After Returning

Chasing after the Minotaur's footsteps, the members of the Loki Familia ran upwards without stopping.

However, due to the presence of branching paths, the group quickly became separated.

Ais, Bete, and Shirou Emiya continued to run upwards, eliminating all the Minotaurs they encountered along the way.

By the time they reached the fifth floor, chasing the last Minotaur's silhouette, the three had already separated, each searching on their own.

Suddenly, a tragic scream echoed from afar.

Seeing this, Shirou Emiya immediately ran towards the sound, but it was too late. He saw a white-haired youth, drenched in blood, with a smile on his face, running outwards.

"Hahaha!"

"That guy actually ran away scared by Ais!"

In the corner, Bete, clutching his stomach and trembling all over, burst into laughter, unable to catch his breath for a moment.

Ais, standing beside him, had her cheeks flushed red and glared at Bete like a normal young girl.

Looking at this scene, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing this, Ais pouted and said angrily, "Brother, you're so mean!"

Shirou Emiya, who rarely saw Ais express such a wide range of emotions, became curious and reached out to pinch her cheek.

Feeling annoyed, Ais quickly slapped Shirou Emiya's hand away.

But Shirou Emiya quickly pinched her again.

Thus, the two, one pinching and one slapping, played with great enjoyment.

Bete, who had been laughing heartily beside them, had long since stopped smiling. Looking at the two of them bickering, he felt a sourness well up in his heart.

Tsk!

Bete clicked his tongue in annoyance and left the area.

Standing there, he felt like a stray dog.

"Finally back!"

Emerging from the Dungeon, under the gazes of many Adventurers, the Loki Familia's expedition team smoothly returned to their Familia's location.

"We're back, open the gate!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing Finn's command, the gatekeepers stationed on the ground slowly opened the gates to the Familia's base.

As everyone was about to walk in, a figure suddenly darted out from within the Familia and lunged at Ais.

"Welcome back ya-ya-ya-ya-ya!"

Ais, Tiona, and Tione skillfully dodged Loki's attack as she lunged at them from mid-air with outstretched, claw-like hands, exclaiming "Hehehe!"

Only the naive Lefia was hit by Loki.

"Ah! No!"

Amidst Lefia's screams, everyone skillfully bypassed the two and walked into the Familia.

Looking at Lefia, who was being hugged and manhandled by Loki, Shirou Emiya wanted to save her, but ultimately did not.

After all, he had unknowingly turned Loki's harem into his own.

Although he hadn't done it intentionally, nor did he have such thoughts.

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

Therefore, it was better for him to avoid appearing before Loki for the time being.

With that thought, Shirou Emiya stealthily hid within the group and returned to the Familia's interior.

As for Lefia, he could only pray for the Deities' protection.

What? The one bullying her was a Deity? Then it's fine! She'd have to fend for herself!

After a comfortable bath in the bathroom, Shirou Emiya returned to his room and lay down on the soft bed, sighing, "My own room is still the most comfortable!"

With that, Shirou Emiya closed his eyes, relieving the fatigue in his body.

After more than two weeks of continuous combat, Shirou Emiya had accumulated a deep level of exhaustion.

Lying on his bed, he quickly fell asleep.

He only woke up when Raul's voice called out from outside his door.

"Shirou, it's time for dinner!"

"Just a moment, I'm coming!"

After a simple tidy-up, Shirou Emiya left his room and walked towards the dining hall with Raul.

Due to Loki's policy of "eating together," everyone except for the members on patrol ate together.

Therefore, the dining hall was always packed at this time.

Sitting with Raul, without crowding over to where Ais and the others had already arrived, Shirou Emiya ate and chatted with Raul.

"Shirou, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"I'll probably be maintaining equipment, you know. I'm a high-level blacksmith, after all. Finn wouldn't let me off the hook."

"That's true! Especially with how much equipment we lost on this expedition. If you forge it, it should save us a lot!"

"Of course! We're all part of the same Familia, I won't rip anyone off. What about you?"

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

"Heh heh, well, you should be more careful. I heard you lost your money once before."

"That was just a fluke! It won't happen a second time!"

Hearing Raul's guarantee, Shirou Emiya couldn't help but laugh.

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

Exchanging the Magic Stones brought back from the Dungeon for money, repairing and maintaining weapons and armor, purchasing new ones, and replenishing supplies.

The tasks after returning from an expedition piled up like a mountain. Due to the sheer volume, almost everyone was mobilized.

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

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

As the two conversed, more Familia members gathered around Shirou Emiya, mostly elites from the second string like Anki and Alicia.

Everyone was enthusiastically discussing various matters together.

And they heard many shocking revelations, like how the seemingly upright Raul had spent all his savings on a prostitute.

Upon hearing this, everyone around burst into laughter.

Only Raul, the victim of the teasing, kept stammering out explanations.

His reaction only fueled the others' teasing, which only stopped when Loki spoke.

"I almost forgot, if any of you want to update your Status today, come to my room!"

"It'll be too tiring to do it all tomorrow anyway, so let's do it like this. Ten people are scheduled for tonight, first come, first served!"

Hearing Loki's words before she left, everyone started to murmur amongst themselves.

"Are any of you planning to update your Status?"

"I don't want to!"

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

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

"I'm fine either way. I can update it myself, after all!"

His casually spoken words, which caused Loki's blood pressure to spike, immediately drew a roar from Loki, who hadn't left the cafeteria yet.

"Shirou, you absolutely must come tonight!"

Giving Shirou Emiya a fierce glare, Loki huffed and left the cafeteria.

Facing Loki's demand, Shirou Emiya sighed helplessly, "What a bother!"