Chapter 62: Joining Forces with Loki Again, the Possibility of Cleaning Up the Casino
Mutant monsters on the twentieth floor, golden magic stones, the large Familia that controls the Orario casino...
After repeatedly encountering troubles related to the Apollo Familia, Shirou could no longer treat everything as mere coincidence. Perhaps, in the dark, all of these things were connected.
With this thought, Shirou asked Takemikazuchi, "What are you planning to do next? For a Familia of your level, you can't possibly make ten million valis just by exploring the dungeon, can you?"
Generally speaking, an adventurer's income is proportional to their level.
A Level 1 adventurer risks their life and might only earn a few thousand valis a day. Level 2 adventurers can make tens of thousands, and Level 3 can earn hundreds of thousands. But from there, the increase is no longer proportional—it becomes exponential.
This is the so-called pyramid structure, or the 80/20 rule.
The smallest group of people usually controls the most wealth in society. They sit at the top of the pyramid and take the vast majority of wealth society produces. In contrast, the masses at the base of the pyramid are the most numerous but gain the least.
This is equally applicable in Orario.
For the Loki Familia, casually earning ten million valis is nothing. But for a low-tier Familia like Takemikazuchi's, it's a massive amount that might not be earned even over several years.
"It's not something we can easily do, but at the moment, it's our only option." Takemikazuchi took a deep breath. "Thanks to Yamato reaching Level 2, and along with our captain, Kashima Ouka, who is also Level 2, we now have two Level 2s in the Familia. We can try to explore the middle floors. If we're lucky, we might be able to repay the debt within half a year."
"..."
Shirou neither agreed nor disagreed with Takemikazuchi's words.
Because he had been to the middle floors of the dungeon—areas beyond the eighteenth floor—and he knew just how dangerous that environment was.
With someone like Lefiya, a Level 3, leading, it's still manageable. But to rely only on Level 2 adventurers to gain a foothold in the middle floors was genuinely a difficult task.
Rather than successfully conquering the middle floors and repaying the debt, it was far more likely the Takemikazuchi Familia would be wiped out, with no survivors.
Takemikazuchi seemed to realize this as well, but with no other options, he could only make this choice. After all, Takemikazuchi was an upright and old-fashioned god.
He couldn't just ignore such a large debt to the casino, nor would he accept the help of other Familias.
He wanted to resolve the crisis relying solely on his own Familia's strength.
"Are there no other victims besides your Familia?" Shirou, understanding Takemikazuchi's thinking, silently changed the subject.
"Of course there are," Takemikazuchi sighed. "The casino's despicable tactics didn't just trap the children of my Familia.
In fact, thanks to my usual teachings, my children were already quite cautious and didn't get further deceived.
From what a few friendly gods told me, some of their children were tricked into owing incalculable amounts—debts they can never hope to repay."
"What happened to them?"
"I don't know the details, but it's said that most of those gods gave up on their children, leaving them to shoulder the heavy debts on their own—which is essentially selling their children to the casino."
"..."
Hearing Takemikazuchi's words, Shirou's brows twitched slightly.
From what the other said, he felt a strong sense of wrongness.
Was the casino's true goal really just to make money?
If it was about profit, why not target the truly wealthy Familias, instead of going after poor ones like Takemikazuchi's?
Could it be that money wasn't their goal at all—but the Familia members themselves?
Thinking back to everything he encountered on the twentieth floor of the dungeon, and remembering the Apollo Familia members referring to "experimental materials," Shirou couldn't help but connect the dots and grow suspicious of the Apollo Familia's real motives.
Of course, he didn't tell Takemikazuchi any of this. For such a weak Familia, knowing too much wouldn't be a good thing. The only problem they needed to solve was their debt.
"Do you want me to pay off your debt?"
Shirou offered.
For the Takemikazuchi Familia, ten million valis was an unimaginable fortune.
But for Shirou, it was something he could earn just by cooking a few more meals for the goddess of fertility, or forging a few more weapons.
"No, Lord Emiya, we absolutely cannot let you do such a thing."
The one who answered wasn't Takemikazuchi, but Yamato Mikoto, who had just walked over carrying a tray of tea.
She had clearly overheard the conversation and now spoke with a serious expression: "This is our Familia's own issue. We will resolve this with our own strength. Please don't trample on our dignity!"
Shirou hadn't expected such a strong reaction, but he understood a bit more about the Takemikazuchi Familia's values.
These young people from the Far East were likely influenced by the samurai culture of their homeland—placing great importance on personal dignity and honor.
They would rather step into danger than accept charity.
"I understand. I won't offer help again."
Shirou spoke quietly.
"Thank you," Yamato Mikoto let out a breath of relief. "Receiving this weapon from you, Lord Emiya, is already a tremendous kindness. We will now go explore the dungeon immediately to repay your favor as soon as possible!"
"I'm not really in that much of a hurry," Shirou said with a smile.
