Farce

"Then what should I do?"

After listening to Shirou Emiya's analysis, Ais's eyes were filled with hope.

Since Shirou Emiya understood Divine Blessings so thoroughly, did he have a way to accelerate her growth?

Looking at Ais, whose eyes brimmed with anticipation, Shirou Emiya stood up, refilled both their drinks, and continued, "Logically speaking, if the external pressure is too weak, you need to increase it."

"But stronger enemies lie in the deeper floors of the dungeon, and it's hard to go deep frequently. So we have to start with you."

"Start with me?"

Lowering her head to look at her own hands, Ais's eyes were filled with confusion.

"Since you can't increase the enemy's strength, you can lower your own. By imposing self-restrictions, you heighten the danger of your foes, thereby catalyzing your growth rate."

"But that's a bit dangerous. It's best to do it when you're with Tiona and the others; otherwise, you could easily fall into peril."

"Self-restrictions?"

After hearing Shirou Emiya's advice, Ais finally had a vague sense of direction for her future progress.

For someone like her, who sought strength, this was extremely important.

Watching Ais lost in thought, Shirou Emiya said no more and let her ponder on her own.

Self-restriction as a training method was already commonplace in other worlds.

The most famous example was probably Rock Lee from the Naruto world.

When he removed his weights during the Chunin Exams, his speed skyrocketed—a true master of self-restriction training.

A more advanced example was Son Goku from Dragon Ball, constantly breaking his limits through gravity training in the Gravity Room.

In the world of DanMachi, this method hadn't emerged because of the unique nature of adventurers.

Here, adventurers preferred practical combat over secluded training, since Divine Blessings meant their basic stats would rise as long as they kept fighting.

Thus, the top experts in each Familia were rarely young.

For instance, in Loki Familia, the captain Finn was over forty years old. And Ais? She was only sixteen.

So how many in all of Orario were as eager to grow stronger as she was?

'I want to be stronger!'

If other Familia adventurers heard that, they'd probably think she was mocking them.

A peaceful atmosphere filled the room. The two of them, each lost in their own thoughts, sipped their drinks and nibbled on snacks.

For a moment, the room felt especially warm.

But unfortunately, that warmth didn't last long. A scream shattered it.

"Ais-chan!"

The voice carried deep despair, instantly making anyone who heard it feel the same.

Before Shirou Emiya could empathize, the door was kicked open from outside, and a figure appeared in the room, wailing in desperation.

"Ais-chan is mine! Even you, Shirou, can't take my Ais-chan! Even if you steal her body, her heart is still mine!"

"..."

"Huh?"

Looking at Ais and Shirou Emiya sitting on opposite sides of the table with their clothes intact, Loki fell into deep thought.

But under their questioning gazes, Loki couldn't help but feel dazed.

"Huh? Who was it that told me Ais-chan and Shirou were getting all lovey-dovey?"

Already too embarrassed to know what to say, Loki quickly asked toward the door, wanting to know which bastard had dared to set her up.

"I never said Ais was getting lovey-dovey with Shirou. I only said Ais went to his room. Everything after that was your own imagination."

A voice from the crowd outside immediately cut off Loki's attempt to shift the blame, leaving her trapped in a dead end.

Looking at the speechless, awkward Loki and the dense crowd outside the door, Shirou Emiya let out a helpless sigh.

"Lady Loki, could you help me fix the door?"

Glancing at the already broken lock, Shirou Emiya asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes!"

Startled by Shirou Emiya's gentle smile, Loki immediately ran off to find some tools.

"Not a single peaceful day, huh."

Watching the crowd disappear along with Loki outside the door, Shirou Emiya stood up and began gathering some tools.

"I'm heading to the Blacksmithing Room. What about you?"

"I'll go back to my room."

Ais stood up calmly. The commotion Loki caused couldn't affect her at all—she was used to it by now.

"Alright, take these with you."

Putting some of his homemade snacks into Ais's pack, Shirou Emiya said gently, "If you finish them, just come straight to me to get more. I never run out of these things."

"Mm."

A faint hint of a smile appeared on Ais's usually expressionless face.

"Thank you, Shirou."

"It's nothing. We're comrades, after all."

Looking at the obedient Ais, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but reach out his hand and pat her head.

But the moment his hand touched her, regret flooded his heart.

What if Ais got angry? He still remembered Loki's miserable state all too well.

Shirou Emiya quickly glanced at Ais's expression. Seeing no sign of resistance, he relaxed and continued stroking her head.

For a moment, the atmosphere here grew warm and tender once more.

"Ah, what am I doing? I unconsciously treated Ais like my own little sister."

Thinking back on his actions, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

If Ais had treated him the way she treated Loki, he would have been mortified.

Thankfully, Ais didn't resist him.

Then Shirou Emiya recalled what had happened in the dungeon earlier, when he had also treated Lefia like his little sister.

He had unconsciously reached out and patted her head too.

This plunged Shirou Emiya into deep thought. Was he missing Miyu that much?

That couldn't be it.

Lost in contemplation, Shirou Emiya walked toward his Blacksmithing Room.

After a full day's effort, the new armor Shirou Emiya had forged for Lefia was finally complete.

Unlike the previous modification of old armor, this set was specially crafted by Shirou Emiya. Its dimensions fit Lefia's body perfectly.

In addition, Lefia's new weapon had also been changed to a longsword, similar to Ais's Despair Sword.

For Lefia, who idolized Ais, this should come as a pleasant surprise.

"It's so beautiful."

Putting on the armor Shirou Emiya had forged for her and drawing the longsword hanging at her waist, Lefia's heart was filled with boundless joy.

After all, this set of armor and weapon was not only high quality but also exquisitely crafted.

It perfectly matched an elf's aesthetic sensibilities.

For a race renowned for its beauty, this was undoubtedly the finest gift.

"I'm glad you're satisfied."

This armor was the pinnacle of Shirou Emiya's work at the moment, fully showcasing his growth in forging over this period.

Perhaps due to the lingering influence of Muramasa's elements, Shirou Emiya's progress in forging was as swift as flight.

By using Projection Magic to learn from the techniques and experience of other weapon smiths, combined with his almost divinely inspired comprehension, Shirou Emiya had become unstoppable on the path of forging.

Lefia's armor and weapon had reached the level of second-tier equipment.

Such weapons in Orario would cost at least a million Valis.

Unfortunately, Shirou Emiya was still unknown in the forging world, so his weapons couldn't fetch their true price.

But Shirou Emiya believed that his reputation would one day resound throughout all of Orario.