Chapter 65 – A Truly Deep and Mysterious Man
Freya agreed to help resolve the casino issue.
However, her agreement didn't come unconditionally — she requested something from Shirou in return: a favor, a personal debt.
"You want me to owe you a favor?" Shirou was somewhat surprised upon hearing Freya's condition. "A favor from someone like me — a small-time nobody — probably holds little value to someone like you, Lady Freya."
"Whether it holds value or not is for me to decide," Freya replied calmly. "I simply believe you're worth it, that's all. Besides, if I offered help without asking for anything in return, both you and Loki would just become suspicious, wouldn't you?"
"That's… true,"
Both Shirou and Loki couldn't help but nod.
Given Freya's personality, her willingness to help so readily was certainly unsettling, making others doubt if she had some ulterior motive.
By openly asking Shirou for a favor in return, it at least suggested she truly intended to help resolve Orario's casino problem.
"Still, even if it's a favor, I won't do anything beyond my abilities," Shirou preemptively warned Freya. "Especially your previous request — that's something I can never agree to."
"Hehe, I've already given up on that one," Freya chuckled. "Turning you into an obedient puppet might be efficient, but the current you excites me much more."
Looking at Freya, Shirou couldn't bring himself to feel happy.
In order to solve the casino issue, he had now fully stepped into the sights of the Goddess of Beauty, Freya.
He truly wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing.
Regardless, with Freya now willing to cooperate and Loki already on board, Shirou finally felt confident in taking down both Orario's casino and the Apollo Familia.
While Shirou was pondering, Freya suddenly spoke: "Just to be clear, in this matter, I will only play a cooperative role. That means I'll speak on Loki's behalf in the Gods' Council — I won't confront the Apollo Familia directly."
"Huh? That's not like you at all, Freya," Loki frowned. "Normally, you'd have already sent your Familia to storm their headquarters."
"Do you take me for an idiot, Loki?" Freya glanced coldly at her. "The casino business involves the Guild, Ganesha Familia, and many other interest-bound Familias. It's the kind of mess
where anyone who touches it gets burned. Even if my Familia is considered the strongest in Orario, we can't just recklessly make a move on such a volatile issue."
"If even you say that, then Apollo Familia really is a tough nut to crack."
"It's tough, but not impossible to crush — so long as you're willing to pay the price," Freya glanced at Shirou. "If you're willing to come over to my side and become mine, I wouldn't mind helping you crush the Apollo Familia outright."
"No need for that, Lady Freya," Shirou declined decisively. "Just support Loki in the council — no, as long as you don't oppose us, that's enough. I'll find a way to deal with Apollo Familia myself."
"Deal with them…? You're planning to go head-on with Apollo? Like you did with Soma back then?"
"If necessary, yes."
Shirou had already resolved himself.
He couldn't ignore such obvious evil — whether it was the divine wine incident or the casino problem, he would not turn a blind eye. So, having confirmed that Freya would stand on his side, Shirou decisively turned and left.
Once Shirou departed, only Freya and Loki remained in the tavern.
"He's quite an interesting man, isn't he?" Loki poured herself a drink and took a leisurely sip.
"Hehe, just as the rumors say, truly an intriguing man," Freya replied in a strange tone. "But he's still hiding his sharp edge. With his blade so carefully sheathed, he won't be able to wound a god like Apollo."
"Who knows?" Loki narrowed her eyes with a smile. "Anyway, I can't wait for the show to begin."
"Speaking of Apollo Familia and the dark factions behind them — don't tell me you haven't made any preparations?" Freya asked. "Say that to others if you want, but I don't buy it."
"I've taken action," Loki replied. "But as long as they don't touch what I care about, I don't mind letting them continue lurking in the shadows. Besides… at this point, this city has already lost its light, hasn't it?"
"Tch, sounds nice and poetic — but you're just afraid to openly confront those cockroaches hiding in the dark."
Loki clicked her tongue. "Still, I've got no right to criticize you. If it weren't for that Emiya kid stepping forward, I wouldn't have been able to resolve anything. Soma was like that, and so is Apollo…"
"The closer you are to the sunlight, the fewer shadows you can see — that's just the law of the world."
"A 'law,' huh… Speaking of which, that incident on the 20th floor and the sudden appearance of that Sword Demon — don't you have any clue which dark faction's god is pulling the strings behind it?"
"No idea," Freya smiled faintly. "But you know how the dark factions operate. They're like bugs — when you find one crawling around your room, there are already swarms hiding in the corners."
.
.
.
After finishing his conversation with the two goddesses, Shirou felt both relieved and exhausted. Relieved, because he'd managed to convince Freya — the deity leading Orario's strongest Familia — to stand with him.
But problems came along with that success: He now needed to find a way to defeat the Apollo Familia.
Neither Loki nor Freya could act unprovoked. They were both leaders of official Familias in Orario and couldn't attack another Familia without cause.
So Shirou needed to find the Apollo Familia's weakness — a legitimate reason or crack in their operations — to create an opening for Loki and Freya to move.
"But how should I do that…?"
Apollo Familia obviously wouldn't expose their weaknesses willingly. To make them show their hand, he'd need to provoke them into action and observe their flaws afterward.
"What have they been doing lately…?"
