Chapter 46: How Many Bottles of Divine Wine Do You Think Your Life Is Worth?
The next day.
Shirou headed toward the Soma Familia's base.
Since this was a direct confrontation with the Soma Familia, Shirou didn't come alone—he brought Bell and Hestia with him.
Naturally, the prisoner Lili was also brought along.
In a sense, this was a full mobilization of the Hestia Familia.
"This is the Soma Familia?"
Both Bell and Hestia were surprised upon seeing it.
The Soma Familia's base was unexpectedly vast. Although not as extravagant as the Loki Familia's, it still occupied an enormous area.
As Orario is a city of labyrinths, land is naturally very limited. Without expanding the city, it's nearly impossible to acquire such a large area within it.
If it were a truly powerful familia like Loki's, that would be one thing—but the Soma Familia's highest-level adventurer was only Level 2. A low-tier familia with no real strength owning such land was hard to imagine.
Undoubtedly, all of this had to do with divine wine.
Without the divine wine, such a weak familia wouldn't even need Shirou to intervene—a random Level 3 adventurer might have been able to wipe them out. But the divine wine changed everything, elevating the Soma Familia to a status far beyond their actual strength.
Moreover, even if they acted recklessly using the power of divine wine, high-ranking familias couldn't do anything to stop them.
As Shirou discussed with Loki earlier, taking down the adventurers of the Soma Familia wouldn't solve the root problem.
These adventurers were merely parasites chasing after the divine wine. The true source of all sin and corruption was the divine wine created by the god Soma himself.
"Anyone there?"
Shirou arrived at the Soma Familia's gate with Bell and the others.
At the gate was a drunken man, who didn't react at all to Shirou's arrival. With hollow eyes, he stared blankly ahead, as if letting them do whatever they wanted.
Although Shirou had expected this, it still shook him a little. He was beginning to clearly understand the true nature of the Soma Familia.
As they walked deeper into the base, Shirou saw that the entire familia was filled with drunkards. It was broad daylight, yet everyone seemed to be lost in some kind of illusion. Nobody noticed their arrival.
Not until they reached the deepest part of the Soma Familia did they finally encounter someone who didn't appear to be drunk.
It was a man with short gray parted hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and exuding an ominous aura.
Although Shirou hoped this was Soma himself, the man clearly lacked a divine presence—just an ordinary human.
His level wasn't high, and he didn't seem to have much combat ability. Even Bell could probably defeat him.
Still, Shirou didn't underestimate him.
Because if Shirou was right, this man was one of the masterminds behind the chaos the divine wine had brought to Orario.
Although the divine wine was the source, such madness wouldn't have spread so far without a competent organizer pushing it forward.
"Yo, isn't that Liliruca?"
The bespectacled man greeted Lili with a warm expression.
But Lili's eyes filled with fear when she saw him, and she grew visibly uneasy.
"Still so shy, huh? What a shame. We're comrades from the same familia, after all."
Seeing through the man's fake pleasantries, Shirou didn't waste any time and asked directly, "Who are you?"
"What an arrogant question. Haven't you learned any manners?" The bespectacled man looked displeased but answered calmly, "I am Zanis Lustra, captain of the Soma Familia. People call me the 'Winekeeper.'"
"I'm Shirou Emiya, of the Hestia Familia," Shirou replied calmly. "I'm here today to meet with your god, Soma."
"I'm afraid that's not possible. Lord Soma doesn't meet with outsiders, not even other gods."
Zanis immediately shut down Shirou's request.
Though unsure of Shirou's exact purpose, his sharp gaze clearly indicated he had sensed from the start that Shirou and company came with hostile intentions.
"You don't have the right to control your god's affairs, do you?" Hestia couldn't help but interject. "Even if Soma's a recluse, it's a bit much not to even show his face."
"Well, as a mere mortal, I indeed have no authority over divine matters. But Lord Soma has delegated full authority over the familia to me. I now act as Soma Familia's proxy god. Naturally, I have the right to screen visitors."
"Soma actually did that?"
Hestia was shocked.
She hadn't expected Soma to go to such lengths.
Normally, in large familias, gods would delegate power to a trusted follower to manage affairs. But that delegation always had limits—major matters still required the god's personal decision.
Even Hestia, considered a useless goddess, held final authority on key issues like accepting new members or deciding the familia's direction.
If a god completely abandoned their duties, no one could predict how chaotic the familia might become.
But from Zanis's words, it was clear that Soma had truly handed over all authority—not just for managing the familia, but even over Soma's own behavior.
In a kingdom, such a position would be akin to a regent.
Facing Zanis's strong attitude, Shirou and the others realized that meeting Soma would be impossible without going through this man first.
"I see… So you're Soma Familia's de facto leader," Shirou said calmly, seemingly unsurprised. "In that case, there's no need for me to meet the god. I'll talk directly to you."
"What?"
