Shirou Emiya pulled along a stunned Ais and returned to the surface.
After witnessing that single sword strike, Ais seemed to have lost her soul, staring blankly with her mouth agape. Even if someone added the caption "all foolish children look like this," it wouldn't seem out of place.
Shirou had no choice but to hold the girl's hand and guide her forward, thankfully they didn't encounter many monsters on the way back.
At the same time, Shirou was recalling the strange state he had entered when he projected the [Sword of Theseus].
The Minotaur, which should have had the upper hand against him due to the level advantage, felt like an enemy he could easily kill. It wasn't even a battle—it felt like he was judging and executing a criminal who had already surrendered, easily decapitating the Minotaur.
It was almost as if he was wielding [Fate] itself.
However, even after trying to project the [Sword of Theseus] again, that feeling never returned.
This was the first time Shirou had attempted to project a "Noble Phantasm" since arriving in this world.
A Noble Phantasm is the ultimate weapon of a Heroic Spirit, a crystallized mythology, a testament to their heroic deeds, formed from human imagination as their core, materialized into shape.
Strictly speaking, Shirou hadn't truly projected Theseus's Noble Phantasm—though Theseus had the aptitude for the Saber class, his sword was just an ordinary "Heroic Spirit weapon." Theseus' true Noble Phantasm was the thread given to him by Ariadne that guided him to the Minotaur and allowed him to escape the inescapable labyrinth.
Even so, merely projecting a sword related to Theseus' myth had allowed Shirou to perform what could be considered a remarkable achievement—slaying a powerful Level 2 monster, the Minotaur, with ease despite being Level 1.
And the [Sword of Theseus] was only one among the countless weapons recorded in his [Unlimited Blade Works].
"Could the dungeon's monsters be related to the myths I know? Do they share the same weaknesses…?"
Lost in thought, Shirou continued walking, holding onto "Riveria's" hand. The crowd parted before him, as if Moses was parting the sea.
Immersed in his own world, Shirou failed to notice that people were keeping an unusually wide distance, and the looks of curiosity, confusion, and even fear on their faces. Nor did he hear the whispers around him.
"Isn't that the [Sword Princess]? The princess of the Loki Familia, the Level 5 [Sword Princess]!"
"Oh my god, the [Sword Princess] is acting as a supporter? And who's that boy—wait, no, who's that gentleman leading her? He's wearing the crest of the Hephaestus Familia on his cloak!"
"Could it be that the Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia are joining forces?"
"What? The Loki Familia and Hephaestus Familia are teaming up to challenge the Freya Familia!"
"It must be the [Sword Princess], she's kidnapped that pretty boy. Maybe she's bringing him home and forcing him to do *****!"
"Goddamn it, Amazons! Why are your imaginations always so wild?"
"Shit, the [Sword Princess] and a pretty boy! Even if I die, seeing such a 'battle between the strong' would make it worth the price of admission!"
…..
The sun had dipped behind the towering city walls, and the dusk was giving way to the night's shadow.
The city of Orario was even livelier in the evening.
Cheerful songs and music spilled out from the taverns and plazas. Magic stone lamps glowed brightly throughout the streets, and adventurers returning from the dungeon joined the already crowded scene, making the area impossibly packed.
Especially in the southern district's entertainment area, the hustle and bustle was overwhelming. Colorful lights illuminated the streets, outshining even the stars in the sky. The lavishly designed buildings were extravagant, and many of them catered to nobles, with high-end taverns, casinos, and theaters that couldn't be found elsewhere in the city. Living up to its name as the "Entertainment District," the southern avenue was filled with vibrant, chaotic energy.
Turning a corner on the street, Tsubaki pushed open the door to a tavern.
"Yo, Shakti, long time no see," she called out as she unexpectedly ran into a familiar face. Without waiting for an invitation, Tsubaki sat down beside her.
This was the "Flame Bee Tavern," a bar located in the back alleys of the bustling streets. Because it was tucked away, the tavern was smaller in scale compared to the [Hostess of Fertility], and the food and dishes weren't as generous or high quality. However, the "Flame Bee Tavern" offered stronger alcohol, which made it popular with certain adventurers and blacksmiths. Its signature product, a honey wine brewed to a ruby red color, was famous throughout Orario. Many patrons visited just for a drink.
"Tsubaki, long time no see." The adventurer named Shakti glanced over. "Finally decided to step out of your workshop, huh?"
Shakti was a woman with a graceful and beautiful appearance, tall and fully living up to the title of a beauty. She had short, striking blue hair, and her hairstyle and expression exuded a virtuous and efficient vibe, giving off the aura of a strong, capable woman.
However, the wooden table in front of her was littered with several overturned empty cups, giving this blue-haired beauty the unexpected impression of a "female alcoholic."
Despite this, no one in the tavern dared approach her for a conversation or attempt to take advantage of her drunken state. On the contrary, most kept a respectful distance, leaving a vacant area around her, with Shakti at its center.
For the entire evening, Tsubaki was the only one brave enough to strike up a conversation, even sitting right beside the blue-haired beauty.
This was because Shakti was an adventurer of the same level as Tsubaki, Level 5, and was also the captain of the top-tier Ganesha Familia, which handled the city's public order.
Shakti was known for her seriousness, calm demeanor, and strict adherence to rules. If there were a leader board for "Who Thrown The Most People In Jail" in Orario, Shakti would surely be at the top by a wide margin.