With that thought, Shirou suddenly had an idea and headed toward a remote corner of Orario — the location of the Takemikazuchi Familia.
He initially planned to call out and ask someone to summon Takemikazuchi, but surprisingly, the Familia's doors were wide open.
"Did something happen…?"
Confused, Shirou walked inside and found the outer yard empty. It wasn't until he stepped into the traditionally-styled mansion that he saw Takemikazuchi and all his Familia members gathered, their expressions more serious than ever.
"Huh? Emiya, what are you doing here?" Takemikazuchi looked surprised upon seeing him.
"Lord Emiya!?"
Yamato Mikoto immediately ran over with great respect, showing her enthusiasm toward Shirou.
"No, I just saw no one outside and thought something might've happened," Shirou admitted honestly, asking Takemikazuchi what was going on.
Takemikazuchi's expression dimmed slightly. After some hesitation, he spoke: "Well, since you already know most of what's going on, I may as well tell you the rest."
"But, Lord Takemikazuchi—!"
A tall, black-haired young man beside him looked displeased. Clearly, he didn't trust Shirou and didn't want their internal affairs exposed to an outsider.
But both Takemikazuchi and Yamato Mikoto trusted Shirou greatly, leaving this young man no room to object.
"Sorry, this is the captain of my Familia, Kashima Ouka."
"I see."
Shirou recalled that the Takemikazuchi Familia had two v2-level members — one was Yamato Mikoto, and the other must be this rough-looking man, despite his elegant name.
As Shirou endured the skeptical stares from Kashima Ouka and the rest of the Familia, Takemikazuchi explained their situation:
After Shirou handed over weapons to Yamato Mikoto that day, the Takemikazuchi Familia had been preparing to challenge the dungeon's middle floors and earn money to repay their debts.
However, just as they were about to leave, the Apollo Familia suddenly showed up, forbidding them from entering the dungeon and demanding full repayment of all debts within three days.
A Guild representative was present with them — Royman.
According to Royman, the debt had to be executed immediately, or the Takemikazuchi Familia would be stripped of their status and forcibly expelled from Orario.
Faced with this, the Familia naturally refused to accept it. But no matter how they appealed to the Guild, they couldn't get a fair judgment.
Meanwhile, Apollo Familia approached Takemikazuchi privately, saying that if he handed over a few debt-ridden adventurers, the whole issue would be "forgotten."
Any ordinary god might've sacrificed those subordinates to avoid banishment.
But Takemikazuchi wasn't that kind of god. Even knowing Apollo's real aim was to seize his subordinates, he refused to abandon them — even if it meant enduring retaliation.
"The Guild actually allowed this to happen…?"
Shirou was most shocked by the Guild's actions. An organization meant to maintain Orario's order had now clearly taken sides with the Apollo Familia and the casinos.
This was not normal. It was a result of Apollo Familia's deep-rooted collusion with multiple Familias — and the Guild itself.
It was a huge blow to the Takemikazuchi Familia — they now faced the risk of being expelled from Orario. But the fact that the enemy resorted to such low tactics also meant they had something to hide — and this might be the best chance to catch them off guard.
So Shirou decisively asked: "Would you entrust this problem to me?"
"What…?"
His words shocked not only Takemikazuchi but all his Familia members. Kashima Ouka, especially, couldn't believe it.
"This has nothing to do with you! And what makes you think you can solve our Familia's problems?"
"Calm down, Kashima," Mikoto spoke. "Lord Emiya is an exceptional blacksmith — I guarantee he has the ability."
"…Fine,"
Kashima didn't fully believe it, but didn't argue further.
Takemikazuchi looked deeply at Shirou and responded quietly: "I think I said before that I didn't want to burden you with our problems. My kids still have their pride."
"But you guys can't solve this alone, can you? You won't be able to gather 10 million valis in three days."
"..."
Seeing Takemikazuchi fall silent, Shirou continued: "Also, I want to help not just for your sake — but to find a way to defeat the Apollo Familia."
"Defeat the Apollo Familia?"
Shirou explained briefly how he had secured Loki and Freya's support. If they could bring down Apollo Familia, the entire casino system could be reformed.
Takemikazuchi was amazed. Somehow, he felt that if anyone could do it — Shirou might be the one.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally nodded. "Alright, I'll entrust this to you. Can't believe I'm already owing you another favor so soon."
"No worries," Shirou smiled. "This time, it's not a favor — I'm helping you for my own goals too."
He then looked at Kashima Ouka and asked without concern for his distrust: "How much cash does your Familia currently have? Give me all of it."
"What?!"
Kashima looked deeply alarmed, thinking Shirou was trying to scam them.
But Takemikazuchi spoke up: "Trust him, Kashima. Emiya won't deceive us."
Even a god had spoken — Kashima had no choice but to comply. He brought out all the Familia's funds. After counting, it totaled less than 100,000 valis — a sign of their deep poverty.
"That's about enough."
Shirou said nothing more. He turned to leave immediately.
"Where are you going!?"
Kashima called out anxiously, afraid Shirou would just take the money and run.
Shirou responded with a confident smile: "Where? Of course — I'm going to the casino to make some money. Don't worry — a mere 10 million valis, I'll earn it back in no time."
With that, he ignored their stunned expressions and strode confidently toward the Orario casino district.