Dungeon right on top of where I had been.

Right, Fannet warned me that the lizards often attacked in ambush. That was close. It was only thanks to the movements of its shadow as it fell that I could react in time.

The lizard, not deterred by the failure of its surprise attack, leaped in my direction a moment after, jaw open.

Only to find my sword.

The sword that had once belonged to Sir Kay, aided by the strength of the monster's own leap, easily stabbed through the roof of its mouth. Ambush or not, it's still a Dungeon monster. Predictable. Like the previous one, it tried to bite my neck. I shook my head and, with a kick, I removed it from the blade.

I was more cautious this time. I waited for a couple more seconds, sword at the ready, my eyes looking for a possible eighth monster.

Nothing.

Some tension faded from my shoulders, and I let my sword disappear in motes of magic.

That had been... easy. My own reinforcement and my Skill's boost made it almos trivial for me to kill seven monsters in a couple of minutes. 

I turned hurriedly, the sound of my boots resounding in the almost empty room. A moment later, I fell to my knees in front of the girl I had been protecting this whole time, my brow pinched in worry.

"Miss, it's alright now," I said, trying to smile reassuringly as I rummaged through my pouches, looking for something to staunch the bleeding on her leg. The girl, a blonde teen a little older than me, watched me silently, shock in her eyes.

Finally, I found a piece of white cloth. With a murmured apology, I pressed it tightly against the wound. The white fabric instantly turned red. She hissed through her teeth, and I couldn't blame her, her leg had been almost mauled by one of the dungeon lizards just a couple of seconds before I found her. She began to cry.

"It's okay. It's just bleeding, it looks a lot worse than it is," I lied a little, trying to comfort her. "Do you have a potion with you?"

Instead of reassuring her, my words made her face pale even more. "I used them all already. I- I was late on my dues so I couldn't afford many. A-am I going to die?" she asked, her blue eyes wide with dread.

"No! Of course not. You're going to be fine." I smiled as kindly as I could and reached once more to my pouch. I rummaged a little bit and found the glass phial I was looking for. "Here, a healing potion." The girl grabbed the potion with shaking fingers, looking at me with surprise. "I'm going to remove the cloth and you are going to pour it on the wound, okay?"

"Are you sure? I- I don't have money to pay you." Even as she said that, she removed the stopper from the phial. I shook my head and just smiled.

"It's okay, just use it. I have a lot more." Astraea being Astraea, after that second day she made sure every day to fill my pouches with as many potions as she could. I'm sure she won't mind me using one of them for something like this again.

She didn't, the few times I did so this week.

Low quality as it was, the potion was able to close her wound enough that the bleeding stopped. It would leave quite the scar, and be a little tender for a while, but that's a small price to pay for survival.

"Do you want me to accompany you back up? I was about to leave in a little while anyway."

The girl started to stand with difficulty and took a shuddering breath. "Will you? I… feel a little woozy. I don't think I can fight anymore today."

"Right. Come on, take the stones from the lizards and let's go."

"Eh? But you killed all of them!" She exclaimed, looking at me like I was crazy.

"But you need them more than me, right?" I had quite the haul already, losing seven more stones wouldn't really impact me that much. "Come on, I'll help you out." I kneeled and started to open the chest of the nearest lizard with a knife.

"...Okay, I'll take you up on your kindness. You're a saint, really." I pretended not to see the tears filling her eyes.

-Line Break-

Leaving the Dungeon, even while protecting someone else, was quite easy. Just going up one floor was enough for the rate of monsters to peter out to one very few minutes.

…Actually, it was easier because I was protecting her. Every one of my Basic Abilities got quite the boost thanks to my Skill whenever a monster threatened her. If I thought a goblin was easy to kill normally, then with my Ashes of a Beautiful Dream active it looked like they were just standing still waiting for my sword.

"I thought I could do it, become strong enough on my own… but I'm useless, after all." She smiled mirthlessly. "I thought that after killing a couple goblins and kobolds I was ready to go lower, but seeing you fight, how easy you killed those lizards... I realize now how stupid I am." She lowered her head and rubbed her eyes with one of her hands. "No wonder he grew tired of me," she whispered, fornlorn.