Still, this stern, serious beauty showed a different side when night comes. Shakti often came to this tavern to drown her sorrows in the strong honey wine. Tsubaki, on the other hand, simply loved the honey wine at the "Flame Bee Tavern." While she enjoyed drinking, Shakti drank to forget her troubles—sometimes over Familia matters, often over the city's law and order, but most frequently over the whims of her troublesome god.
"Cheers!"
The two women clinked their cups together. As frequent drinking companions, they had developed a tacit understanding over time.
"What's with that look, it's like someone owes you a million valis? I was going to share the joy of forging a new weapon with you, but now I don't feel like I can," Tsubaki teased, a playful smile tugging at her lips, as if asking Shakti to share her troubles and entertain her.
"Ugh, abunch of merchants are pressuring the Guild and the Ganesha Familia to hurry up and capture [Gale]," Shakti replied with an irritated expression. "They're crying and screaming about it every day—it's driving me insane!"
"Ah, I see." Tsubaki expression grew a bit more serious. Although distantly related, the issue of [Gale] wasn't entirely unrelated to her.
It was no secret that [Gale], Ryuu Lion, now worked at the [Hostess of Fertility]. She made no effort to hide her identity, openly working as a waitress there every day, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still a wanted criminal. It was as if the Guild and the Ganesha Familia didn't exist.
However, neither the Guild nor the Ganesha Familia had any real motivation to arrest [Gale].
In Shakti's perspective, Ryuu's extermination of Evilus had actually been a great help, even though her methods were a bit too extreme. Her actions had been on a massive scale—she killed many, destroyed numerous hideouts, and made no serious attempt to conceal her identity. On several occasions, she had even assassinated Evilus agents who were publicly affiliated with the Guild, making it difficult for the Guild to overtly protect her.
As a result, out of their obligation to uphold "the law," the Guild and the Ganesha Familia had issued a bounty for Ryuu. But in truth, neither was keen on seriously capturing her. In fact, Shakti had personally thrown all reports related to [Gale] straight into the trash and refused to release any information to the public.
After all, the [Astraea Familia] had been an ally to the Guild and the city's major Familia during the dark age, and Ryuu was the last "survivor" of that Familia.
The ones most eager to see [Gale] captured were many of Orario's merchants. These organizations had once been involved with Evilus, either openly or in secret, but their crimes weren't serious enough to warrant death. Some had been forced to help Evilus, like by transporting goods, and had already been punished by the Guild.
These individuals, along with others whose dealings with Evilus have yet to be uncovered, are the ones who fear [Gale] the most. After all, the Guild and the Ganesha Familia operate within the bounds of evidence and law, but [Gale] disregards all of that.
To them, she's nothing more than a pure maniac, a death-bringer.
Even though [Gale] has toned down her activities now, who can guarantee she won't revisit old grievances someday?
It was largely thanks to the pressure from these merchants that Ryuu's bounty grew to the outrageous sum of 80 million valis.
"Not that I have any intention of capturing [Gale], but even if I did, what am I supposed to do? Storm the [Hostess of Fertility]? That's no different from charging into the Tower of Babel," Shakti grumbled as she took a fierce gulp of her drink.
"Those foolish merchants….I wish I could blown them all up with a magic sword!"
Tsubaki offered a "reasonable" suggestion, "I have a way to contact [Gale], how about it, why don't you hire [Gale] to get rid of them."
Shakti turned to stare at Tsubaki, as if she was seriously weighing the possibility of this idea.
"By the way," Shakti changed the topic, her cheeks now slightly flushed from the alcohol, "I saw your Familia's boy today. He was holding hands with a First Class Adventurer from the Loki Familia, walking down the street rather affectionately."
"Huh?" Tsubaki was stunned. Her first thought was of Shirou Emiya, but that couldn't be—how could Shirou have any connection to a First Class Adventurer from the Loki Familia?
With a smirk, Shakti continued, "That person's gaze, watching your boy from behind… tsk tsk, it was so intense, like she wanted to eat him alive. It was a bit scary. But I have to admit, your red-haired kid is quite cute."
Tsubaki immediately rosed to her feet. This was serious! It seemed some dangerous woman had set her sights on Shirou!
In her mind, she could already picture two ravenous Amazons reaching out their sinful hands toward the defenseless young boy.
"But really," Shakti mused, "that kid and the [Sword Princess] look rather suited to each other, like childhood friends or something. Ah, youth… huh, where did she go?"
By the time Shakti looked up from her drink, Tsubaki vanished into thin air.
With her drinking buddy gone, Shakti could only return to drowning her sorrows alone, the weight of her troubles still heavy on her mind.
————
(Fun Fact: In Emiya's Interlude, a bunch of Amazoness made a beeline toward Emiya)
https://www.reddit.com/r/grandorder/comments/h91319/shirou_emiya_can_never_change_who_he_is/
(TN: Any skill or development abilities Shirou gain due to his Skill [Roadless Valhalla] Shirou is clueless about, I'm not sure if the author explains this very well, this will become a tiny bit more important later on.)
Shakti
https://danmachi.fandom.com/wiki/Shakti_Varma/Image_Gallery?file=Shakti_Varma_DanMemo_2.png#DanMemo
Two Amazon
https://www.reddit.com/r/DanMachi/comments/hvuzsw/tione_tiona_by_asanagi/