The Advent of Lefia the Warrior

Dawn had just broken, the sky barely lit.

Standing at the entrance of the Familia, Lefia was bidding farewell to her companions.

"We'll head out first."

"Mm, go on ahead!"

Watching her friends' figures fade into the distance, Lefia grumbled to herself, "When is Mr. Emiya going to show up?"

The girl at the gate had already seen off several groups of companions.

"Sorry, Lefia, I'm late."

Speak of the devil, and he appears. As if hearing Lefia's complaints, Shirou Emiya's slightly hurried voice came from beside her.

"It's nothing, I haven't been waiting long."

The girl, who had actually been waiting for quite a while, told a white lie to spare him any guilt.

But what struck her as odd was—why was Mr. Emiya coming back from outside the Loki Familia?

Looking at the fully armed Shirou Emiya before her, Lefia couldn't help but wonder.

"Sorry, sorry. I took a bit longer because I was preparing my weapons."

Walking up to Lefia, Shirou Emiya smiled and said, "Well then, let's go!"

With that, the two headed toward the Dungeon.

"Did Mr. Emiya get up early to prepare weapons?"

Walking along the quiet streets, Lefia asked the Shirou Emiya ahead of her.

"That's right. I hadn't prepared anything beforehand, but I managed to finish them somehow."

Gently stroking the newly forged weapon on his back, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but recall his conversation with Riveria the night before.

"I hope I can help Lefia change?"

Looking at Riveria, Shirou Emiya, who had just finished bathing and was about to return to his room, asked in confusion.

"Yes. Lefia is LV.3, but she's hardly ever fought monsters before. She was already LV.3 when she came to Orario. So, in terms of both mentality and experience, she's far behind other adventurers of the same level."

"But her talent is astonishing. In terms of pure attack power, she can already rival an LV.5. That's why I've been focusing on her."

"We want to help her, but due to the level gap, we can't keep her by our side to learn through experience. And among the Familia members at her level, there's no suitable candidate. But I think you can."

Hearing Riveria's request, Shirou Emiya thought it over briefly and agreed.

Knowing the future, Shirou Emiya was well aware of how capable a reliable Lefia could be. If he could train her early, it would be a great asset—both for the Familia and for himself.

Besides, she was a comrade in the same Familia.

After entering the Dungeon, Shirou Emiya led Lefia forward without stopping until they reached the Tenth Floor.

Looking at the misty terrain around them, Lefia was puzzled.

"Mr. Emiya, are we starting our exploration from the Tenth Floor?"

One of them was LV.2, the other LV.3—wasn't this level overkill for the Tenth Floor?

"That's right. We're starting from the Tenth Floor, but not as a mage—you'll be a warrior."

"A warrior?"

Completely lost, Lefia stared at Shirou Emiya in confusion. She saw him pull out the long rod she had noticed him carrying the whole way from behind his back.

As he unwrapped the cloth covering it, Lefia realized it was a spear.

"Lefia, I've already heard about your problem from Riveria. Your biggest issue is trust. As the mage in a party, everyone protects you, and all you have to do is chant and finish the enemies with your magic."

With that, Shirou Emiya tossed the spear to Lefia. Flustered and hurried, she dropped her staff trying to catch it.

Once Lefia had the spear, Shirou Emiya continued, "But trust takes time to build. I have a different idea for your problem."

"What should I do?"

Staring intently at Shirou Emiya, Lefia—who had always been protected—had always wanted to change.

"Start as a warrior!"

"Warrior?"

Gazing at the spear in her hands, Lefia mulled over the word.

"Your fear of monsters making you unable to chant—it's ultimately a sign of cowardice and lack of confidence. When a monster closes in, you don't have the confidence to hold it off in close combat while waiting for backup, or even to dodge its attacks."

"That's because you have no close-combat ability at all. You know, many elves are skilled in both magic and melee—they chant spells while trading blows in close quarters. So I think you absolutely need to train in close combat. It'll build your confidence."

As a magus from the Type-Moon world, Shirou Emiya understood the essence of being a magus. Not only could he go toe-to-toe with Servants in close combat, but even Rin Tohsaka was a master of Baji Quan.

She wasn't called "Muscle Rin" for nothing.

In the UBW route, Rin Tohsaka used Baji Quan to teach the Age of Gods magus Medea a lesson.

In the Type-Moon world, self-defense techniques were standard for modern magi.

Setting down his backpack, Shirou Emiya pulled out a set of light armor.

"This is something I modified from my earlier prototypes. You'd better wear it—after all, you have zero combat experience."

With that, Shirou Emiya helped Lefia put on the set of Light Armor.

Looking at the armor on her body and the Spear in her hands, Lefia suddenly understood why Shirou Emiya had been late earlier. He had been preparing equipment for her.

For a moment, a wave of emotion welled up in her heart.

"Thank you, Mr. Emiya!"

"If you're thanking me, then don't be so formal. Just call me Shirou."

Standing to the side, admiring Lefia's heroic bearing in the armor, Shirou Emiya replied with a smile.

It had to be said—a beautiful person looked good in anything. Truly, she lived up to her reputation as an elf known for beauty and magic.

"Thank you, Shi—Shirou... Mr. Shirou!"

"So you still have to add 'Mr.,' huh?"

Watching Lefia's cheeks flush red, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but tease her.

How adorable!

"Alright, Lefia. The enemy is coming."

Glimpsing the Half-Orcs and Little Devils approaching from not far away, Shirou Emiya quickly warned her.

"Huh?"

Staring at the monsters drawing nearer, Lefia's hands and legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

Though she had fought without issue in the upper and middle floors before, back then she had been a mage—the rear guard of the party, in a safe position.

But now, she was a warrior!

Having never been this close to monsters before, Lefia instantly tensed up.

Her hands and feet simply wouldn't obey her.

"What do I do?"

Just as Lefia's tension reached the point where she couldn't breathe, a flash of silver light streaked past, cleaving the Half-Orc in front of her in two.

"Mr. Shirou!"

The rescued Lefia couldn't help but shout in excitement. Then she watched as Shirou Emiya's figure darted left and right among the monsters. In an instant, the sizable horde was reduced to just one.

"Lift your weapon, Lefia!"

"The enemy is only LV.1. You're a LV.3 of the Loki Familia! Trust in your own strength. Even if you have no combat experience, the gap in stats is insurmountable. Victory is certain."

Hearing Shirou Emiya's encouragement, Lefia's resolve gradually hardened.

Gripping the Spear in her hands, she charged at the remaining Half-Orc.

"Ahhh!!!"

Relying on her own shout to bolster her courage, when Lefia reached the monster, she was so nervous she even closed her eyes.

A sensation of piercing through something came through her hands. Listening to the wail beside her ear, the tense Lefia finally opened her eyes.

Then she saw the Half-Orc she had run through with her spear slowly turning to ash.

"I did it, Mr. Shirou! I did it!"

In her excitement, Lefia dropped the Spear to the ground. She kept jumping up and down on the spot, thrilled.

"Mm. Good work."

Under Lefia's blushing gaze, Shirou Emiya gently patted her head.

Looking at her, Shirou Emiya felt as if he were seeing his own little sister.

How wonderful.