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Shirou stepped into the basement that served as the Loki Familia's treasure storage. The dim light from magical lamps hanging from the ceiling cast a calm ambiance, with shadows dancing across the wooden shelves filled with chests and bags of valuable items. The air was filled with the scent of aged wood mixed with a faint metallic aroma. The sturdy stone walls kept the room cool, even on the hottest days. Shirou noticed how carefully the space had been designed to ensure security, complete with magical seals in several areas.
From a corner of the room, Aki's soft voice could be heard, "Thank you, Raul. I know the night shift isn't the most enjoyable, but I really appreciate you keeping me company."
Raul, standing by the counter, scratched the back of his head with a slightly flushed face. "Ah, it's no problem, Aki. Besides, it's our duty. I'm happy to help."
Shirou chuckled softly at their interaction before stepping closer. As he reached the counter, he greeted them cheerfully, "Hey, you two seem busy."
Raul, who was staring at an inventory list in his hands, jumped in surprise and nearly dropped his pen. "Sh-Shirou! I didn't expect to see you here!"
Shirou laughed lightly, crossing his arms. "Why so shocked, Raul? I'm not wearing a skull mask like I did in Knossos, am I?"
Aki giggled at Shirou's joke and quickly added, "Raul, you really need to relax. Or are you still haunted by the time Shirou showed up like a mysterious hero back then?"
Raul sighed and shook his head, though the redness in his cheeks deepened. "Oh, stop it, Aki."
Shirou simply smiled, finding the atmosphere between them friendly and lighthearted. For him, moments like these made all the struggles worthwhile.
Aki leaned on the counter, folding her arms as she tilted her head slightly. With a curious gaze, she asked Shirou, "So, what brings you here, Shirou? It's rare to see you in the storage room."
Shirou smiled faintly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm here to claim my share of rewards. It's been a while since I last did that," he replied casually.
Raul, standing beside Aki, raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Why only now? Usually, Familia members claim their rewards right after an expedition." He opened a large ledger containing Loki Familia's financial records and began flipping through the pages. "Hold on, let me find your name."
Shirou shrugged with a small smile. "Captain Finn insisted I take them. He said I couldn't keep ignoring this."
Aki laughed at Shirou's response, shaking her head with a playful glint in her eyes. "Imagine having to be forced to take your own money. If it were me, I'd be out splurging without a second thought!"
Raul muttered softly as his eyes scanned the list of names. "Emiya Shirou... Emiya Shirou... Ah, found it!" He stopped at one page and began carefully tallying the numbers.
Growing curious, Shirou leaned in slightly. "So, how much do I have?" he asked.
"Hold on," Raul replied, still focused on the ledger in front of him.
But Aki casually interrupted. "The total's 80 million valis, including the bonus from the Knossos expedition," she said with a wide grin.
Raul looked up with a protesting glare. "Hey, Aki! That's my job. Don't just blurt it out like that."
Aki shrugged and giggled. "Well, you were being slow. Besides, isn't that number a bit shocking? I just wanted to save Shirou some time."
Raul sighed heavily, while Shirou simply smiled, amused by their banter. "I feel like a guest in your performance," Shirou remarked, crossing his arms.
Raul raised an eyebrow at Shirou. "So, are you planning to take all of it now?" he asked, half-joking but clearly curious.
Shirou paused, considering Finn's earlier instructions. Finn only told me to claim the rewards, not to take everything… So, I can choose, right? he thought to himself. Smiling, he answered, "Not all of it. Just ten million for now."
Raul nodded and began noting down Shirou's request. However, before he could finish writing, Aki interrupted in a casual tone, "So, how do you want to take it? Drop items or straight-up valis?"
The question piqued Shirou's interest. His eyes lit up as he turned to Aki. "Can I take a look at the drop items first?" he asked, curious.
Aki grinned widely, opening the counter gate that separated them from the back room. "Sure, follow me," she said, stepping inside. Raul, still holding the ledger, hurried after them. "Hey, wait! I haven't finished recording this!" he called out.
The room behind the counter was larger than Shirou had imagined. Neatly arranged wooden shelves held drop items that glowed faintly under the light of magical crystals hanging from the ceiling. Each shelf was labeled with names like Minotaur Horn, Almiraj Fur, Hellhound Fang, and other exotic items.
"Wow," Shirou murmured in awe. "Are all these from Loki Familia expeditions?"
Aki nodded, but it was Raul who answered. "Most of these are from monsters on the lower floors. Items from the deeper floors are usually sold immediately or taken by members to craft weapons or armor."
Shirou nodded as he inspected the shelves. Maybe this could be a chance to practice my forging skills… he thought, but he quickly remembered his priorities. Politely, he said, "Thanks for showing me everything. But for now, I'll just take the valis."
They returned to the counter with Aki leading the way, while Raul entered another room to retrieve Shirou's requested amount of valis. "Hold on a moment. I'll get your money," Raul called out from the storage room. Shirou waited patiently, glancing at Aki, who was now lounging casually against the counter.