Seeing the smile on his face, Yamato Mikoto seemed to see something overly dazzling and instinctively averted her gaze.
Shirou turned back to Takemikazuchi: "Is there really no way to deal with the casino issue? That kind of thing is clearly wrong. It shouldn't be allowed, right?"
Compared to the Takemikazuchi Familia's problems, Shirou was more concerned about the casino and the Apollo Familia.
He might not help Takemikazuchi directly, but he still wanted to put a stop to the casino's evil.
"That's a problem that can't be solved." Takemikazuchi sighed. "In today's Orario, most of the darkness and evil has become entrenched.
Even though the Loki and Freya Familias maintain surface-level peace, they're not strong enough to eliminate all of Orario's dark elements.
If they acted rashly, they might even be consumed by that darkness. You must've felt it during the Soma incident—even someone like Loki couldn't openly ban the divine wine that causes chaos."
"'Today's Orario'..." Shirou noticed Takemikazuchi's specific wording. "You mean that Orario in the past was able to expel all of its darkness?"
"Well," Takemikazuchi said, "in the past, Orario was ruled by the Zeus and Hera Familias. Their power far exceeded what the current Loki and Freya Familias can offer. And aside from those two, the Astraea Familia also made a huge contribution to Orario's peace."
"Astraea Familia?"
"Astraea is the goddess of justice and order.
Because of her special authority, all judgments made by the gods' council used to be carried out by her. No evil or sin could escape her eyes.
But after the Dark Uprising seven years ago, and the Labyrinth Tragedy five years ago, the Astraea Familia completely collapsed, and Goddess Astraea herself went missing."
When talking about Astraea, even Takemikazuchi's face showed clear regret.
This showed just how highly respected the goddess was, and how significant her righteous judgments were for the city of Orario.
Shirou took note of the goddess and asked further, "So you're saying that Orario today has become this corrupt because it lost its enforcer of justice and order, and the gods that followed couldn't uphold absolute justice?"
"Exactly." Takemikazuchi nodded. "If Goddess Astraea were still here, things like divine wine and casinos would never have happened. She would have used her authority to make a fair ruling the moment these problems arose."
Now that Shirou knew the source of Orario's moral decay, the situation still couldn't be resolved.
After all, the goddess of justice and order was gone.
However, Shirou never intended to rely on the power of gods in the first place. He planned to use his own strength to fight against the darkness of this city.
After all, he couldn't just sit back and watch evil fester within it.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Since the Takemikazuchi Familia didn't need his help, Shirou had no reason to stay any longer.
"Mm, goodbye." Takemikazuchi, unaware that Shirou planned to tackle the casino problem alone, simply saw him off.
He had never considered that someone might try to take on such a massive organization with just their own strength.
After leaving the Takemikazuchi Familia, Shirou did not plan to directly destroy the casino.
Just like with the Soma divine wine incident, the opponent he now faced was no longer dungeon monsters, nor adventurers, but a real god.
No matter how weak a god may appear, their abilities are beyond the imagination of mortals.
Gods may seem playful and indistinguishable from mortals in daily life, but once they truly wield their divine power, even if it means returning to the heavens afterward, they can easily crush fragile mortals a thousand times over.
Therefore, just like when he destroyed the Soma divine wine, Shirou had to come up with a way to defeat his opponent without facing the god head-on.
But the problem this time was that the casino wasn't like the Soma wine.
The divine wine had a single source—Soma—so defeating Soma alone was enough. But the casino's source lay in the evil inherent in human nature. Without powerful suppression to counteract it, it was impossible to eradicate casinos from a city just by banning them outright.
And when it came to forces capable of prohibiting the existence of casinos, only two Familia came to Shirou's mind: the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia.
Only by leveraging the suppression of these two major Familia could the casino issue possibly be resolved completely.
But the question was—would these two Familia really help him?
The Loki Familia had at least worked with him before, so there might be room for negotiation. But the Freya Familia was a force Shirou had never had contact with.
He had no idea how the goddess of beauty, Freya, viewed him—nor whether she would be willing to step in and assist.
While deep in thought, Shirou found himself already standing before the Loki Familia's gate.
Because he had been here once before, the guards at the gate quickly recognized him.
Although the two guards were clearly displeased with Shirou's arrival, due to Loki's special instructions, when they learned that he was looking for the goddess Loki, they swiftly led him to her office.
"Oh my, isn't this the Emiya kid? Are you here to have a drink with me?" Loki looked drunk in broad daylight, lying in a garbage heap of a room and drinking alone.
Shirou, used to the trickster goddess's drunken antics, calmly said, "I came today to talk about the issue with the Apollo Familia."
"..."
Upon hearing Shirou's topic, Loki's originally lazy demeanor instantly became serious.
She sat upright and spoke helplessly, "Geez, Emiya, you always bring trouble when you visit. Girls won't like you if you're like this, you know. I think sincerity is also an essential trait if you want to be liked by girls."
