Chapter 61 – The Shock Brought by the Magic Sword, the Plight of the Takemikazuchi Familia
Shirou had now mastered a method to investigate weapon effects—by purchasing magical scrolls that possessed the Appraisal skill. Although it was an extra expense, compared to the money spent on forging the weapon itself, it was hardly worth worrying about.
As he used the Appraisal scroll to identify the newly forged weapon, Ame-no-Habakiri the effects of the weapon quickly appeared in the air:
Swiftness of the Swallow: Increases the user's agility and evasion ability. Tengu Tactics: Makes it easier during battle to read enemy movements and identify weaknesses. Baptism of Karma's Flame: Increases the wielder's and the weapon's curse resistance; attacks based on karmic causality are especially effective against the "non-human" concept.
The three effects of the magic sword—were revealed.
The first two were clearly inherent attributes of the magic sword itself, traits that came with this heroic spirit's weapon.
But the third effect was obviously different—it was clearly a special property that appeared because Shirou had forged the weapon using Karma's Flame. Although the effect wasn't overwhelmingly powerful, the meaning it carried inexplicably drew Shirou's attention.
Especially the part about this so-called "non-human" concept. Just what kind of concept would qualify as "non-human"?
It clearly wasn't simply referring to beings that weren't human. If it were that broad, then monsters in the dungeon, races like elves, or even the gods of Orario might all fall under the special attack condition of Karma's Flame.
But Shirou clearly didn't believe that a skill awakened at Level 2 would have such an exaggerated effect.
Therefore, he suspected that "non-human" referred to beings who had lost their humanity within the human race itself.
Though they wore human form, they no longer possessed the essence of humanity—things that appeared human but weren't truly human. Against such creatures, Karma's Flame would have special power.
This, he thought, was likely the true nature of Karma's Flame.
Of course, this was all just Shirou's personal conjecture. To know the actual situation, it would still require the user to wield it in combat.
With that thought, Shirou didn't waste any more time.
He sheathed the magic sword Ame-no-Habakiri in the custom-made scabbard and then quickly left the forge, heading to the Takemikazuchi Familia.
.
.
.
Since he had visited once before, Shirou easily found his way to the Takemikazuchi Familia and immediately noticed that the atmosphere remained just as gloomy as before. The members of the Familia constantly wore expressions of urgency and unease, as though fearing some impending crisis.
Shirou sensed that the Takemikazuchi Familia was in trouble, but he didn't directly ask about it. Instead, he first sought out the Familia's god, Takemikazuchi.
"Long time no see, Emiya," Takemikazuchi greeted with his usual optimistic smile, though it now seemed like a deliberate effort to mask the difficulties of his Familia. "What brings you here today? Don't tell me—you've decided to join my Familia?"
"Of course not," Shirou replied.
The Takemikazuchi Familia accepted any adventurer from the Far East.
As long as an adventurer from the Far East was down on their luck, they could seek refuge with Takemikazuchi. But Shirou obviously had no such intention.
He removed the magic sword he had forged from his waist and said:
"I've finished forging what you asked. Can I have Miss Yamato Mikoto test it?"
"Oh? That fast?"
When Takemikazuchi had heard Shirou say he would forge the weapon after visiting the dungeon, he had assumed it would take at least ten days to half a month. He never expected Shirou to finish the weapon just the day after returning from the dungeon.
Such speed was clearly beyond that of ordinary blacksmiths. Takemikazuchi even couldn't help but wonder if Shirou had rushed it and made a shoddy product—though he knew that was a negative and disrespectful thought.
Trusting Shirou, Takemikazuchi quickly summoned Yamato Mikoto to have her inspect the weapon.
Just like Takemikazuchi, Yamato Mikoto was surprised that the forging was done so quickly and couldn't help but feel suspicious of Shirou.
However, as a swordswoman, she didn't linger on speculation.
Instead, she directly drew the sword to test Shirou's craftsmanship.
And the moment she gripped the magic sword Ame-no-Habakiri, her expression changed.
As a swordswoman, Yamato Mikoto had handled countless blades.
Although she often only tested them at the Hephaestus Familia's store because she couldn't afford to buy them, having tried many types of swords, she had developed an extraordinary sensitivity to them.
Just by holding the sword, she could sense many things. At the very least, she no longer suspected Shirou of producing some shoddy product.
She was sure this sword was anything but ordinary.
"My apologies."
