Partners

With both hands in his pockets, Shirou Emiya looked up at the sky, a glimmer seeming to shine in his eyes.

For the old him, all he had was conviction.

But conviction alone was not enough. He also needed strength.

Hearing Shirou Emiya's response, neither Tiona and Tione, who had been watching from the side, nor Ais, who had asked the question, said anything more.

The five of them walked silently down the street.

Watching Shirou Emiya's back, Ais, walking at the rear, seemed to see her own reflection in him.

They were all people carrying something on their shoulders.

They all had goals they had to accomplish.

"Conviction?"

Ais silently repeated the word in her heart.

She kept asking herself whether her own conviction was as firm as this person's.

At the very front of the group, Tiona and Tione led the way while observing the two behind them from the corners of their eyes.

The reason they had invited Shirou Emiya along today was not only because they were interested in him. More importantly, Ais had something she wanted to ask him.

The two of them knew something about Ais's past as well.

Therefore, as long as they could help her, they would be more than happy to do so.

However, neither of them had expected that the new member of their Familia seemed far from simple.

This guy might even be another problem child!

Ah! What a hassle!

Ais and the others' destination was another Familia in Orario that specialized in smithing: the Goberniu Familia.

Although this Familia was smaller than the Hephaestus Familia, its weapons were in no way inferior in performance.

Many of the Loki Familia's elite weapons had been forged by the Goberniu Familia. Ais's Despair Sword, for example, was one of their proudest works.

And, of course, there was Orga, Tiona's Great Double Blades worth 120 million Valis, which would later be corroded by a monster.

Standing beside the Goberniu Familia and watching Tiona, Tione, and Ais converse with the Familia's smiths, Shirou Emiya had nothing to do, so he started chatting with Lefia.

"I heard that Riveria thinks highly of you as a mage, Lefia! You must be very strong!"

"Not at all!"

Hearing Shirou Emiya's question, Lefia remembered how fear of monsters had prevented her from chanting during the expedition, and she became dejected.

After telling Shirou Emiya about what had happened, Lefia lowered her head and said dispiritedly, "I'm really useless! If it were Mr. Emiya, you would definitely have done better than me!"

"Indeed!"

Shirou Emiya folded his arms and nodded calmly. Lefia visibly wilted before his eyes.

Seeing how unable she was to take a joke, Shirou Emiya hurriedly explained, "I was kidding! Don't take it seriously!"

But no matter how he explained it, Lefia still looked as though she had lost the will to live.

If Tiona and the others saw her like this later, he would definitely be labeled as someone who bullied his companions!

No, he had to find a way to make it up to her.

Looking at Lefia crouching on the ground with vacant eyes fixed on the floor, Shirou Emiya pulled her upright.

"Come to think of it, I'm LV.2 now too, but I still don't have anyone to explore the Dungeon with. Lefia, would you like to come with me?"

"Huh? M-me?"

Lefia's face was flushed red. Apart from Shirou Emiya's invitation, what embarrassed her even more was his right hand holding her arm.

In this world, because of certain special circumstances, elves would only allow people they acknowledged to touch them. Otherwise, they would instinctively feel repulsed.

Looking at Shirou Emiya's right hand, Lefia secretly wondered, Could it be that I don't dislike Mr. Emiya?

Seeing Lefia staring blankly, Shirou Emiya waved his other hand repeatedly in front of her while calling her name again and again.

"Lefia, Lefia, Lefia!"

"Yes!"

Lefia suddenly snapped back to her senses and answered hastily.

"So, will you accept my invitation?"

"Yes!"

Huh? What am I even saying?

Lefia had only just come to her senses and still had no idea what was happening when she agreed to Shirou Emiya's invitation, leaving her completely bewildered.

"Great. In that case, I'll have to prepare properly when I get back today!"

No, no, no!

Don't!

Lefia regretted it immensely, but faced with Shirou Emiya's smiling face, she simply could not bring herself to refuse.

"Yes!"

Ah, I give up.

Whatever.

Mr. Emiya is so strong. I probably won't hold him back, right?

Seeing that Lefia had accepted his invitation, Shirou Emiya was fairly pleased.

This was a mage, after all.

Everyone knew that mages were the noblest profession, and a powerful mage could even change the course of a battle.

Lefia was still inexperienced, but she had been recognized as the successor by Riveria, Orario's strongest mage.

In terms of potential, she was absolutely top-tier.

Even her poor performance during the expedition had been because the enemies she faced had grown far too powerful for her to adapt easily.

If they were only exploring the Middle Floors, or even the Lower Floors,

she would still be a strategic-level weapon.

How to use her properly would depend on him.

Just as Shirou Emiya was pondering tomorrow's arrangements, Ais walked out together with Tiona and Tione.

"How did it go?"

"Everything went smoothly. It only needs a day's maintenance here, and we can pick it up tomorrow!"

Looking at the gradually darkening sky, Tione thought for a moment before saying, "There's still the expedition victory banquet tonight at The Hostess of Fertility. Why don't we head straight there?"

"How about we stroll through the streets on the way to The Hostess of Fertility?"

"Sounds good!"

Everyone nodded in satisfaction.

"I see. Lefia is going to form a party with Shirou tomorrow to explore the Dungeon?"

Riveria set down the cup in her hand and looked at Lefia beside her with concern.

This was The Hostess of Fertility, a tavern Loki was particularly fond of. Whenever the Loki Familia returned from an expedition, they held their victory banquet here.

This time was no exception.

The Hostess of Fertility was extremely lively. The members of the Loki Familia were drinking heartily, eating meat, and loudly boasting to their companions about their achievements.

Everyone was enjoying themselves, and the harmonious atmosphere was unmistakable.

After several rounds of drinks and a period of revelry, the Familia members who had originally celebrated together gradually split into several smaller groups, each confiding their own thoughts.

Riveria was seated beside Lefia.

"That sounds fine. Shirou has only just joined the Familia, but I can tell that he is a steady person. Although his decision to venture deep into the 17th Floor earlier seemed dangerous, he clearly had great confidence in himself. He is good at planning."

"With him around, you might learn some things you would not normally have the chance to encounter."

"Yes!"

Listening to Riveria's opinion, Lefia could not help looking toward the other table, where Shirou Emiya was chatting with Ais and Tiona.

There was just something inexplicably reliable about this person.

"Is this the legendary Magic Sword Shooter?"

"Magic Sword Shooter?"

Shirou Emiya looked somewhat blankly at the blue-gray-haired girl serving them.

"That's the title everyone came up with for you!"

"It means a shooter who can fire attacks comparable to a magic sword's. What do you think? It suits you, doesn't it?"

Magic Sword Shooter? It sounds a bit like a nuclear-bomb sword immortal. Not bad.

"How should I put it? It's surprisingly decent."

Fairly satisfied with the title, Shirou Emiya looked at the blue-gray-haired girl before him and asked with a smile, "May I ask who you are?"

"Syr Flova. That's my name."

"Syr?"

Quietly mulling over the name, Shirou Emiya smiled and said, "What a lovely name."