I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

The girl in the Holy Shroud darted through the shopping street, her outfit changed.

After changing her clothes and leaving behind a Minotaur's crystal, the fashion-forward girl suddenly became sunny. Wearing pants, a top, and flat shoes, she blended into the crowd before finally returning to the library.

"A goddess, huh? So this world does have gods. That Loki Familia must belong to that trickster god."

"But this pig-headed man, which goddess does he serve?"

Muttering to herself, Ritsuka greeted the old man who managed the library and went up to the second floor. She casually picked up a book and sat down.

Actually, she had an opportunity just now to heavily injure that Pigman.

For some reason, the opponent had underestimated her from the start, acting as if they had nothing to fear. This, in turn, suggested their strength, likely placing them among the stronger individuals in Orario.

She thought she even heard passersby shouting something like 'Brawler' Ottar?

To be called a Brawler, he must have some skill, but it was also possible to kill him with a surprise attack.

Compared to her, Emiya Ritsuka, she had a Noble Phantasm that could be activated by hand.

[Mighty Arm that Held the Sky and Split the Sea]

Taking a surprise hit from this Noble Phantasm at close range, even Gilgamesh, her strongest opponent so far, would probably have half his body sent flying.

After much deliberation, she didn't dare use her Noble Phantasm. She had even held back her strength when kicking the Pigman away.

After all, she was new here, and offending a goddess rashly wouldn't be a good idea—even if that perverted goddess was a bit annoying.

Through the old man downstairs, she learned that the gods in this world possessed immense power.

If she acted recklessly, she wouldn't be able to contend with a true god.

"Forget it, I'll study the Crystal Dice first. That Pigman was utterly uninteresting."

Ritsuka didn't like animals much. At most, she had a soft spot for cats and dogs. As for pigs, she'd rather not.

Putting Ottar out of her mind, Ritsuka raised her palm.

Quest Name: Path of the Future

Quest Type: Optional

Quest Requirements: Join any Familia and become an adventurer

Quest Difficulty: Low

Quest Reward: A brand new character template (corresponding to the current world)

"An optional quest, does that mean it's something I can choose to do or not?"

"..."

No one answered. The Crystal Dice glowed silently, causing Ritsuka's dead-fish eyes to widen. Honestly, she had been quite looking forward to a "Golden Finger" young lady.

Alas, she could only say she had a beautiful dream.

"A character template, like Emiya Shirou and Alcides, right?"

The Crystal Dice rolled slightly, and two panels appeared in succession. Within the enlarged virtual screen, they looked quite rudimentary.

[Emiya Shirou (Archer)]

[Synchronization Value (100%)]

[Alcides (Archer/Avenger)]

[Synchronization Value (100%)]

"The templates should be enough for now, but I still have a little anticipation."

Ritsuka pondered. Although she hadn't yet witnessed the combat methods commonly used by the adventurers in this world, her observations in the plaza made it clear that cold weapon combat was prevalent.

However, judging by the items dropped by the Minotaurs in the dungeon, other possibilities existed.

For instance, more diverse development paths like enchantment, forging, or magic...

"Girl, did you go to the plaza just now? What was all that commotion about?"

Just as Ritsuka was pretending to read while actually thinking, the old man managing the library came up to the second floor.

Ritsuka immediately put down her book and put on a natural smile.

"I was over there just now. I heard something about 'Brawler' Ottar being sent flying? I'm not too sure."

Scratching her head, Ritsuka wore a look of 'confusion' on her face.

Her excellent acting skills, coupled with her identity as an Outsider, didn't make the old man suspicious at all. He merely said in surprise, "Brawler Ottar? To be able to send that only Lv.7 flying, could it be that the Loki Familia and Freya Familia are having a conflict?"

The old man muttered and went downstairs.

Ritsuka sat on the cushion, book in hand, utterly silent. It seemed she had heard some earth-shattering news.

First, setting aside Loki and Freya, those two words that caught her attention.

That guy named Ottar, it seemed he wasn't just ordinarily strong in Orario...

The only Lv. 7?

That's it?

PS: Ottar isn't weak. As Orario's sole Lv. 7, he didn't bring any weapons and was confident in his strength. How could some unknown little girl possibly send him flying?!

Then, an immediate face-slap.

In terms of power, if Ottar went all out, it wouldn't be a guaranteed win against Ritsuka, but he'd at least stand a fighting chance, provided Ritsuka didn't reveal her trump cards.

Like Unlimited Blade Works, or Anti-City Noble Phantasms...

Based on the original novels and anime, and comparing it to Fate, I've given Ritsuka a pretty high evaluation.

(Please point out any issues, I can still make changes.)

Section 59: Chapter 53 - Emiya Family's Confectionery

Time flowed by slowly. Ritsuka, having lost 'interest' in adventurers and 'Blessings,' spent a few days figuring out how to exchange all her crystals and materials for Orario's currency.