"I had some experience fighting before I came to the city, so I'm far from someone you should compare yourself to." I grimaced, doing my best to reassure her while taking the stone out of a goblin I just killed. "You may want to practice a couple more days on these floors before going lower… Maybe you could ask a member of your Familia for help?"

"I don't think they would help me… My Familia is quite enthusiastic about our God, and they grew jealous when Lord Apollo gave me his full attention after I first joined up." She grimaced. "Now that another child just gained his favor, I'm left without his love and without friendship."

… Familias are more diverse than I thought, I guess.

From what Astraea had told me, her children had been almost family to each other. There had been some friction between them sometimes, but they had supported each other unconditionally. Apollo's seemed to be rivals for his affection.

So gods and mortals do love each other like that…

I shook my head. It wasn't the time to get lost in intrusive thoughts. I stood up and flicked the stone to the girl- Chryseis, as she had introduced herself. She grabbed it out of the air with a small grateful smile and we continued on our way.

It wasn't long before the entrance to Babel was in sight and I finally cut the constant rush of magic energy feeding my Reinforcement.

It really wasn't necessary at this point, but training was training.

Magecraft had been my lifeline since I arrived here, so any improvements I might get by training my Magic Basic Ability will make it worth every second I keep my spell up.

"Right, you probably should go to the infirmary to get some rest before you go home. Wouldn't want to fall unconscious on your way back, hm?" I told her once we were in the lobby of the tower.

"Ah, can't you accompany me home? I… want to thank you," she said twirling one lock of her hair with a finger, a healthy flush returning to her cheeks now that we were out of the Dungeon. "I can make you dinner as thanks, I'm a good cook! You won't be disappointed."

…I was a little tempted, if only to see what kind of dishes people make here but, unfortunately, besides the fact that my dinner time was reserved to spend time with my goddess, I had an appointment today.

"Sorry, but I have a meeting with my advisor. She's quite the stickler for punctuality." I smiled apologetically. "I might take you up on the offer another day."

A few moments later I was on my way to Pantheon, leaving her with quite the pout. I felt a little guilty, but I promised Fannett I would be there today, and going back on my word is not something I like to do.

-Line Break-

"Another one? That's what? Five, six people you had to escort back since you started?" Fannett wondered, writing a report of my latest Dungeon trip and my following escort mission out.

"Around that, yeah. There's quite a lot of people trying their luck on the fourth floor without much experience." Luckily I was there to rescue those that needed it. "They may be ignoring their advisors' wise counsel," I said, letting some amusement show.

Fannet raised an eyebrow, her expression deadpan. "Right, carelessness and overconfidence is quite common in adventurers. But you wouldn't know that, right, Emiya?"

I shrugged. "Hey, I've been listening to you since the first day. Not a step on the fifth floor yet."

"You mean after the first day, and that was after I threatened you with no more counseling," She corrected, but then sighed. "Speaking of, when are you going to get your Basic Abilities updated? You must be getting tired of goblins at this point, aren't you?"

"Hm? Well, Astraea said that we were going to do it tomorrow and take a day or two off so I'd get used to the change." It will give me time to finally go and pick up my sword. Atticus told me that it would take him and Ashe a few days to get it done, so I'm hoping that a week might have been enough.

…and I would talk to Hephaestus about starting my lessons with her.

"But, wait, you think I'm going to raise one of them to G right away? Isn't that after the two hundred point mark?"

"The first few hundred are the easiest to raise. You've been doing seven or eight hour trips every day, plus training outside, so even if you don't reach G, H is quite possible." She shrugged. "Knowing the ease you have now, and that you are getting a weapon from a smith from Lady Hephaestus' familia, exploring the fourth floor will be a waste of time after you update." Fannett took out a leather bound notebook, a planner, from her desk and jotted me for an advising session. "If you get a couple of abilities to H, come see me the day after tomorrow at two and we'll review once again the fifth floor so you go down prepared."

Well, wasn't that great news?

I was about to start helping the Ganesha Familia the following week due to them needing more people because of the start of the solstice festival. Being able to explore the Dungeon even deeper will let me make up for those days I would spend patrolling.

I just had to make sure some of my abilities reach H.

I'll stay up even later today practicing my projection. Considering the amount I trained my Magic since I got my Falna, I'm guessing it would be the closest to a rank up.