After a short while, Raul returned, carrying a heavy pouch of valis coins. Carefully, he handed the pouch to Shirou, saying, "Here you go, ten million valis as requested."
Meanwhile, Aki, now standing next to Raul, reviewed the records and quickly noted the transaction. "Done. The transaction is official," she said casually, her cat-like ears twitching slightly as if they were also part of the conversation.
Shirou nodded politely. "Thank you. I'll take my leave now," he said, bowing slightly as he prepared to leave.
However, Raul hesitated before asking, "Um, Shirou… can I ask you something? What do you plan to do with so much money?"
Aki's black ears twitched again, signaling her curiosity. She added in a curious tone, "Yeah, good question. You can summon weapons and armor with your magecraft, so what's the money for?"
Shirou shrugged slightly, offering a faint smile. "Maybe for buying potions. Other than that... I'm not sure yet," he replied honestly.
Raul let out a long sigh, his gaze dimming slightly as though recalling his own expenses. "Ugh... must be nice. Most of my money gets spent on weapon and armor maintenance," he lamented.
Aki chuckled softly at his words and said, "If you saved up a bit, Shirou, you could actually buy a weapon like Aiz's Desperate from the Goibniu Familia. Though, yeah, that's insanely expensive."
Shirou didn't respond immediately. Instead, he gave a small smile, raised his hand, and said softly, "Trace on." In an instant, a replica of Desperate, Aiz's sword, materialized in his hand, complete with perfect details.
Raul's eyes widened, while Aki's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Wow! You can really do that? Then why don't you sell weapons like this? With your ability, you could get rich in no time," Aki said, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
Shirou smiled faintly, allowing the sword to fade away, disintegrating into particles of prana. "That would be fraud," he said, shaking his head. "A projection like this only lasts three days. Besides, I don't want to deal with the Goibniu Familia. If they find out I've been making imitations of their weapons, they'll definitely hunt me down."
Aki and Raul exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. "Fair enough, you have a good point," Raul said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But still, your ability is truly incredible, Shirou."
After receiving his money, Shirou bowed politely to Raul and Aki. "Thanks for your help. I'll head back to my room now," he said, carrying the pouch of valis coins.
Raul and Aki waved him off. "Take care, Shirou," Raul said, while Aki added, "And don't drop that pouch, okay? That much valis must be heavy!"
Shirou simply smiled at Aki's joke before leaving the storage room and heading toward the stairs leading to the second floor. As he ascended the stairs, he spotted Loki standing at the end of the corridor, her usual wide grin plastered on her face.
"Heeeh, Shirou!" Loki called out teasingly as she walked toward him. "Got your paycheck, huh? Then treat your goddess to some drinks! As thanks for being the best goddess in the world."
Shirou gave a faint smile, responding to Loki's teasing. "Of course, Loki. As long as you don't overdo it with the alcohol," he said calmly.
Hearing his response, Loki pouted and stuck out her tongue. "Bleeeh! You're such a mom," she teased with a grin. "Just like Riveria, always nagging!"
Shirou nodded and replied gently, "Riveria and I just worry about you, Loki. That's all."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You two care too much about me," Loki said dismissively, waving her hand as if to brush off their concerns. Still, a faint smile lingered on her face. She quickly changed the topic. "Oh, by the way, Shirou... you haven't updated your status yet, have you? The others already did."
Shirou paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I'll do it, but let me store my money in my room first."
"Got it!" Loki replied cheerfully, waving her hand. "I'll be waiting in my room. Don't take too long, Shirou~!" she said as she walked away with a spring in her step.
Shirou gave a small smile before continuing to the second floor, heading to his room to store the pouch of valis he was carrying.
Entering his modest, small room, Shirou closed the door behind him quietly. He walked over to a small wooden cabinet in the corner of the room, opened one of the drawers, and carefully placed the pouch of valis inside. After ensuring the drawer was securely locked, he let out a light sigh. "Safe," he muttered to himself before turning and stepping out of the room.
With steady steps, Shirou ascended the stairs leading to the upper floor where Loki's room was located. Upon reaching the simple wooden door with its modest carvings, he knocked gently. Loki's cheerful voice immediately came from within. "Come in, Shirou! The door's not locked!"
Shirou slowly opened the door and stepped inside. Loki was already seated on her bed in a relaxed pose, her chin resting on her hand. A mischievous smile adorned her face. "Alright, Shirou, take off your shirt," she said without hesitation, her tone teasing as usual.
Without hesitation, Shirou removed his tunic, revealing his well-trained body, the result of years of rigorous training. After folding his tunic neatly and placing it beside him, he sat calmly on the floor in front of Loki. "Alright, Loki. Go ahead," he said, positioning himself so that Loki could easily do her work.
Loki took a small needle from the table beside her bed. With practiced ease, she pricked the tip of her finger, producing a drop of fresh blood that she quickly smeared on Shirou's back. "Okay, let's see how much progress you've made," Loki muttered with a knowing smile, starting the process of updating Shirou's status. The divine aura of the goddess began to fill the room.
