Upon stepping outside, the first thing Shirou saw was the breathtakingly beautiful face of a blonde girl.
Her long golden hair swayed in the night breeze. Standing near the window, she silently met his gaze.
"Ais, what are you doing here? You updated your Falna just yesterday, didn't you?"
"I saw you enter the sanctuary, so I decided to wait for you here."
Gently brushing her hair back, Ais spoke calmly, her face devoid of any usual expression.
"You were waiting for me? Do you need something?"
"Just curiosity."
"I'm curious about your current stats." Stepping lightly toward the window, Ais made her request—she wanted to know Shirou's current numbers.
She wanted to see his present growth rate.
A soft smile formed on Shirou's face, and he seemed quite pleased.
"I also have something to ask you."
"?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
"My stats have reached their limit, and I'm about to begin a new expedition."
"Would you like to join me?"
"You've reached your limit?"
Even the usually reserved girl couldn't help widening her eyes at Shirou's words.
It had only been a month, and he'd already hit the peak of Level 2?
Even knowing how fast his progress was, this was beyond expectations. Yet she quickly recovered from her surprise and gave a firm nod.
"Yes."
"Alright, then meet me at the gate tomorrow morning."
With that, Shirou parted ways with Ais and returned to his quarters to make his final preparations.
In the Loki Familia's women's bath, Ais sat almost entirely submerged in the water, only her mouth above the surface, staring blankly ahead.
Around her, the chatter of Tiona and Tione echoed through the steamy room.
"Hey, Tiona, guess how much my stats went up recently? A few dozen points! Even a regular expedition usually only gives me that much." Tione slapped the water with excitement, sending droplets flying.
"My increase is almost the same as yours. Shirou's method is really something else." Tiona, whose stats were no less impressive, was equally enthusiastic.
"Right? Shirou's a genius, isn't he?"
"Totally! What do you think, Ais?"
"Ais?"
Not getting any response, the two finally noticed Ais lost in thought.
Moving closer, Tione wrapped her arms around her from behind, mischievously groping her chest, and grinned. "Are you in love?"
Meanwhile, Tiona also approached, smiling slyly. "Tell us, who's our Sword Princess, Ais Wallenstein, thinking about?"
"Who?"
Pushing Tione's hand away, Ais looked at Tiona with a serious expression and answered plainly: "Shirou."
"What!? Ais, you're in love with Shirou? You've been thinking about him this whole time!?"
Upon hearing the name, Tiona shot upright out of the water in shock.
Drawn by her outburst, the other women in the bath instinctively perked up, listening in silence.
The once-noisy bath suddenly fell quiet.
"I saw Shirou today. He said his base stats have already maxed out and asked me to join him on an expedition tomorrow."
"…"
The women, who had been smiling at the juicy gossip, instantly froze.
"Eh!!!??"
---
The next morning, just after sunrise, Shirou was already up and ready.
According to the Guild, the floor boss of the 17th floor was set to respawn today. To make sure no one else stole his target, Shirou naturally rose early and headed for the Dungeon.
After putting on his combat outfit—without the haori—and securing basic supplies in the pouches at his waist, he slung a pack over his shoulder and twirled in front of the mirror.
"Hm, not bad. As expected of me, I look really handsome!"
After a brief moment of narcissism, Shirou left his room and headed for the gate to meet Ais.
He'd been preparing for this expedition ever since his last Falna update. By now, all of his equipment had been fully upgraded.
His current gear was crafted from the finest materials he could buy—with Tsubaki's help—or gather from the Dungeon.
Money had stopped being a problem for him recently.
Ever since he began forging second-tier weapons, internal Familia requests had been flooding in nonstop.
As one of Orario's two most powerful Familias, Loki Familia's demand for weapons was staggering.
Naturally, the orders kept flowing. After all, Shirou's work wasn't just top-quality—it was also far cheaper than most smiths.
This was one of the key reasons for his rapid progress in blacksmithing.
Walking through the empty courtyard after leaving the dorm, Shirou couldn't help thinking about Ais.
"Has Ais already arrived?"
Rounding a corner, he suddenly saw that nearly all of Loki Familia's elite members were gathered at the main entrance.
"Is there some kind of event today? How come I didn't know about it?"
Shirou hurried over.
"Finn-senpai, Riveria-senpai, Gareth-senpai—are you all up to something today?" he asked, while the surrounding members burst into laughter.
Their reaction only deepened his confusion.
Seeing Shirou's uncertain expression, Finn patted him on the shoulder with a smile. "Relax, we're not excluding you. We're here to cheer you on."
Cheer me on?
Shirou felt his brain freeze.
How had this news spread so fast? In just one night, apparently the entire Loki Familia knew.
He glanced at Ais beside him, puzzled.
Seeing this, Ais apologized. "I accidentally told Tiona in the bath yesterday… and then the whole Familia found out."
So it's Tiona's fault. No wonder it spread like wildfire.
Shirou shook his head helplessly. Recovering from the sudden commotion, he gave a wry smile. "Well, thanks for that, I guess."
"Oh!"
The crowd's cheers made his smile even more strained.
What was supposed to be his solo expedition had turned into a full-scale Familia spectacle. Looking around, he realized everyone had shown up.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with all of you coming? What if someone raids Twilight Manor?"
At his question, Riveria smiled. "It's fine. We're the Loki Familia. Who would be foolish enough to try stealing from us? Besides, Loki is still at the manor."
Seeing that Loki hadn't even come along for the fun, Shirou sighed. "Loki really is the most reliable one."
His remark drew soft chuckles from those around him.
Lefiya approached Shirou and whispered, "Loki-sama actually made a big fuss wanting to come, but Riveria tied her up and left her to guard the hall."
As expected of the 'mother' of the Loki Familia—fearlessly bold.
Once everyone was gathered, Finn announced:
"Everyone, today our Familia's talented member, Shirou Emiya, will challenge the floor boss, Goliath—a Level 4 monster—as a Level 2 adventurer."
"This is like one of those heroic epics our mothers used to tell us before bed."
"A legend reborn through the ages!"
"Let's witness this great feat with our own eyes!"
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
---
(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."