I wouldn't mess this up.

"Right, thanks for your time as always, Fannett. Anything else before I leave?" I asked, as I was standing up.

"One more thing, actually. It took quite a while to find this, buried as it was with other reports." I stopped and looked at her curiously.

"What is it?"

She stared back at me with her intense yellow eyes for a moment, before sighing, her ears twitching in annoyance. "A warning first, not from the Guild, but from me. If you follow through with this, many will question any achievements you may have in the future, Emiya, if only because they will have the opportunity. So be careful with your actions going forward." ...what? What does she- "Ryuu Lion is working in the Hostess of Fertility, a pub in this very district, along the Western Main Street."

…Oh.

-Line Break-

Ryuu Lion

"Ugh~ I don't want to work-nya~" Ryuu's right ear twitched when the grumbling words of Anya reached her, even before she entered the changing room. "We ended up closing at three yesterday-nya! It should be illegal to make me take a shift the day after that-nya!"

"Then report Mama Mia to the Ganesha Familia, instead of complaining, idiot," Lunoire replied, rolling her eyes, as Ryuu entered the room and went to her cubby.

"If you don't want to work closing, then wake up early and ask for the opening time, Anya," Ryuu interjected. "You're always the last to volunteer whenever Mama Mia asks," she reminded Anya while checking her dress for wrinkles on the mirror in front of her.

"Uuh~ But, Ryuu, tips in the morning are awful-nya! Do you want me to starve? How could you ask that of me-nya?" Ryuu sighed, wasn't she complaining about time? Of course night customers gave more tips, they were mostly drunkards. They're awful with money.

It was even worse considering the advent of that festival the Guild was organizing.

Nights had been awfully busy the last few days with all the people that came to Orario for the festivities about to start at the beginning of the next week.

"If you weren't so grumpy-pants first thing in the morning, the nice old men would give you lots of tips! They always do it to me!" Syr exclaimed from her place next to her, and Ryuu grimaced, those old men always came around whenever she was taking another shift. She didn't want to assume, but… Maybe I should join Syr more often.

"That's because the nice old men perv on you, Syr," Lunoire said in a deadpan, and Ryuu hissed out a breath while tying up her apron. Just like I thought. "I hate to agree with Anya, but they're awful whenever you're not around."

"Stop~ they're just being nice," Syr whined with a plaintive voice. "But even if they were a little pervy, they give me presents all the time just for some attention, so it's fine anyway! The other day one left me a bottle of Soma wine~." Ryuu narrowed her eyes. I should really keep an eye around here, even if I'm not on shift. Syr is too nice and those men might misunderstand…

"Uh. Maybe I should start waking up early-nya…"

"Yeah, I might smile a little bit more during the morning…"

Ryuu sighed, and finished adjusting her headdress over her hair. She narrowed her eyes a little when she saw on her reflection some blonde starting to peek from her roots. Might need to reapply the dye later.

"Mm~ Need a hand with your hair later, Ryuu?" Syr asked, placing her hands on her shoulder and smiling softly through the reflection.

"If it's not a bother, Syr." She nodded.

"Of course not, silly." Syr giggled. "How about we take tomorrow off together and make a day out of it? Been a couple of weeks since you took a rest. I know you Adventurers are tough, but you need some free days too, Ryuu."

Hm. Syr was right, with all the influx of people, Ryuu had put in more hours to help around until it calmed down, but with the festival about to start, she might need to take a breather now before it got too busy.

…And it's been some time since I took the time to go back ho- to Stardust Garden and do some proper cleaning.

The garden had been a mess the last time she went to take a look, and even though she dusted the rooms a little, she knew it wouldn't last. It never did.

She nodded. After spending her morning with Syr, she would go to Stardust Garden and spend the day cleaning.

And she might have a letter waiting for her there.

"Okay, I'll ask Mama Mia later."

"Will you? Yes, that sounds like a good idea!" Ryuu raised an eyebrow when Syr suddenly wasn't meeting her eyes. "Ah, I might have missed a shift or two last week so Mama might be a lil' bit angry at me."

"Syr…" Ryuu's tone was filled with disapproval, but to her exasperation, Syr's answer was to bump herself on the head with a fist and stick out her tongue.

