Companion

Hands in his pockets, Shirou Emiya looked up at the sky, a glint flickering in his eyes.

For the person he once was, there was only conviction.

But conviction alone wasn't enough—he also needed power.

Hearing Shirou Emiya's response, Tiona, Tione, who had been watching the commotion, and Ais, who had asked the question, all fell silent.

The five of them walked quietly down the street.

Watching Shirou Emiya's back from the rear, Ais seemed to see a reflection of herself in him.

They were both people carrying burdens.

They both had goals they had to achieve.

"Conviction...?"

Ais silently repeated the word in her heart.

She kept asking herself whether her own conviction was as firm as the man before her.

At the front of the group, Tiona and Tione led the way while stealing glances at the two behind them.

The reason they had invited Shirou Emiya to come along today wasn't just because they were interested in him—more importantly, Ais had questions she wanted to ask him.

They knew a bit about Ais's past.

So if they could help her, they were more than happy to do so.

But what they hadn't expected was that their Familia's new member seemed far from simple.

This guy might just be another problem child.

Ah, what a hassle!

Ais and the others' destination was another Familia in Orario that specialized in forging—the Goberniu Familia.

Though this Familia couldn't match the Hephaestus Familia in scale, their weapons were on par in performance.

Many of the elite weapons in the Loki Familia were forged by the Goberniu Familia—for example, Ais's Despair Sword was one of their proudest creations.

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

Standing off to the side of the Goberniu Familia, watching Tiona, Tione, and Ais chatting with the Goberniu Familia's blacksmith, the idle Shirou Emiya struck up a conversation with Lefia.

"I heard you're a mage that Riveria herself has her eye on, Lefia. You must be pretty strong!"

"Not at all!"

Hearing Shirou Emiya's question, Lefia recalled how she had been unable to chant spells during the expedition because of her fear of monsters, and she couldn't help but feel dejected.

After telling Shirou Emiya about her experience, she hung her head and said, "I'm just too pathetic! If it were Mr. Emiya, I'm sure you'd do much better than me!"

"True."

Shirou Emiya crossed his arms and nodded lightly. Then, right before his eyes, Lefia visibly wilted.

Seeing how easily she got down, Shirou Emiya quickly explained, "I'm joking! Don't take it seriously!"

But no matter what he said, Lefia looked utterly lifeless.

If Tiona and the others saw her like this, he'd definitely get labeled as a bully!

No, he had to fix this.

Looking at Lefia, who was squatting on the ground staring blankly at the floor, Shirou Emiya pulled her up.

"Speaking of which, I'm LV.2 now, but I still don't have a partner to explore the Dungeon with. Want to come with me, Lefia?"

"Huh? M-Me?"

Lefia's face flushed bright red—not just from Shirou Emiya's invitation, but also from his right hand gripping her arm.

In this world, due to special reasons, elves only allowed people they acknowledged to touch them. Otherwise, they would feel repulsed.

Staring at Shirou Emiya's right hand, Lefia couldn't help but wonder—did that mean she didn't feel repulsed by Mr. Emiya?

Seeing Lefia spacing out, Shirou Emiya waved his other hand in front of her face while calling her name.

"Lefia, Lefia, Lefia!"

"Yes!"

Snapping back to reality, Lefia answered hastily.

"So, what do you say? Accept my invitation?"

"Yes!"

Huh? What was she even saying?

Having just come to her senses without a clue, Lefia had already agreed to Shirou Emiya's invitation, leaving her completely dumbfounded.

"Alright, then I'll have to prepare properly when I get back today!"

No, no, no!

Please, no!

Lefia was filled with regret at this moment, but facing Shirou Emiya's smiling face, she simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.

"Yes!"

Ah, she resigned herself to it.

So be it.

After all, Mr. Emiya was so strong—surely she wouldn't hold him back.

Seeing that Lefia had agreed to his invitation, Shirou Emiya felt a measure of satisfaction.

This was a mage, after all.

As everyone knew, mages were the noblest profession; a powerful mage could even turn the tide of a battle.

Though Lefia was still inexperienced, she was the recognized successor of Riveria, Orario's strongest mage.

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

Even if she struggled during expeditions, it was because the enemies she faced were too far beyond her usual scope, making it hard for her to adapt.

If it were just the middle floors, or even the lower ones.

She was still a strategic-level weapon.

How to use her correctly—that was up to him.

Just as Shirou Emiya was pondering the arrangements for tomorrow, Ais, Tiona, and Tione walked out from inside.

"How is it?"

"All good. It just needs a day of maintenance here; we can pick it up tomorrow!"

Looking at the darkening sky, Tione thought for a moment and said, "There's an expedition celebration banquet tonight at the Hostess of Fertility. Why don't we just head straight there?"

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

"Sounds good!"

At that, everyone nodded in satisfaction.

"I see. So Lefia will be teaming up with Shirou tomorrow to explore the dungeon?"

Setting down her cup, Riveria looked at Lefia beside her with concern.

This was the Hostess of Fertility, a tavern Loki was very fond of. Whenever they returned from an expedition, the Loki Familia would hold their celebration banquet here.

And this time was no exception.

The Hostess of Fertility was bustling with activity right now; members of the Loki Familia were drinking heartily, eating meat, and loudly boasting about their achievements to their companions.

Everyone was cheerful, exuding a harmonious atmosphere.

After a few rounds of drinks and a period of lively celebration, the Familia members gradually split into small groups, each sharing their own thoughts.

And beside Lefia sat Riveria.

"It's fine. Though Shirou has only just joined the Familia, I can tell he's a steady person. His decision to go deep into the 17th Floor might have seemed dangerous, but he was quite confident in himself—he's someone who plans well."

"With him around, you might learn things you wouldn't normally encounter."

"Yes!"

Listening to Riveria's advice, Lefia couldn't help but glance over at Shirou Emiya, who was sitting at another table chatting with Ais and Tiona.

Somehow, he felt inexplicably reliable.

"So you're the legendary Magic Sword Shooter?"

"Magic Sword Shooter?"

Looking at the waitress with ash-gray hair in front of him, Shirou Emiya blinked in confusion.

"That's the nickname everyone gave you!"

"It means a shooter who can fire shots comparable to magic swords. How about it? Fits perfectly, doesn't it?"

Magic Sword Shooter, huh? It had a bit of a "Nuclear Sword Immortal" vibe to it—not bad.

"How should I put it? Surprisingly decent."

Fairly satisfied with the title, Shirou Emiya looked at the ash-gray-haired girl and asked with a smile, "And you are?"

"Syr Flova. That's my name."

"Syr, huh?"

Mulling over the name silently, Shirou Emiya smiled. "That's a lovely name."