The Farce

"So what should I do?"

After hearing Shirou Emiya's analysis, Ais's eyes filled with expectation.

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

Looking at the expectant Ais, Shirou Emiya stood up and refilled both their drinks before continuing, "Normally speaking, since the pressure from outside is too weak, you need to increase it."

"But the stronger enemies are deeper in the Dungeon, making it difficult to venture that far on a regular basis. So you can only start with yourself."

"Start with myself?"

Ais lowered her head and stared at her hands, confusion filling her eyes.

"Since you can't increase the enemy's strength, just find a way to lower your own. By restricting yourself, you'll increase the danger posed by your enemies and use that to accelerate your progress."

"However, this is somewhat dangerous. You'd better only do it when you're with Tiona and the others. Otherwise, you could easily find yourself in danger."

"Restrict myself?"

After hearing Shirou Emiya's suggestion, Ais finally gained a vague understanding of the direction she should take in the future.

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

Seeing Ais deep in thought, Shirou Emiya said no more and let her think it over herself.

Self-imposed restrictions had long since become a commonplace training method in other worlds.

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

After removing his weights during the Chunin Ninja Exams, Lee's explosive increase in speed made him a true master of training through self-imposed restrictions.

An even more advanced example was probably Son Goku's gravity training method in Dragon Ball, where he constantly broke through his own limits in the Gravity Room.

In the world of DanMachi, the reason this method had never appeared was the unique nature of adventurers.

Rather than secluding themselves somewhere to train, the adventurers here preferred actual combat. Thanks to the stimulation of Divine Blessings, as long as they kept fighting, their basic attributes would continue to rise.

Therefore, the top warriors of the various familias were never young.

For example, Finn, the captain of the Loki Familia, was already over forty years old. Ais, on the other hand, was only sixteen.

So, throughout all of Orario, how many people were as eager as she was to increase their strength?

I want to become stronger!

If adventurers from other familias heard that, they would surely think she was mocking them.

A tranquil atmosphere filled the room. The two of them drank from their cups and ate the snacks on the plate, each lost in their own thoughts.

For a while, the room's atmosphere became exceptionally warm.

Unfortunately, the atmosphere did not last long. A scream suddenly shattered it.

"Ais-tan!"

The voice was filled with such profound despair that anyone who heard it could immediately empathize.

Before Shirou Emiya could even sympathize with it, someone kicked the room door open from outside. A figure instantly appeared in the room and shouted in despair.

"Ais-tan is mine! Even you, Shirou, can't take my Ais-tan away! Even if you take her body, her heart belongs to me!"

"."

"Huh?"

Looking at Ais and Shirou Emiya sitting on opposite sides of the table, both fully dressed, Loki fell into deep thought.

But under their questioning gazes, Loki could not help becoming mentally flustered.

"Huh? Who was it that told me Ais-tan and Shirou were making out?"

Already too embarrassed to know what to say, Loki hurriedly called toward the people outside, wanting to find out which bastard had dared to set her up.

"I never said Ais was making out with Shirou. I only said Ais went to Shirou's room. Everything after that was your own imagination."

The voice from the crowd outside immediately cut off Loki's attempt to shift the blame, plunging her into an even more desperate situation.

Looking at the embarrassed, speechless Loki and the densely packed crowd outside, Shirou Emiya helplessly sighed.

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

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

"Yes!"

Frightened by Shirou Emiya's kindly smile, Loki immediately ran off to look for some tools.

"It really isn't peaceful for even a single day."

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

"I'm planning to go to the Blacksmith's Room. What about you?"

"Then I'll go back to my room."

Ais calmly stood up. The commotion Loki had caused could not affect her at all. After all, she was already used to it.

"Mm. Then take these with you."

After packing some of the snacks he had made for Ais, Shirou Emiya said gently, "If you finish them, you can come straight here for more. I never run short of snacks."

"Mm!"

A 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 could not help reaching out to pat her head.

But the moment he raised his hand, he regretted it.

What if Ais got angry? He still vividly remembered what had happened to Loki.

Shirou Emiya hurriedly looked at Ais's expression. Only after seeing no sign of resistance did he relax and begin stroking her head.

For a moment, the atmosphere here became warm once again.

Ah! What am I doing? Why did I unconsciously start treating Ais like my own little sister?

Recalling what he had just done, Shirou Emiya could not help feeling a little frightened.

If Ais had treated him the way she treated Loki, he would have died of embarrassment.

Fortunately, Ais did not resist him.

Shirou Emiya then remembered how, back in the Dungeon, he had also treated Lefia like his own little sister.

He had unconsciously reached out and stroked her head.

This plunged Shirou Emiya into deep thought. Could it be that he was simply missing Miyu too much?

That couldn't be it... right?

Deep in thought, Shirou Emiya walked toward his Blacksmith's Room.

After a full day of work, the armor Shirou Emiya had newly forged for Lefia was finally complete.

Unlike the previous armor, which had merely been modified, this set had been specially forged by Shirou Emiya. Its measurements perfectly fit Lefia's body.

As for weapons, Lefia's new weapon had also been changed into a longsword, similar to Ais's Despair Sword.

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

"It's so beautiful."

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

After all, this armor and weapon were not only excellent in quality but also exquisitely crafted.

They perfectly suited an elf's aesthetic sensibilities.

For elves, who were renowned for their beauty, this was undoubtedly the best gift.

"As long as you're satisfied."

This armor was Shirou Emiya's finest work to date, fully reflecting the growth he had achieved in blacksmithing during this period.

Perhaps because remnants of Muramasa's influence remained within him, Shirou Emiya's progress in blacksmithing was astonishingly swift.

By learning the techniques and experience of other weapon smiths through Projection Magic, combined with his almost divinely inspired comprehension, Shirou Emiya had become unstoppable on the path of blacksmithing.

Lefia's armor and weapon had already reached the level of Level-Two equipment.

In Orario, a weapon of this caliber would cost at least a million Valis.

Unfortunately, Shirou Emiya had yet to make a name for himself in the blacksmithing world, so his weapons could not sell for what they were truly worth.

But Shirou Emiya believed that sooner or later, his name would resound throughout all of Orario.