A substance called Valis.

Having acquired a considerable amount of Valis all at once, Ritsuka decided to indulge her whim and open a shop.

Therefore, unnoticed by everyone, the shop next to the library quietly transformed, replacing its old sign with one that read 'Emiya Family's Confectionery.'

After purchasing the shop with a sum of money and doing some simple renovations, Ritsuka began making sweets herself.

She didn't make much each day, as there weren't many customers. It was mostly just for herself and the old man next door.

"Mmm, this super leisurely life, I feel like I'm becoming decadent."

In the thirty-something square meter shop, Ritsuka crunched on a Pocky.

She had made this herself, imitating the snack based on the instructions on the last remaining packaging. After all, she had nothing else to do.

Strawberry cakes, Pocky, small biscuits...

With nothing better to do, Ritsuka started experimenting with various delicious foods. Anyway, any calories she consumed could be converted into magic power, and she could then expend those hard-earned calories with a few punches. Noble Phantasms were quite draining on magic power, after all.

As her magic power was currently abundant, she also took the opportunity to strengthen herself and her use of Alcides' power.

As for the other Archer, Emiya Shirou's power, she could use it with extreme stability.

It was as if it were her own ability...

In the back room, Ritsuka pondered at the counter, holding a bottle of clear, transparent liquid. This was her improved version of Mapo Water.

Compared to its hellish spiciness, she had focused on emphasizing the numbing and aromatic qualities. However, the improvement process wasn't smooth.

The primary issue was the difference in worlds. Some things here were very different from her memories. For example, she had never seen meat floss, only accidentally discovering something similar.

It was called Meat Paste, and it was outrageously expensive.

Secondly, there was the Mapo Water itself. Although she had a sample bottle, she didn't know its actual ingredients.

This bottle of Mapo Water was still in a mineral water bottle.

Her research had hit a bottleneck.

"Girl, are you busy?"

Suddenly, a voice boomed into the shop, full of energy.

Ritsuka immediately walked towards the entrance.

The old man from the library next door walked into the shop. He glanced around and saw two girls who worked nearby, sitting in a corner and enjoying delicious cakes at a super low price.

In Orario, while cakes weren't prohibitively expensive, the more famous ones were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Even non-adventurers would hesitate for a long time before buying a slice, let alone eating one every day.

They were simply craving these cheap and delicious treats.

After all, even if Ritsuka didn't make much each day, there would still be some leftovers. If she ate them all, she'd get sick of them.

So she decided to sell them at a super low price, at least to build up a great reputation.

Besides, the cost wasn't high at all.

"Not busy, and there aren't many customers. Come in and sit down."

The two girls in the corner finished their daily dose of dessert and left in good spirits. For a moment, only Ritsuka and the old man remained in the shop.

Ritsuka brought out some freshly fried peanuts and a pot of her own brewed sake from the kitchen.

"Old man, your food and drink."

"Heh heh, girl, you really know what I like. I won't be polite."

At the table, the old man was in quite a good mood as he started drinking.

Japanese sake had a low alcohol content and was clear, somewhat like a beverage. It caused less harm to the body, and Ritsuka used to buy it for Kiritsugu often.

However, she herself didn't drink alcohol and found the taste of it quite unpleasant.

"Old man, what brings you here?"

Sitting opposite the old man of the library, Ritsuka fiddled with the Mapo Water she had recently developed. The crystal-clear liquid resembled sake, but it had no discernible scent. Its nature only changed when it encountered spice.

She had to admit, she thought Kirei Kotomine was truly a talented individual.

"Sigh, I've been so annoyed lately. That girl... the goddess keeps coming over to borrow books, not to mention she's insisting I join her Familia."

"My old bones are barely good enough to be a meal for monsters in the dungeon."

The old man shook his head and sighed in exasperation.

Hestia.

The goddess of the hearth, home, and fire in Greek Mythology, one of the Twelve Olympians, belonging to the same mythology as Heracles.

Her status was extremely high, being one of the most sacred and ancient deities on Mount Olympus.

Ritsuka had a slight impression of this individual, who was less like a goddess and more like a madwoman.

She had seen her pestering the old man of the library, trying to recruit him. Hestia seemed to be a goddess who hadn't yet established a Familia.

Furthermore, her divine name was quite renowned, mentioned alongside Artemis and Athena as one of the three famous virgin goddesses.

"Old man, didn't you try to refuse her?"

That goddess didn't seem to have a bad character, nor was she the type to be pushy. Logically, a polite refusal should have been sufficient.

"There's nothing good in the lower world. It's better to just return to the heavens. It's not that easy to make a name for yourself in Orario."

The old man's words held a hidden meaning, his gaze distant.

Currently in Orario, the highest adventurer level was Lv. 7, the 'Brawler' Ottar, but there was a reason for that. Before this, the top Familias in Orario were not Freya Familia or Loki Familia.