"Ehe~." And wink at her. Ryuu sighed.

"...I'll do my best to convince her." It might annoy Mama Mia, but if it was for Syr, then Ryuu didn't mind doing so.

"Yay! You're the best!" Ryuu felt her lips quirk upwards. Yes, she didn't mind.

Having finished changing ahead of her coworkers who were taking their sweet time, Ryuu went down to the first floor of the pub, hopefully prepared for the busy night ahead.

Just as she was walking down the stairs, the boisterous voice of Mama Mia reached her. "So, boy? What do you think? It's good, right? Comes from Lady Demeter's garden itself!" Oh? It was rare for Mama Mia to serve one of those to a customer. It usually was reserved for when gods visited. It wasn't even priced, it was a courtesy tea she offered. "You can't say that this is not to your taste, huh?"

"Hm…Oh! This one is quite good, yeah. I wonder how green tea grown in her gardens might taste." A young man's voice answered, his words bringing back some memories that she had forgotten until now.

It's not bitter, it's just your unrefined palate that can't appreciate the complex taste of good tea, Lion. Kaguya had been quite adamant that her swill was something only those with refined taste could truly enjoy. Ryuu had vehemently disagreed, just like she had disagreed with most of what Kaguya used to say.

"Green tea? Isn't that from the Far East?" Mama Mia asked. "I heard it's quite bitter."

"Ah, probably?" he said, proving himself to be more diplomatic than Kaguya had been. "It's an acquired taste, to be sure, but for me there's nothing like that taste to relax after a cold day. You should try it someday and see for yourself, madam." As he said that, Ryuu finally got a good look at the Far Eastern young man. Hair the color of rust that was cut quite short and light-brown eyes so bright they looked like bronze. He looked quite eye-catching, if compared to the other men and women Ryuu had met from that country.

He was also an Adventurer. A rookie one, if she wasn't mistaken.

It wasn't the leather clothing and mismatched armor he was wearing that told her so. It was… his movements. Those that had received a Falna recently had a… reticence to their movements. An unconscious fear of going overboard with their newfound strength.

His was more subtle than others she had seen over the years, but it was there if one knew what to look for.

"Hm, might need to order some the next time the merchant from there comes around." Leaving Mama Mia to her conversation, Ryuu looked around the bar, quickly finding some dirty tables. Right, time to work. "I wonder if someone might buy it, though. My teatime clients often look for something a little… sweeter than that."

"Well, you'll have me as a buyer. I might start coming here often if you can find some. Especially if you tell me when is that merchant coming. I might need to buy some stuff myself, it's quite hard to find some good spices around here."

"Hah! I knew you had the look of a cook! I need to check properly, but if you come around, let's say, tomorrow for breakfast, I might have the information for you." Ryuu piled some dirty cups and plates on her tray and started to head for the kitchen, paying some attention to the conversation so she could catch Mama Mia once it finished. "Ah! There she is! Lion! There's someone looking for you!"

Hm?

For her?

Ryuu turned around and met the bronze eyes of the young man with some confusion. Why would an Adventurer be looking for her…?

She left her tray on the counter and approached the two. "Looking for me, Mama Mia?"

"He said he has a message for you, he's been waiting for more than half an hour already!" Mama Mia said with a grin. "I've been keeping him entertained."

The young man smiled with some amusement. "If by that you mean relieving me of my coin, then yes, I've been thoroughly entertained." Mama Mia chuckled at that, and Ryuu had to wonder about the identity of the Adventurer who could joke around with someone like her. Even if she didn't act the part, there was an air about Mia Grand, probably remnants from those years leading Lady Freya's Familia, that demanded respect from those around her.

And yet he could banter with her like friends…Who was he? The fact that he came to deliver her, of all people, a message made her a little wary.

Maybe it was Lady Astraea's?

No, that was impossible. There was no way her goddess could know she was working in this place, not with the way she had been putting off answering her previous letters.

"You said a message," she said coolly, wanting to get this over with. "What is it? And from whom?"

The red haired Adventurer stood up and tilted his head, looking like he was… inspecting her. Her eyes narrowed thinking back on those men that followed Syr around, but there was no lust or desire she could see in his eyes, only mild curiosity.