Nearly unable to contain herself, Yamato Mikoto drew the sword—and the moment her eyes fell upon the clear, razor-sharp blade, her gaze was entirely captivated.
Never in her life had she seen such a magnificent blade. The sword's body was flawless to an extreme degree, and she could even feel the blacksmith's soul infused within it.
"Th-this… was made by you, Lord Emiya?"
So astonished was she that even the way she addressed Shirou became respectful.
Shirou didn't make a big deal out of it. He simply nodded and said, "Yes. This is the magic sword I forged for you, called Ame-no-Habakiri. I've already used appraisal magic to identify its effects—here is the appraisal record."
Shirou handed over the record from the identification process to Yamato Mikoto.
After seeing Ame-no-Habakiri's specific abilities, Yamato Mikoto was even more shocked.
She never imagined that the sword would have three different effects!
Even in the Dungeon City Orario, such a weapon was extremely rare. Even if its raw power wasn't the highest, the fact that it had three effects meant its value could rival that of first-class weapons.
"No—I can't accept this sword!"
Realizing just how valuable this weapon truly was, Yamato Mikoto was so frightened she could barely keep holding it, treating it as if it were burning her hands.
To her, the weapon Shirou had forged was worth more than what the entire Takemikazuchi Familia could afford, even if they sold everything.
There was no way she could accept it with a clear conscience.
"Is there something wrong with the sword I made?"
Shirou naturally didn't plan on taking the sword back.
He had made it specifically to repay the favor from Takemikazuchi and had no intention of letting its value get in the way. To Shirou, human relationships were always more important than wealth.
"No… There's nothing wrong with the sword. The problem is that I'm not worthy to use it…"
Yamato Mikoto appeared as humble as could be.
"Worthiness is something the smith decides. I believe you, Miss Yamato Mikoto, are the most suitable person for this sword. At the very least, your current attitude satisfies me."
Shirou's words made Yamato Mikoto's expression become extremely conflicted.
After all, she had just been doubting Shirou's forging skills in her heart, yet now he claimed she was worthy of wielding such a legendary magic sword. She felt deeply ashamed.
As Yamato Mikoto struggled with her emotions, Takemikazuchi quietly spoke:
"Accept it, Mikoto. This is a gift from Emiya. If you don't accept it, it would be too disrespectful."
"But… Lord Takemikazuchi…"
"I understand how you feel. But if you think this favor is too valuable, then repay it in the future, isn't that fine?"
Takemikazuchi calmly advised her, "Right now, we are in a difficult situation, but Lord Emiya has chosen to help us in our time of need. We must remember this favor. If in the future, Emiya and the Hestia Familia ever face hardship, we must do everything in our power to help them."
"This... I understand."
Under Takemikazuchi's persuasion, Yamato Mikoto's gaze gradually became resolute.
She finally accepted the magic sword Ame-no-Habakiri with great care. "Thank you, Emiya—no, Lord Emiya. If there is anything you ever need in the future, I, Yamato Mikoto, will give my utmost, even if it means performing menial labor—I will offer everything I can!"
"De..." Faced with Yamato Mikoto's overly serious attitude, Shirou, although feeling slightly awkward, had no choice but to nod.
Otherwise, he knew she definitely wouldn't accept the weapon obediently.
As for the price of the sword, Shirou didn't ask for much—he only asked for the standard price of a regular third-tier weapon and had Takemikazuchi write up an IOU.
Once all the procedures were completed, everyone's expressions finally relaxed.
"I didn't expect you to be such an outstanding blacksmith, Emiya. Even now I still find it hard to believe," Takemikazuchi remarked with emotion.
"It's all thanks to Lady Hephaestus's teachings."
"Oh? You were personally taught by that Hephaestus? No wonder you were able to create such an astonishing weapon!" Takemikazuchi showered Shirou with praise, and then instructed Yamato Mikoto to prepare tea to entertain him.
During the conversation, Shirou casually asked, "Has the Takemikazuchi Familia encountered some kind of trouble recently? At this point, I think it's okay for me to ask."
Takemikazuchi seemed to have anticipated this question.
Though he wasn't keen on dragging Shirou into his familia's problems, he also felt it would be too rude to hide things from someone who had just helped them so greatly. With no other choice, he spoke up:
"Alright. Then I'll tell you, Emiya. To put it simply, my familia is currently facing a serious financial crisis."
"A serious financial crisis? How serious?"
"We're in debt—nearly ten million valis..."