She casually pressed a special sheet of parchment against Shirou's back, transferring the updated status results. Loki slowly pulled the parchment away, ensuring the magical ink imprinted from Shirou's body was perfectly transcribed. "All done. Now let's see what we've got here," she said, handing the parchment to Shirou.
Shirou took the parchment and began reading the updated status results carefully.
***
Shirou's Status
Level: 4
Strength: I (0) → A (820)
Endurance: I (0) → A (812)
Dexterity: I (0) → B (760)
Agility: I (0) → B (778)
Magic: B (0) → A (840)
Developmental Abilities:
Archer: H → G
Magic Resistance: G
Forging: I
Magic:
Magecraft
Skills:
Underdog: Reduces excelia gained when facing weaker opponents but significantly increases excelia gained when fighting stronger foes.
Mind's Eye: Senses danger instinctively and identifies the direction of the threat.
***
"Look at that," Loki grinned, pointing at the new entry recorded on the parchment. "You got a new skill! It's called Mind's Eye. Seems like it suits you perfectly, huh, Shirou?"
Shirou gazed at the text with a mixed expression. Deep inside, something about it felt familiar. Mind's Eye, he thought. That skill was the same as Archer's—the alternate version of himself from another world. Archer... he murmured inwardly. We come from different worlds, but our paths seem so similar. I hope you're still doing well in Chaldea. Maybe still protecting Fujimaru Ritsuka with the same strength as before.
"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Loki grinned wider, folding her arms across her chest. "A goddess like me sure knows how to pick talented members!"
Shirou gave a faint smile, folding the parchment and tucking it into his pocket. "You're right, Loki. This skill will probably be very useful, especially in critical situations."
As he began putting his tunic back on, Loki spoke again, her tone light but curious. "By the way, kid, I noticed your development ability Forging hasn't been used yet. Is it just for decoration?" Loki leaned back on her bed, her eyes twinkling with a mix of curiosity and playful teasing.
Shirou offered a stiff smile, slightly embarrassed. "Honestly, I haven't thought about using it." He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit guilty for neglecting a potentially useful ability.
Loki gave a small nod and then offered a more serious suggestion. "If you level up again, I suggest picking Spirit Healing. It would be super helpful for you. Remember the Knossos expedition? You fainted because you ran out of magic energy. With Spirit Healing, you could regenerate your magic energy faster without having to rely on potions."
Shirou listened attentively, but one word in Loki's sentence caught his attention. "Level up, huh?" Tilting his head, he asked, "Can't I just level up to five now? Why wait?"
Loki sighed deeply, as though she'd expected the question. She looked at Shirou with a mix of pride and patience. "Listen, kid. You've got incredible potential—exceptional, even. But there's something you need to understand: your stats can still grow higher. Reaching SSS rank in all attributes isn't a pipe dream for you. If you level up now, you'll lose the chance to max out those stats. Push your current stats as high as possible at this level because raising them at level five will be much harder. You get it, right?"
Shirou nodded slowly, beginning to grasp Loki's reasoning. "Alright, Loki. I'll focus on strengthening my stats first before leveling up."
Loki continued her explanation, this time with a more serious tone. "Underdog, your skill, has clear rules, Shirou. If you want to increase your stats, you have to fight opponents stronger than you—those at a higher level. At level four, you still have Aiz and the others—they're all at level six. But if you level up higher than them, how will they help you? It'll only get harder for you."
Shirou listened quietly and then shook his head gently. "I don't care much about gaining power, Loki. To me, power is just a tool—a tool to help others."
Hearing this, Loki paused for a moment. She gazed at Shirou deeply, as if trying to understand the motivations behind every action he took. "I know, Shirou. I know you've never fought strong enemies for your own sake. You've always done it to protect or save others. That much was clear to me from the first time you saved Aiz."
Shirou nodded, his eyes meeting Loki's with unwavering conviction. "That's true. Everything I do is for my dream... to become a defender of justice."
Loki smiled softly, then, unexpectedly, reached out and gently cupped Shirou's cheek. "You know, I can't stay mad at you for always pushing yourself to help others. That's just who you are. But I just want to say one thing... don't forget to take care of yourself too, okay?"
Shirou was touched by her words. Yet, deep down, he couldn't entirely agree. To him, his life only had meaning if it was used to help others. Still, he chose not to argue and instead bowed his head slightly. "Thank you, Loki. I know that even though you often seem carefree, you really do care about all of us."
Those words left Loki momentarily speechless. Her face gradually turned red, and she quickly withdrew her hand from Shirou's cheek. "W-what? Why are you suddenly saying stuff like that, huh?" Loki tried to mask her embarrassment with a protest, though her voice wavered slightly.
But Shirou wasn't finished. He smiled gently and continued, "I'm truly grateful to be a part of the Loki Familia. I don't know what would've happened if I weren't here."
Loki's face grew even redder. She waved her hands frantically as if to shoo Shirou out of the room. "T-that's enough! Out with you! Your status update is done, so you've got no reason to stick around anymore!"
Shirou chuckled softly as he stood, bowing slightly before heading for the door. "Thank you again, Loki," he said sincerely before leaving the room, leaving Loki behind, still flustered and trying to regain her composure.