"Huh, I've been told you were blonde, Ryuu Lion," he said in lieu of a greeting and Ryuu felt her blood go cold.

It's been almost a year since she began dyeing her hair, and her name had since been struck -probably done intentionally by the Guild- from most people's memories. The few times she heard rumors about herself it was all 'Gale Wind', not Ryuu Lion.

It was like her past and her present were two different people for most.

Gale Wind was a blonde elf from Astraea Familia, Ryuu Lion was the green haired elf that worked in the Hostess of Fertility.

And yet this young man knew who she was. Knew her from before.

Was he an ally from that time? No, he didn't seem to know her. He just heard of her. He'd been told of her.

The last time someone had come looking for her knowing her past was when she met Lunoire and Chloe and all that it entailed, but as far as Ryuu knew, any bounty on her was gone. Most assumed she left Orario, some that she died.

Yet here he was, looking for her.

Why?

Dressed in armor, a sword hanging from his waist- That sword, why did it seem familiar?-, in her home, knowing details that most would ignore. Who was he?

"You, who are you? Say what you need to say and leave. Otherwise, if you came here seeking trouble then…" Was he an enemy? A remnant of them?

He was young, almost her own age if she wasn't mistaken, but if he proved to be a threat to her new home, to Syr… She had killed younger.

Her hand reached down, she had a dagger on a sheath tied to her thigh under her skirt. If she wanted, with her speed it would be less than a second to- Ryuu's face snapped forward, unable to even react to Mama Mia's hand hitting her on the back of the head.

"Lion, stop, you idiot," the Hostess' owner said with exasperation. "I thought you were over trying to wreck my bar. Look at him properly, does he seem the like to have ulterior motives?"

Shaking her head, trying to clear the cobwebs from her head after that strike, Ryuu focused back on the Adventurer.

She didn't know what she was looking for. The leather jerkin, the iron armor that looked quite old but well-cared for, the blue handkerchief tied around his right arm, a line of flowers embroidered in it- a woman's handkerchief, a present? A memento?-, the sword… the sword that was so familiar it ached. What did Mama Mia mean?

She looked up- Ah.

Looking at his eyes Ryuu realized what it was.

His eyes. They were too clear.

There was none of the tiredness that Lunoire and Chloe used to have in theirs, there was none of the regret and fear that sometimes clouded Anya's… there was none of the darkness that, even after a year of peace, still remained in hers.

Innocent, stupid eyes, unsuited for this city. There was no way that he was one of them. No way he was a bounty hunter.

Were Alise's eyes like these? Did Alise used to look at the world with such innocence? No, not even hers looked like that.

No, if anything, those eyes were like… Those eyes were just like Ryuu's eyes had been, before she lost her family.

Stupid, I must be more tired than I thought if I lost my cool like that.

"And you too, boy. I don't know what you plan to do with your hand empty like that, but I suggest you stop before I kick you to the curb," Mama Mia warned him.

Ryuu's eyes widened, while she was distracted by her paranoia getting the better of her, the Adventurer hadn't been idle. He stood ready, his hand, instead of going to his sword, was stretched, angled away from his body and half closed, like he was holding an invisible weapon.

And the Mana.

Mana rushed to him, like the winds of the world guided the energy to fill him. All to stop her if she attacked.

"Who says my hand would stay empty for long?"

He was a mage.

"That's the problem, dumbass, nothing good comes from magic in a closed room," Mia continued. "Now, we had a good thing going here, don't ruin it by being stupid. Just give your message and go on your way. Is that okay, Lion?"

"...Yes, it's fine." Ryuu took a second to inhale deeply and then exhale, doing her best to regain her calm. "I'm sorry for overreacting, I've… been working quite a few tiring days, it must have been the stress."

Right, the stress that sometimes made her want to attack random people.

Stupid.

"Right, if you say so," he said, a troubled smile appearing on his face as he settled back into his seat. "I… might have said the wrong thing to start with. Let's just… say that it's water under the bridge." He sighed and for some reason Ryuu had the impression that he was berating himself just as she just did. "I don't want to give an even worse first impression to someone so important to her, so I'll just say it and leave you be."

Someone so important to her? What does he-

"Your goddess wants to see you, Captain. She's back in Orario."

…huh?