Divine Blessings

Seeing his goal achieved so easily, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion—the existence of magic was indeed full of temptation.

After leaving the reception room, Shirou Emiya followed Loki's brisk steps forward. According to her, they were heading to the Gods' Chamber for the ceremony to inscribe the Divine Blessings.

But when they reached the hall, Loki suddenly shouted, "Our Familia's got a new member! Tell the kitchen to prepare—we're throwing a banquet tonight!"

"Whoa! A newbie?"

"He really is a newbie!"

"Looks like we can pig out tonight!"

Drawn by Loki's voice, several Familia members who had been gathered in the hall came running over, surrounding Shirou Emiya.

"What a handsome young man!"

"Is he the kid with magic?"

"Yeah, Zyder must have been talking about him."

By the time Shirou Emiya followed Loki into the reception room for their talk, his information had already spread throughout the Familia. If the main force hadn't been out on an expedition, even more people would have crowded around.

Feeling the warmth of the Familia members, even the usually unflappable Shirou Emiya grew a bit flustered.

These people were just too enthusiastic.

Seeing the slightly embarrassed Shirou Emiya, Loki burst into laughter.

"Alright, alright! If you've got anything to say, save it for the banquet tonight. I'm taking this kid to the Gods' Chamber to grant him the Divine Blessings."

"Haha, then we'll drink our fill tonight!"

Shaking off the Familia members, Loki quickly led Shirou Emiya into the Gods' Chamber.

"Come on, take off your shirt. I'm starting!"

Without any hesitation, Shirou Emiya stripped off his shirt, turning his back to his future patron god.

"Once the Divine Blessings are bestowed, you're my family. Got it?"

Facing away from Loki, Shirou Emiya said firmly, "Yes. I'm willing to become your family."

If anything, Shirou Emiya longed to have more family.

Loki opened her eyes, gazing at Shirou Emiya's back, and gently rubbed her right hand across it.

Then she smiled and said, "Then the ceremony begins."

With that, she pricked her finger with a needle and used her divine blood to inscribe the blessings of the Loki Familia onto Shirou Emiya's back.

At the same time, as she wrote the blessings, she explained their nature to him.

"The essence of Divine Blessings is a catalyst—a catalyst that unlocks the potential of children in the lower world."

"And the values produced by systematically parameterizing those blessings are called Status. It includes Basic Abilities, Development Abilities, and Magic. The Level indicates overall strength."

"What Divine Blessings draw out is a child's potential, but the potential of lower-world children is something even gods can't fathom—and that's the unknown the gods seek."

"So it's entirely possible for a child to manifest strange or unusual magic or skills."

Shirou Emiya naturally understood the essence of Divine Blessings, and that was exactly what he needed.

Because no one knew better than him just how much potential the man Shirou Emiya held.

Especially after the Holy Grail War, having summoned his future self, the Giant Hero Emiya.

Shirou Emiya felt that Divine Blessings might draw out other things within him.

Like the lingering traces of a Heroic Spirit.

The ceremony to bestow the Divine Blessings quickly came to an end. Shirou Emiya clearly felt that Loki had stopped writing on his back.

But she remained silent for a long time.

"Did I just hit the jackpot?"

Staring at the Status on Shirou Emiya's back, Loki's excitement grew more and more intense.

This kid definitely had the makings of a hero.

"I'll translate the Status into common language for you to read. Also, I've locked your Status, but since there's such a thing as lock-picking potions, don't let anyone see your back."

"Understood!"

Fully aware of the importance of information, Shirou Emiya naturally wouldn't go around leaking his own.

Then he took the paper from Loki that translated the Status into common language and read it carefully.

[Name]: Shirou Emiya

[Level]: LV.1

[Status]: Strength: I0 | Endurance: I0 | Dexterity: I0 | Agility: I0 | Magic: I0

[Development Ability]:

[Magic]:

"Unlimited Blade Works"

Magic

Marble

Analysis

:

[I am the bone of my sword]

[Blood is iron, heart is glass]

[I have crossed countless battlefields, never falling]

[Yet though I have never tasted defeat]

[I have also never known victory]

[Alone I stand]

[Shattering ice upon a hill of swords]

[But this life is not yet over]

[Even this false body]

[Is bone of the sword]

""

""

[Skill]:

"Hundred Refinements"

wielding a weapon forged by oneself, weapon attributes are enhanced.

-forging accelerates growth.

the influence of the Blacksmithing Trait, the above effects are greatly amplified.

====================

So this was his starting status board? One magic, one skill.

He had already anticipated Unlimited Blade Works, but what was this Hundred Refinements all about?

Was it because Shirou Emiya was destined for a life of a hundred refinements? Or perhaps it was a remnant left by the Heroic Spirit.

As everyone knew, though Giant Hero Emiya was nominally a future Shirou possessing his body, in form he was a collection of many Heroic Spirits related to Shirou Emiya.

There were parts of Archer, parts of Angra Mainyu, parts of Muramasa, parts of Nameless.

Could it be that a trace of Muramasa had been drawn out?

Whatever the reason, the appearance of this skill was extremely important to Shirou Emiya.

Look at its three explanations.

wielding a weapon forged by oneself, weapon attributes are enhanced.

He knew that all the weapons in his Reality Marble counted as forged by him—though they were magical constructs, that fact was beyond dispute.

Perhaps in the future, every blade in his Reality Marble would surpass the originals.

-forging accelerates growth.

This one was even more important; it would greatly increase Shirou Emiya's growth rate. In the original story, the protagonist Bell only truly stood out after gaining the skill One True Heart, which accelerated growth.

So for Shirou Emiya, who longed for greater strength, this was the most crucial part.

the influence of the Blacksmithing Trait, the above effects are greatly amplified.

This last one was simple and brutal—by raising the level of the Blacksmithing Trait, the two previous bonuses would become even stronger.

It seemed he was destined to walk Muramasa's path and become a blacksmith after all.

Gently setting down the paper in his hand, the corners of Shirou Emiya's mouth kept rising.

This was going even smoother than he had imagined.

Watching Shirou Emiya snickering to the side, Loki immediately stepped forward, hooked her arm around his neck, pulled him close, and grinned wickedly. "Looks like you're in a good mood!"

"In that case, since you're the star of the banquet later, I'm going to have to pour a few drinks down your throat!"

"No, please, Lady Loki."

"Don't bother struggling—you're not getting away."

With that, Loki hooked Shirou Emiya and dragged him outside. Her mood was even brighter than his.

With Shirou Emiya's talent, he would likely make a name for himself in Orario very soon.

She had never seen a skill that could boost growth speed like this.

Maybe he could overtake them from behind and become LV.7 before Finn, Riveria, and Gareth.

Even surpassing Ottar wasn't out of the question.

When that day came, she would definitely get one over on that woman Freya.

Thinking of this, Loki couldn't help but let out a sinister chuckle. That smile was truly full of malice.