After Returning

The members of the Loki Familia raced upward without pause, following the Minotaur's footsteps.

But because of the branching paths, everyone was soon separated.

Ais, Bete, and Shirou Emiya continued running upward, cutting down every Minotaur they encountered along the way.

By the time they followed the last Minotaur to the fifth floor, the three of them had already split up, each searching on their own.

Suddenly, a miserable scream came from the distance.

Shirou Emiya immediately ran over, but it was already too late. All he saw was a white-haired boy, his entire body soaked in blood, running away with a smile on his face.

"Hahahaha!"

"That kid actually got scared away by Ais!"

At the corner, Bete hugged his stomach and trembled as he laughed desperately, nearly choking for breath.

Beside him, Ais's cheeks were flushed as she glared at Bete like an ordinary girl.

Seeing this scene, Shirou Emiya couldn't help chuckling.

Seeing that, Ais pouted and said angrily, "Big brother, you're mean!"

Shirou Emiya rarely saw Ais display such rich expressions. Curious, he reached out and pinched her cheek.

Annoyed, Ais hurriedly raised her hand and slapped Shirou Emiya's hand away.

But Shirou Emiya quickly pinched her again.

And so, one pinched while the other slapped, and the two of them had a wonderful time.

Bete, who had originally been laughing heartily nearby, had already stopped. Watching the two of them play around, he felt a sourness rise in his heart.

Tch!

Bete clicked his tongue in displeasure and left the place.

Standing there, he felt as though he were a dog.

"We're finally back!"

After emerging from the Dungeon, the Loki Familia's expedition party successfully returned to the Familia's base under the gazes of numerous adventurers.

"We're back! Open the door!"

"Yes!"

Hearing Finn's order, the guards who had remained aboveground slowly opened the gate to the Familia's base.

As everyone was about to enter through the opened gate, a figure suddenly burst out from inside and pounced toward Ais.

"Welcome baaaaaack!"

Loki flew through the air with both hands held out like claws, repeatedly making "Hehehe!" sounds. Ais, Tiona, and Tione skillfully dodged her attack.

Only the innocent Lefia was struck by Loki.

"Ah! No, stop!"

Amid Lefia's wails, everyone easily stepped past the two of them and walked into the Familia's base.

Watching Lefia being held and viciously toyed with by Loki, Shirou Emiya really wanted to go save her, but ultimately decided against it.

After all, without realizing it, he had turned Loki's harem into his own harem.

Though he hadn't done it intentionally, nor had he ever had such thoughts.

But if Loki found out, he definitely wouldn't be able to escape her harassment.

Therefore, it was better for him not to appear in front of Loki for the time being.

Thinking this, Shirou Emiya secretly hid himself within the group and returned inside the Familia's base.

As for Lefia, all he could do was ask the gods to bless her.

What? The one bullying her was a god? In that case, never mind! She would have to fend for herself!

After taking a comfortable bath in the bathroom, Shirou Emiya returned to his room and lay down on the soft bed. He couldn't help sighing, "My own room really is the most comfortable!"

Thus, Shirou Emiya narrowed his eyes and relieved the fatigue weighing on his body.

After more than two weeks of constant fighting, Shirou Emiya had accumulated deep exhaustion.

Lying on his own bed, he quickly fell asleep.

It wasn't until Raul's voice rang out from outside the door that he woke up.

"Shirou, it's time for dinner!"

"Wait a moment. I'm coming!"

After tidying himself up, Shirou Emiya left his room and walked toward the dining hall with Raul.

Because of Loki's policy that "meals should be eaten together," everyone except the members responsible for patrols ate together.

Therefore, whenever this time came, the dining hall was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Sitting with Raul instead of squeezing over to where Ais and the others had arrived earlier, Shirou Emiya ate and chatted with Raul.

"What do you have planned for tomorrow, Shirou?"

"As for me, I'll probably be doing something like maintaining equipment. After all, I'm a high-level smith, so Finn couldn't possibly leave me without work."

"That's true! Especially since we lost so much equipment on this expedition. If you forge it, we should be able to save quite a lot!"

"Of course. We're all comrades in the same Familia. I definitely won't rip everyone off. What about you?"

"I'll probably exchange the materials for Valis."

"Hehe, then you'd better be careful. I heard you once managed to lose your money."

"That was just an unfortunate coincidence. It won't happen a second time!"

Hearing Raul's assurance, Shirou Emiya couldn't help laughing.

Every time they returned from an expedition, there were many troublesome matters to deal with.

The Magic Stones brought back from the Dungeon had to be exchanged for money, weapons and armor had to be repaired, maintained, or repurchased, and supplies had to be replenished.

There was a mountain of work to handle after returning from an expedition. Because of the sheer volume, practically everyone had to participate.

Therefore, the first day after returning from an expedition was always a busy one.

Of course, the Loki Familia's customary victory banquet would also be held that day.

As the two continued talking, more Familia members gathered around Shirou Emiya, most of them elite members of the second-tier adventurers, such as Anki and Alicia.

Everyone excitedly discussed all kinds of matters together.

They also heard plenty of shocking gossip. For example, Raul, the thick-browed and honest-looking fellow, had actually spent all his savings on a prostitute.

Hearing this, everyone around them burst into laughter.

Only the victimized Raul stammered and tried to explain himself.

His appearance caused everyone to torment him even more, and the whole harassment session only stopped when Loki spoke.

"I almost forgot. If any of you want to update your ability values today, come to my room!"

"It'll be tiring if we pile everything up and do it tomorrow anyway. So that's settled—ten people tonight, first come, first served!"

Hearing Loki's words before she left, everyone began discussing among themselves.

"Are any of you planning to update your ability values?"

"I don't want to go!"

"Me neither. I just want to sleep right now!"

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Raul asked Shirou Emiya, who was drinking water, "What about you, Shirou?"

"I don't really mind. After all, I can update mine myself."

Shirou Emiya said it so casually that Loki's blood pressure shot up. Sure enough, Loki, who had not yet left the dining hall, immediately roared.

"Shirou, you have to come tonight!"

Loki glared fiercely at Shirou Emiya before leaving the dining hall in a huff.

Faced with Loki's demand, Shirou Emiya sighed helplessly. "What a bother!"