On the final day before the expedition, Shirou was busier than ever.
As the only blacksmith of the Loki Familia, and one personally acknowledged by the goddess herself as a master craftsman, Shirou had received countless requests from his comrades to perform last-minute maintenance on their weapons and armor.
After all, this expedition carried extraordinary importance, and everyone wanted to face it in the best condition possible.
Naturally, Shirou—always eager to lend a hand—spent the entire day tirelessly working at the forge.
By nightfall, after completing the final request and receiving the heartfelt thanks of his last visitor, Shirou stretched his sore arms and exhaled deeply, a tired but content smile spreading across his face.
Once he tidied up the cluttered forge, he stepped outside.
The night sky was clear, the moon shining brilliantly overhead. Shirou paused for a moment, gazing up. For a brief second, the pale light seemed to shape itself into Miyu's smiling face.
He shook his head with a faint, bittersweet laugh.
"Why do I keep reminiscing about the past lately?"
Still, the image of that happy little girl brought warmth to his heart.
As long as she's smiling… that's enough.
After taking a relaxing bath, Shirou strolled through the hallway, enjoying the calm heaviness that came after a hot soak.
As he passed by the Loki Familia's shrine, the muffled sounds coming from inside made him grin knowingly.
As a veteran goddess and, frankly, a woman with a weakness for other women, Loki's standards of beauty were notoriously high. Within her Familia, every single female member was exceptionally attractive—some to an almost divine degree.
Among them were stunning figures like Riveria and Ais, whose beauty easily rivaled, if not surpassed, that of many goddesses.
So, whenever it came time to renew the Blessing of the Gods, Loki never missed her "chance" to… appreciate her Familia members.
It could be said that Loki's happiest moments were always during blessing renewals.
However, when Shirou saw the long line stretching outside the shrine that night, he couldn't help but laugh.
The current situation didn't allow Loki the leisure to take her time. With such a long line, if she didn't hurry, she might not finish updating everyone before morning—which would delay the entire expedition.
And there was no way Loki would ever let her personal pleasures interfere with official duties.
Still, having all those beautiful adventurers in front of her and not being able to enjoy herself must have been pure torture.
Hearing Loki's exaggerated groans from within, Shirou smiled and thought that maybe, tonight, he'd finally get a good night's sleep.
---
As dawn broke, Shirou opened his eyes.
After a solid night's rest, he felt completely refreshed.
Following another quick bath, he began to put on his armor, piece by piece. Once fully equipped, he slung his prepared backpack over his shoulder and left his room.
He was supposed to meet Finn and the others at the central plaza, beneath the towering structure of Babel.
When Shirou arrived, a few members of the Loki Familia were already gathered there, though Ais and the rest hadn't shown up yet.
That's when he spotted a familiar figure.
"Heading into the Dungeon?" Shirou called out casually from behind.
"Ah!"
Startled by the sudden voice, Bell flinched and fell flat on his back, staring up at Shirou, who was laughing heartily.
After a brief pause, Bell scrambled to his feet, flustered.
"You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Shirou-sensei!"
"Sorry, sorry—couldn't resist. That just made my morning."
"Seriously, I almost had a heart attack!" Bell muttered, pressing a hand to his chest as he tried to calm his racing heart.
Once Bell had recovered, Shirou asked again, his tone softer this time.
"So, you're planning to explore the Dungeon today?"
"That's right. I'm waiting for my partner," Bell replied proudly.
"Oh? Not bad, Bell. You even have a supporter now. Unlike me—I always had to be my own support."
In the early days of his adventures, Shirou had relied entirely on his own skills. Confident in his abilities, he often played multiple roles in a party—frontline fighter, blacksmith, and even support.
But as time went on, the adventurers he fought alongside were either far stronger than him or, in most cases, his sisters. So, naturally, he remained the "support type."
"Don't tease me like that!" Bell protested.
Unaware of Shirou's past, Bell didn't believe a word. After all, the man standing before him was none other than Orario's famous Archer, a living legend.
He assumed Shirou was just joking, as he often did during training.
Seeing Bell's skeptical expression, Shirou opened his mouth to explain—but before he could speak, a voice called out from a distance.
"Mr. Bell! Where are you?"
"Over here!" Bell shouted back.
Shirou turned toward the approaching voice and saw a small girl running toward them. He immediately recognized her: Lilliruca Arde, the girl who, in time, would steal Finn's heart.
Watching her approach, Shirou smiled faintly and turned back to Bell.
"Well, since your partner's here, I won't hold you up. Good luck in the Dungeon."
"Yeah! And good luck to you too!" Bell replied enthusiastically.
As Shirou walked away, he lifted a hand and waved behind him without turning back. Bell froze for a moment, watching the confident stride and effortless composure of the man he so admired.
"I really want to be as cool as Master Shirou someday..."
His eyes gleamed with envy and quiet determination as he watched Shirou disappear into the crowd.
---
By the time Shirou returned to the main plaza, the Loki Familia's group had grown considerably. Their mere presence made the surrounding adventurers instinctively step aside, clearing a path for them.
Scanning the crowd, Shirou soon spotted a familiar face — Tsubaki, his mentor, chatting animatedly with Ais.
"Tsubaki!" he called out with a grin, jogging toward her.
"Oh, Shirou! There you are!" she greeted him warmly, smiling — until her eyes fell on his armor.
Her expression shifted instantly from casual to stunned. Reaching out to run her fingers over the surface, she widened her one visible eye in amazement.
"You forged this yourself, didn't you?"
Shirou grinned proudly.
"Of course! I'm a blacksmith—how could I let someone else make my gear?"
"Well, Tsubaki, are you satisfied with my progress?" he asked teasingly.
Tsubaki chuckled and playfully punched him in the chest.
"You've got some nerve teasing your master like that."
Still, she couldn't hide her astonishment.
"How the hell did you improve so fast?!"
Shirou laughed.
"Isn't it all thanks to your brilliant teaching, Master? See? I haven't tarnished your reputation, right?"
Tsubaki threw back her head and laughed.
"Hah! Definitely not!"
Yet inwardly, she sighed.
Not only did you not tarnish my name, kid… you're practically surpassing me.
At that moment, she spotted Bete, the werewolf who had asked her to forge something for him recently. Without missing a beat, she waved goodbye to Shirou and rushed toward Bete with her usual energy.
Shirou blinked, slightly confused by her abrupt departure.
"Did I just get dumped?" he muttered, scratching his cheek.
---
(End of Chapter)