"Clicking your tongue and still such a smooth talker." Loki chuckled and waved her hand. "But I like cute pretty girls. I'm not interested in a stinky man like you."
"Then it seems Lord Loki is perfect for being a good brother."
"Haha, if it's being bros, then no problem—come find me anytime!"
They exchanged a few light jokes before suddenly diving into the main topic.
"Emiya, are you planning to go after the Apollo Familia?"
"You seemed to have anticipated it?"
"Well, after seeing what you did to the Soma Familia, it's not hard to imagine you'd set your sights on the Apollo Familia. After all, they're one of the main sources of chaos in this city now." Loki smiled at Shirou, but her expression was strangely cold. "However, I don't recommend you make a move against the Apollo Familia. The danger involved in this is far greater than the Soma Familia incident."
"Why?"
"Because behind the Apollo Familia stands the Ganesha Familia and the Guild organization," Loki revealed a shocking truth. "If those two major powers weren't backing them, I would've wiped out all those casinos long ago."
In just a few simple words, Loki revealed a wealth of information, demonstrating her deep understanding of the Apollo Familia.
Yet even with that knowledge, Loki herself could not shake them.
Shirou could understand why.
Not to mention the Guild was the foundation of the labyrinth city and its greatest power, the Ganesha Familia was also a top-tier Familia on par with Loki and Freya.
Though slightly inferior in strength to the two great Familia, it was still a force that could not be ignored in the city.
The Apollo Familia had two giant forces backing them. The Loki Familia alone could never defeat them.
With that realization, Shirou caught on to something and asked, "What about the Freya Familia's stance? What does Freya think of the Apollo Familia?"
"Who the hell knows what that vixen is thinking!" Loki clearly had no fondness for Freya. Though both were guardians of Orario's order, they had vastly different styles and approaches. "If I had to guess, she probably chooses to ignore it if she can. After all, she's the kind of person who won't move even when things are burning down around her. Only when something she truly cares about is affected does she take action."
"Something she truly cares about?"
Upon hearing this, Shirou couldn't help but recall the time during dungeon exploration when two Freya Familia members received the command to absolutely protect Shirou Emiya.
Back then, he had found the order strange. Thinking back on it now made him even more suspicious.
Of course, he didn't reveal this suspicion to Loki and instead returned to the previous topic.
"So, if the Loki Familia can join forces with the Freya Familia, would it be possible to defeat the Apollo Familia and shut down all the casinos in Orario?"
"Shut down all? That's impossible. Gambling as an industry can never be completely banned," Loki shook her head. "But shutting down the corrupt casinos that extort money from weaker Familia and keeping only the legally operated ones—that's still doable."
"I see—so the goal is to regulate the casino industry."
"Exactly. I had this idea before, but the moment I proposed it, the Guild, the Ganesha Familia, and several other powerful Familia united in opposition. Even some human kingdoms sent representatives to protest." Loki's face was full of frustration. "Those bastards must be profiting massively from it—making dirty money hand over fist. Now they're like hunters holding onto ivory, refusing to let go even if it kills them."
Shirou was surprised to learn that Loki had once tried to regulate the casinos but failed. He now understood just how difficult this matter was.
No wonder Loki had told him to give up the moment they met.
However, Shirou had never been someone who gave up easily. After realizing that the Loki Familia alone could not solve the problem, he calmly asked,
"If I can find a way to get the Freya Familia involved and join forces with the Loki Familia, is it possible to resolve the casino issue completely?"
"You're saying that woman Freya would get involved in this kind of matter? That's impossible!"
Loki instinctively rejected the idea at first.
But then she recalled the many unbelievable things Shirou had done in the past and felt it might not be completely impossible for him to persuade Freya.
As such, she quickly analyzed the possible developments if the Freya Familia joined and finally said, "The success rate is about fifty-fifty. If I and Freya work together, we could suppress the Guild and the Ganesha Familia.
But to truly shut down the black casinos, we still have to find a way to deal with the Apollo Familia itself—find a weakness in them."
"A weakness in the Apollo Familia?"
"Simply put, find a reason to destroy them. As long as the Apollo Familia, which currently controls all the casinos, is defeated, Freya and I can move naturally to shut them all down. Then we can pressure the Guild to enforce proper casino regulations," Loki waved her hand. "If that can't be done, even with Freya's and my authority, forcibly closing all the casinos would be extremely difficult. A fifty-fifty success rate might even be a bit optimistic."
"I see." Shirou understood everything, and so he made a decision. "In that case, could you help arrange a meeting between me and Goddess Freya?"
"Hmph, you really don't know the meaning of the word retreat, do you? Makes me more and more want to drag you into my Familia."
Loki once again gave Shirou high praise. And with that, she agreed to his plan and began preparations to introduce him to the goddess Freya.