"Ten million?!" Hearing such an outrageous amount, even Shirou couldn't help but twitch his eyelid.
While a top-tier familia like Loki's might consider ten million valis no more than the cost of a single piece of equipment, for small familias like Hestia's or Takemikazuchi's, that was an amount that might take years to earn.
Unable to stop himself, Shirou asked: "Why would you owe such a huge amount? Your familia shouldn't have undertaken a project involving that much money, right?"
"Of course not," Takemikazuchi sighed, recalling past events. "Under normal circumstances, our familia would never owe that much. But a few of our members... went to Orario's casino without anyone else's knowledge."
"..." Hearing the word casino, Shirou basically understood the situation already.
His gaze toward Takemikazuchi took on a slight tinge of disdain.
But Takemikazuchi replied seriously: "It's not what you think, Emiya. I can assure you—none of my familia members are gambling addicts. I've always strictly taught them never to go near such places."
"This... Yes, I do believe you're that kind of god," Shirou replied, choosing to trust him. He felt this stern god wouldn't allow his followers to fall to such depravity.
Takemikazuchi thanked Shirou for his trust and continued, with a heavy tone:
"Here's what happened. You know how in Orario, there are those places selling cheap goods? Most poor familias go there to buy low-cost items to survive.
Though my familia hasn't fallen to that level yet, we've long been used to hard times—so by habit, we always buy the cheapest items."
"And at one of those places, someone claiming to be holding a promotional event told our members they'd been randomly selected as lucky customers and would receive a prize.
Most people would naturally be tempted by free stuff and accept the gift. Then, the person would say the recipient had won an even bigger prize, and had to go somewhere to collect it."
"Since they'd already received something for free, and the person only asked them to go pick up the reward, no one would find it suspicious.
But once they arrived—they'd find out the place was a casino.
At that point, the casino staff would hand them chips as a 'gift' and slowly tempt them to gamble.
They even deliberately set it up so our members would win at first—letting them taste the joy of easy money and gradually fall into the trap."
Even though Takemikazuchi hadn't spelled out the conclusion, Shirou already understood.
This was a scam, similar to those from his past life—luring people in with bait, then exploiting human weakness to trap them completely.
Gambling was a common method. Most people couldn't resist the thrill of something for nothing, and gambling also included the concept of sunk cost: the more one invests, the harder it is to walk away.
Scam plus gambling—this combo could easily destroy naive young people with little social experience, burying them forever.
"So your familia members were tricked by these casino people, unknowingly accumulating massive debts, leading to your financial crisis?"
"Exactly." Takemikazuchi nodded wearily. "Those children are all sincere and obedient, but precisely because of that, they lacked the courage to admit their mistakes.
After realizing they were in deep trouble, they didn't dare report it to us and tried to solve it themselves—only to fall deeper into the hole. If the casino hadn't come knocking for the money, we might never have found out about it."
"I see... So to repay the debt, you were forced to explore dungeon levels you shouldn't have, and that's what led to Miss Yamato Mikoto's weapon breaking?"
"Yes." Takemikazuchi's face was filled with helplessness. "Even though the children didn't want to drag us down, and some even wanted to leave the familia, I just couldn't abandon them."
After hearing Takemikazuchi's account, Shirou was momentarily at a loss for words.
Though this wasn't exactly reaping what they sowed, it was clear that the Takemikazuchi Familia's internal issues had contributed to the crisis.
"This kind of scam through gambling... it's a crime, right? Shouldn't the Guild get involved?"
"Normally, for criminal matters, yes—the Guild would help. But this case is different," Takemikazuchi shook his head.
"Orario's casinos are tied to an enormous web of interests—entangling many parts of the city. Even some high-ranking Guild officials are involved and accept bribes from the casinos.
So when I reported the matter to the Guild, they kept saying they were 'investigating' and told me to 'wait patiently.' But even after nearly half a month—nothing has come of it."
"A web of interests... Who's backing the casinos in Orario?"
"On the surface, the casinos are controlled by the Apollo Familia's god—Apollo himself. He controls all the casinos in Orario and enjoys the enormous profits of gambling, which helped him build the massive Apollo Familia."
"Apollo Familia again?" Hearing that name again, even Shirou couldn't help but marvel at the coincidence.
But now that it involved the Apollo Familia, he realized that he couldn't treat the Takemikazuchi Familia's predicament lightly.
He had to understand the situation further—and perhaps even get involved to help them.