Chapter 30 – Sword Princess? Vengeful Princess!
The bustling Monsterphilia was in full swing.
Two figures walked side by side along the road.
One of them was undoubtedly Shirou. He had originally planned to relax at the Monsterphilia and stroll through the city of Orario, but things didn't go as he expected.
Because for some unknown reason, a very particular individual appeared at his side.
Wearing a mini skirt that barely covered half her soft thighs and a short top, although she didn't wear any armor, a thin sword hung from her belt in its scabbard. Her waist-length golden hair sparkled under the sunlight.
The [Sword Princess], Ais Wallenstein, was currently walking right beside Shirou, acting as though she intended to accompany him on a leisurely tour of the Monsterphilia.
This sight shocked not only Shirou himself but also the adventurers passing by, who all stared with dumbfounded expressions.
"Am I seeing things? Is that the Sword Princess?"
"Why is Miss Ais walking around with a man?"
"That guy doesn't look like he's from the Loki Familia! Why is he clinging to Miss Ais?!"
"..."
The onlookers instinctively assumed that Shirou was clinging onto Ais, forcibly dragging her along on some sort of "sweet date" at the festival.
But the reality was completely the opposite.
Shirou had absolutely no intention of walking with Ais—in fact, she had been inexplicably following him ever since their encounter, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't shake her off.
Of course, Shirou couldn't exactly explain the truth to everyone. After all, in the public's eye, the gap between him and the Sword Princess Ais was like that between a toad and a swan. If they had any interaction at all, it had to be because Shirou was pestering her—no one would believe otherwise.
In this situation, Shirou wasn't exactly repulsed, but he certainly felt extremely uncomfortable.
Ais's presence brought so much attention that he couldn't even relax his body, let alone enjoy himself. He had to endure the burning gazes of people from all directions.
Even he couldn't easily get used to the murderous stares from jealous men—and even women—his age.
"I say, Miss Ais... can't you tell me why you're following me yet?"
Out of options, Shirou finally tried to confront the source directly and asked why she was tailing him.
Yes, ever since they had accidentally run into each other on the high wall earlier, Ais had followed him without saying a word, like a ghost attached to his back.
At last, in response to Shirou's question, Ais finally opened her mouth and said, "I want to know how you were able to suppress Bete."
"Suppress Bete?"
"Yes. Back at the tavern, you blocked Bete's attack, didn't you?"
Ais stopped in her tracks and looked at Shirou with a serious gaze, as if trying to see through his very soul.
"It was just luck," Shirou waved his hand. "He didn't take me seriously, so he wasn't going all out."
"..."
Hearing Shirou's words, Ais frowned slightly.
Indeed, even she couldn't sense anything particularly special about Shirou.
Even Riveria, the most talented mage in the Familia, had observed him and confirmed that his level was only Lv.1.
By all rights, someone that weak shouldn't warrant any attention.
But Loki's attitude, along with the undeniable fact that Shirou had blocked an attack from the Lv.5 Bete, made it impossible to ignore him.
At the very least, Ais had begun to suspect that Shirou wasn't what he appeared to be, which was why she had followed him after their encounter at the festival.
She wanted to uncover why Loki valued Shirou so much—even going so far as to make a bet over him.
Naturally, Shirou had no intention of letting Ais see through him.
After all, the Hestia Familia and the Loki Familia could be considered enemies now. There was no way he was going to hand over his secrets to a rival.
But if this kept up, it seemed she really wasn't going to leave...
Troubled, Shirou finally made up his mind and decided to just ignore the Sword Princess and enjoy the festive atmosphere on his own.
Because of the Monsterphilia, there were more street stalls than usual. The most eye-catching were skewer-type foods perfect for eating on the go, as well as trinkets and accessories related to the festival. There were even vendors selling weapons.
Since many of the items were things he'd never seen before, Shirou found them quite interesting.
If only the beautiful girl beside him would stop staring at him the whole time, this stroll would be a lot more pleasant.
"Miss Ais, don't you have even a little interest in the street stalls?" Shirou asked helplessly. "I thought girls usually enjoyed shopping more."
In fact, not just girls—even goddesses were no exception.
On the way, Shirou had already seen several female deities enthusiastically shopping at the festival.
"Not interested," Ais replied flatly. "I'm only interested in getting stronger... and in strong opponents."
"Uh..."
Shirou was taken aback by her blunt and pure-hearted response. He didn't even know how to reply.
At that moment, a vendor by the roadside noticed the two of them walking together and called out, "Hey young man! Why don't you buy a crepe for your girlfriend? My crepes are the best in all of Orario!"
Caught off guard by the sudden sales pitch—and the mistaken assumption that they were a couple—Shirou was about to reject the offer when he noticed Ais's gaze finally shift for the first time... toward the crepes.
"You... want to eat one?" Shirou asked, surprised.
"No..." Ais denied it with her mouth, but her constantly shifting eyes betrayed her thoughts.
Shirou found it amusing and ended up buying two crepes from the vendor, handing one to Ais.
"What's this?"
"It's for you—consider it a thank-you for helping me out earlier with the Soma Familia problem at the food stall."
"That was because of Loki."
"But you helped too, didn't you?"
"..."
Ais couldn't argue with Shirou's smooth talk—though it was also possible she just couldn't resist the temptation of the treat.
In the end, she subconsciously accepted the crepe from his hand.
However, perhaps because it was her first time trying this kind of snack, she hesitated.
It took a while, but she finally made up her mind and prepared to take a bite.
But just then—chaos suddenly erupted in the street. A tide of people surged toward them from not far away.
Boom!
In the midst of the panicked crowd, Shirou instinctively shielded Ais behind him and saw that monsters from the Dungeon had appeared on the road ahead.
"Help!"
"There are monsters!"
"They escaped from the Colosseum!"
"..."
Cries of panic echoed as people fled the frenzied monsters, turning the once-bustling street into a deserted chaos zone.
Shirou hadn't expected such a turn of events and was momentarily stunned.
But behind him, Ais drew her sword with a terrifying aura he had never seen before, as if something unforgivable had happened.
At first, Shirou didn't understand—until he saw the crepe that Ais had been holding lying on the ground, dropped during the commotion.
"Kill! I'm going to kill every last one of those monsters!"
In an instant, a fearsome aura burst from Ais.
A black wind swirled around her, and the pressure was so overwhelming that even Shirou involuntarily took a step back, shocked by her strength.
Though it wasn't enough to completely overpower him, he could feel that her current strength was far above Bete's.
But wasn't she the same level as Bete—Lv.5?
How could there be such a huge difference at the same level?
Could it be a special skill?
While Shirou was lost in thought, Ais had already become a raging wind herself, charging straight toward the Colosseum, clearly planning to wipe out every monster that had escaped.
Shirou, seeing the renowned [Sword Princess] take action, initially felt there was no need for him to interfere.
But then he overheard someone say that a black-haired twin-tailed goddess and a white-haired boy were being chased by monsters in the opposite direction of the Colosseum.
At that moment, even without fully understanding the situation, Shirou's body moved instinctively.
With a speed no less than—perhaps even faster than—Ais's, he leapt onto the rooftops and immediately rushed toward the area being talked about.