With his hands in his pockets, Shirou looked up at the sky, his eyes gleaming.
To him, his goal was everything he had.
But a goal alone wasn't enough—he needed strength to achieve it.
Upon hearing Shirou's answer, Tiona, Tione, and Ais, who had been watching and questioning him, all fell silent.
The five of them continued walking quietly down the street.
Ais, walking at the back, stared at Shirou's back and felt as if she were looking into a mirror.
Everyone carried something within them.
Everyone had a goal they were striving for.
"Goal...?"
Ais repeated the word silently in her mind.
She wondered, deep in her heart, if her own goal was as high as that of the man walking in front of her.
Up front, Tiona and Tione led the way, occasionally glancing back at the two walking behind them.
They had invited Shirou along that day not just because they were interested in him, but because Ais had questions for him.
They both knew a bit about Ais's experiences.
So if they could help her in any way, they would be glad to.
However, neither of them had anticipated that the new member of their Familia might not be so simple.
This guy might be a handful too!
Ugh, what a pain!
Ais and the others were heading to another Familia in Orario that specialized in blacksmithing—the Goibniu Familia.
Although not as large as the Hephaestus Familia, their weapons were comparable in quality.
Many of the elite weapons used by the Loki Familia had been forged by the Goibniu Familia, including Ais's sword—one of their masterpieces.
Of course, there was also the great double-edged blade, Urga, valued at 120 million valis, which Tiona would later end up melting when she attacked a Virga.
Standing outside the Goibniu Familia's base, while Tiona, Tione, and Ais consulted with the blacksmiths, Shirou—who had nothing to do—decided to strike up a conversation with Lefiya.
"I heard you're a mage highly regarded by Riveria, Lefiya. You must be quite powerful."
Shirou said, and Lefiya—remembering how terrified she had been during the expedition, unable to chant spells—became visibly disheartened.
After telling her story, Lefiya sighed and muttered, "I'm really useless... Mr. Emiya, I'm sure you'd do way better than me."
"Indeed!"
Shirou crossed his arms and nodded lightly. Lefiya's expression crumbled.
Seeing her so dejected, Shirou quickly added,
"I was just kidding! Don't take it so seriously!"
But no matter what he said, Lefiya remained gloomy.
If Tiona and the others saw her like this, he'd be blamed for bullying Lefiya!
He needed to turn things around somehow.
Seeing Lefiya crouched on the ground with lifeless eyes, Shirou immediately pulled her up.
"Come to think of it, I'm level 2 now, but I don't have a party member yet. Lefiya, would you like to team up with me?"
"Huh? M-Me...?"
Lefiya blushed. More than the invitation itself, she was flustered by the fact that Shirou's right hand was holding her arm.
In this world, due to cultural reasons, elves only allowed people they approved of to touch them. Otherwise, they would instinctively reject the contact.
Staring at Shirou's hand, Lefiya couldn't help but think:
Why am I not pushing him away?
As she stood there dazed, Shirou waved his other hand in front of her face.
"Lefiya. Lefiya. Lefiya!"
"Y-Yes?!"
Startled, Lefiya snapped out of it and replied quickly.
"So, do you accept my invitation?"
"Yes!"
Wait—what did she just say?
Lefiya, still dazed, hadn't fully processed the situation and accepted Shirou's invitation in complete confusion.
"Alright then! In that case, I'll make sure to prepare everything once I get back tonight!"
No, no, no! No!
Lefiya instantly regretted it, but seeing Shirou's smiling face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"...Yes."
She accepted her fate.
So be it.
After all, Mr. Emiya was so strong—she surely wouldn't drag him down.
Seeing that Lefiya had accepted, Shirou felt somewhat pleased.
A mage.
As everyone knew, mages were the most noble class. A powerful mage could turn the tide of battle.
Though Lefiya was still young, she was a student recognized by Riveria—the strongest mage in Orario.
In terms of potential, she was top-tier.
Even if she hadn't performed well during the last expedition, it was only because the enemies they faced were too advanced and she had trouble adapting.
If she were fighting in a mid-level or lower-level zone...
She'd be a strategic-level weapon.
How to make the best use of her—that depends on you.
Just as Shirou was going over tomorrow's preparations in his mind, Ais, Tiona, and Tione came walking out together.
"How did it go?" Shirou asked.
"All good! We just have to leave it here for a day and we can pick it up tomorrow!"
Watching the sky begin to darken, Tione paused and said,
"There's a celebration tonight at the Hostess of Fertility. Let's head there!"
"How about we stroll through the streets on the way?"
"Sounds great!"
Everyone agreed cheerfully.
---
"So, Lefiya, you'll be exploring the Dungeon with Shirou tomorrow?"
Riveria set down her cup and looked at Lefiya with concern.
They were at the Hostess of Fertility—Loki's favorite tavern. Whenever the Loki Familia returned from an expedition, they celebrated there.
This time was no different.
The Hostess of Fertility was buzzing with life. The Loki Familia members laughed, drank, and boasted loudly about their achievements.
Everyone was enjoying themselves—the festive atmosphere was unmistakable.
After a few rounds of drinks and cheerful banter, the large celebration gradually broke into smaller groups, each engaged in their own conversations.
Seated beside Lefiya was Riveria.
"That's good. Though Shirou is a new member of the Familia, I can tell he's calm and composed. Even though going to the deeper areas of the 17th floor sounded risky, he was confident and a master planner."
"With him around, you'll be able to learn something truly valuable."
"Yes!"
Hearing Riveria's assessment, Lefiya couldn't help but glance at Shirou, who was sitting at another table, chatting with Ais and Tiona.
He gave off an inexplicable sense of reliability.
"So, you're the legendary archer?"
"Archer?"
Shirou stared at the slate-haired waitress in front of him, slightly confused.
"That's the title everyone gave you!"
"Huh. Not bad, actually."
Shirou, surprisingly pleased with the title, looked at the girl with bluish-gray hair and asked with a smile:
"Sorry, but—who are you?"
"Syr Flova. That's my name."
"Syr?"
Mulling over the name for a moment, Shirou smiled and said,
"That's a beautiful name."
---
(End of Chapter)
I am back my loyal subjects, I was on a trip to literally the other side of the country to solve some issues and I forgot to let you know here hahaha
"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."