Without a doubt, Orario is the absolute center of this world.
It's been about half a month since Shirou arrived in this world.
During that time, he recovered from his injuries while gathering as much information as he could about this world.
It was only after learning about the blessing of the gods (Falna) and adventurers that he finally realized what world he had ended up in.
Danmachi.
A world where the gods descended in search of entertainment in the lower world.
They sealed away their divine powers and, using a special technique, created their own familias.
This world suited Shirou's needs perfectly.
Although he had won seven consecutive battles and ended the Holy Grail War in a single night, that was largely thanks to his Class Card.
At this moment, Shirou no longer possessed a Class Card—he was just an ordinary mage with proper training.
His strength was far from enough to match someone like Angelica.
But if he received a god's blessing, he was confident he could fight her—or even surpass her.
---
After passing inspection at Orario's gate, Shirou walked through the city streets.
The massive white tower at the city's center drew his attention more than the bustling streets or shops around him.
After admiring the magnificent tower, his gaze shifted to the people around him.
Adventurers wearing various kinds of equipment walked through the streets in a never-ending flow.
Among them were many different races—humans, dwarves, and even elves.
It was a scene Shirou had never witnessed in either of his previous lives.
Though he would surely get used to it in time, for now, just taking it all in was enough to lift his spirits.
After a brief moment of admiration, Shirou resumed his search for his objective.
After a bit of investigation, he began walking toward the residence of one of Orario's most powerful familias—the Loki Familia.
For someone like Shirou, who knew the future, there were only a few familias worth considering.
After a quick process of elimination, only the Loki Familia and the Hestia Familia remained.
But besides the fact that the Hestia Familia hadn't even been formed yet, he didn't even know if Hestia had already descended to the mortal realm.
Looking into that would take time—time he couldn't afford to waste. And the reason was simple.
He didn't have any money—not even a single vali.
When he arrived in this world, aside from recovering from his injuries, he had to do several odd jobs, just barely earning enough to make it to Orario.
Otherwise, he'd be working like Kazuma Satou from Konosuba.
Taking everything into account, the only viable option for him now was the Loki Familia.
As for the fact that big familias typically don't accept ordinary people—Shirou had absolute confidence that he would be accepted.
Crossing the crowded streets of Orario, Shirou finally arrived at the Loki Familia's estate, and under the direction of a guard, made his way to the recruitment area.
"Whew~ There's a lot of people here…" Shirou whistled, eyeing the twenty or thirty people ahead of him.
Alerted by the sound, a burly Boaz youth standing in front of Shirou turned around to look at him.
"Heh! With that scrawny body of yours, the Loki Familia's never gonna take you," he said to Shirou.
"That's fine. I'm just here to watch," Shirou replied with a smile, looking up at the young man who stood about 20 centimeters taller than him.
"I just arrived in Orario and heard that the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia are the strongest. If I get rejected, I'll go try the Freya Familia next."
(Not exactly... I'm pretty sure they're not going to reject me...)
Shirou just said whatever came to mind—he didn't want to get into an argument with the guy.
Right now, all he wanted was to join the Loki Familia as quickly as possible—and get something to eat.
His emergency rations had run out the day before.
"For real? Yeah, it's not bad for rookies to come see how recruitment works at the big familias. Good experience," the guy said, patting Shirou on the shoulder.
(Why the hell did you hit me so hard, you brute?) Shirou grumbled inwardly as he winced from the pain.
Despite his shoulder throbbing, he smiled and chatted with the man about various things in Orario.
Soon, it was the young Boaz's turn—and after a few minutes, he was rejected.
"Sorry. You're not the kind of talent we're looking for."
The young Boaz, who had been visibly nervous, looked clearly disappointed. He thought he had a decent shot but didn't even make it past the first test.
Normally, the process required two examiners to identify promising candidates and bring them to Loki, who would then personally make the final decision.
"I see..." the Boaz youth muttered as he stepped aside—but didn't leave right away. He stuck around, curious to see Shirou's turn.
After chatting with Shirou, he found him to be an interesting guy. Even though nothing had been said directly, he decided that once Shirou got rejected too, he'd make him buy him a drink.
In a way, he was even rooting for him.
"Good luck!"
"Thanks. I'll do my best."
After replying, Shirou—who had already understood the recruitment process—walked calmly up to the examiners and said, "I can use magic."
"I see, and your name is...? Wait, what!? Did you just say you can use magic!?"
Both examiners stood up, surprised by what he had said.
"Are you serious!?"
"Of course. I don't think anyone in Orario would be foolish enough to lie to the Loki Familia," Shirou said calmly.
The examiners' eyes lit up, and one of them immediately led Shirou into the Twilight Manor.
"Come with me. I'll take you to see Loki-sama right away!"
Watching Shirou being led into the manor, the Boaz youth muttered to himself, confused: "Didn't he say he was just here to watch and that he was going to try the Freya Familia next? Why's he going inside?"
Unfortunately, no one was around to answer his question.
---
In the reception room of the Twilight Manor sat a goddess with light red hair and red eyes. She wore mostly masculine clothing—jeans and a shirt that showed her midriff. Her hair was tied back in a simple ponytail.
She looked at Shirou, seated in front of her, with visible excitement.
"You said you can use magic, but you haven't joined a familia yet, right?"
Innate magic is an extremely rare ability in this world. Aside from elves, very few races are capable of it.
To a certain extent, innate magic in this world is equivalent to a Noble Phantasm in the Type-Moon universe—a decisive force that could change the tide of battle.
"Exactly. I haven't joined any familia yet."
As he spoke, Shirou's arm glowed with the activation of his magic circuits, and two of his favorite weapons, Kanshou and Bakuya, appeared in his hands.
"Incredible! You really do have innate magic! What kind of magic is that?" Loki asked.
"It's called Projection Magic."
"Projection Magic...?" Loki murmured.
Although she had never heard of such a type of magic before, it didn't affect her decision one bit.
"Alright! I'm officially accepting you into the Loki Familia!" she said excitedly.
There are two kinds of magic: innate and acquired.
Innate magic is determined by one's race and talent. It's extremely difficult to obtain, has fixed properties, and requires intense training or study to master.
But Shirou was human. Humans aren't supposed to be able to learn innate magic.
That alone meant that Shirou's talent with magic was comparable to an elf's—he was simply a one-of-a-kind existence.
How could Loki not get excited when a treasure like him showed up right at her doorstep?
---
(End of Chapter)
"Hmph. If you really want to be useful, then entertain me, try to throw those pathetic power stones at me. Let's see if even your insolence can amuse a king."