Zanis was stunned by Shirou's words.
He had thought Shirou came to see Soma, but now it seemed his target was Zanis himself.
"We of the Hestia Familia are here today to seek justice for our member, Bell Cranel."
"Seek justice?"
"Yesterday, Bell was attacked in the dungeon by members of the Soma Familia. He nearly lost his life. I want an explanation. Also, a few days prior, his weapon was stolen by one of your people."
"Do you have proof?"
Zanis asked instinctively, then immediately realized his mistake.
"Of course I do." Shirou smiled slightly and pulled Lili forward. "She's the witness—and the culprit. Also, since you greeted her so warmly just now, I'd say your relationship isn't simple, is it?"
"You—"
Zanis hadn't expected this setup.
He had been led to believe Shirou wanted an audience with Soma, only to suddenly have the tables turned on him.
Had he distanced himself from Lili earlier, he might've salvaged the situation. But now, it was too late.
Still, Zanis didn't give up.
He sneered at Lili and said threateningly, "Hey, you brat, you have nothing to do with us, right? Everything you did was your own doing. The Soma Familia has nothing to do with it. Got that? If you ever want to drink divine wine again, you'd better admit it!"
"…"
Lili was undoubtedly terrified by his veiled threat.
But that was all—just fear.
Unlike other Soma Familia adventurers, she hadn't been completely brainwashed by the wine.
She valued her life more than the divine wine.
So when Shirou looked at her, Lili immediately showed a miserable expression and confessed:
"I did it. I worked with familia members to set up Lord Bell…"
"Liliruca!!"
Zanis panicked.
But no matter how flustered he was, he couldn't undo her confession.
At this point, if he wanted to avoid being dragged down, there weren't many options left—one of them was to silence them by force.
Clap, clap.
Zanis clapped his hands, and suddenly, figures emerged from all directions.
These adventurers, utterly controlled by the divine wine, had lost all reason. Under Zanis's command, they slowly surrounded Shirou's group.
"What are you trying to do?!"
Bell looked shocked.
Zanis no longer concealed his true nature and shouted, "Hmph! You did well, but a mere testimony isn't enough to bring down the Soma Familia! In this lawless city, strength is what speaks. Even if we're not the strongest familia, we're still better than garbage like yours!"
"So when reason fails, you turn to force? Well, I expected as much."
Shirou looked at Zanis with a bored expression.
"You…"
Seeing his indifference, Zanis frowned.
He was about to order an attack when he noticed all the adventurers had stopped.
No—rather than stopped, they were frozen in fear.
Because among them, a blonde girl had appeared without warning, releasing an overwhelming pressure.
"How pathetic. You've been exposed—why not just give up already?"
A red-haired goddess strolled in with a smile.
"Sword Princess Ais? And Goddess Loki?!"
Seeing the two arrive, Zanis's face turned pale.
Though Orario lacked formal laws, high-level familias were the de facto law.
The two most powerful familias were Loki Familia and Freya Familia. Their gods, though eccentric, represented order.
This meant Orario, in its current era, still maintained a basic sense of justice—and crimes would be judged.
Now that Loki and Ais had shown up and confirmed Soma Familia's crimes, there was no turning the tide.
"Damn it!!!"
Watching Zanis punch the ground in fury, Shirou showed no concern.
He had planned to meet Soma, but then, the door in the distance opened.
A man with waist-length black hair, his face obscured by thick bangs, and a silent, brooding aura, stepped out.
At his appearance, both Hestia and Loki wore complicated expressions—there was no doubt: this was Soma himself.
Zanis was the most excited upon seeing him. He quickly said:
"Lord Soma, I'm sorry! I was tricked by them, but it's okay! As long as you're willing to part with a few bottles of divine wine, even if I face the judgment of Babel, I'll be released soon!"
"This guy…"
Loki frowned.
Because what Zanis said was true.
The gods couldn't deal with Soma Familia because even deities couldn't resist the lure of divine wine. Many gods were willing to open doors for Soma Familia in exchange.
Orario's trials were judged by Babel's Council of Gods—meaning their attitude directly influenced whether someone would be punished.
If Zanis could bribe a few key gods, he might walk free.
"Zanis…"
Soma slowly lifted his head and spoke in an emotionless tone:
"How many bottles of divine wine do you think your life is worth?"
"…What?"
Not expecting this, Zanis cautiously replied, "One bottle—no, two. I've served you for so long, Lord Soma. The Soma Familia can't go on without me."
"…"
Soma's face grew colder. He shook his head and said quietly:
"Regrettably, in my eyes, your life isn't worth even a single drop. Even without you, the Soma Familia will endure. You overestimated your worth."
"L-Lord Soma…"
As Zanis stared in disbelief and panic, Soma turned away indifferently.
"Take this sinner away. End this farce. Do not disturb my brewing again."
His voice was calm—but to everyone else, it felt colder than ice, sending chills to their bones.