Chapter 10: Forging and Projection
Even joining a top-tier Familia doesn't guarantee a smooth path. Many once-promising talents who joined Freya or Loki Familia had ended up as nothing more than glorified guards.
But Shirou starting directly as an assistant in Tsubaki's workshop already put him far ahead of the rest.
"Shirou-kun learns so quickly. He's just a beginner, yet already repairing damaged blades this well—it's hard to believe." Tsubaki praised. "You're a born blacksmith."
She wasn't wrong. While Anya and others thought Shirou was naturally talented in combat, that was a misconception. His "talent" came from a lifetime of experience in his previous world. His skill was earned, not innate.
In anything outside of swords and archery, Shirou was just an ordinary fighter—but one who understood the peak of mortal combat so well it gave the illusion of genius.
Forging, however, was different. He had never trained in it in his past life. And yet, the moment he stood beside the bellows, he revealed uncanny ability.
Just by touching materials, he could sense their quality. One glance at equipment blueprints and he could reconstruct them mentally. He could feel the furnace's state with eerie precision.
Hephaestus truly had a sharp eye—Shirou Emiya was a blacksmith born for her Familia. Wasting his talent elsewhere would've been a tragedy. When it came to forging, his gifts were among the greatest in the lower world.
Tsubaki thought the same. Even without considering Unlimited Blade Works, Shirou's raw smithing instincts rivaled her own.
After he completed polishing a long sword, she invited him to look at a magic sword blueprint—hoping his fresh perspective might inspire her.
Shirou studied it carefully, then activated his magic.
"Trace, on."
A magic sword appeared in his hand—not with explosive power or rare materials, but shaped and structured identically to the intended product, simulated with mundane iron.
It was a complete model built from his mental blueprint of the diagram.
Tsubaki stared at the replica, and after a moment, her eyes lit up.
"So that's it!"
"There's a design flaw—this runic junction is too narrow, so at max mana output it breaks down. We should widen it." She dove back into the blueprint and began sketching rapidly.
There's a big difference between theory and practice—blueprints can hide flaws that become obvious once a real model is seen.
"But if we widen the junction, it might leak mana and shorten the sword's lifespan..." she muttered.
"How about adding another conduction rune? Parallel channels—more flow, same size output lines. Like this—Shirou?"
"Got it. Trace, on."
A new sword appeared in his hand.
"That should work. Wait—no, the output power could cause interference. What if we widen the blade slightly? Like this..." Tsubaki edited again.
"Trace, on."
"Too much material. That size would need 1.5x the original resources. Hmm... what if we hollowed the center?"
"Trace, on."
"Material use is down, but forging this would be a nightmare."
"Then let's boost its output to match the materials. Like this." Shirou suggested. "Trace, on."
"Ooh, good idea." Tsubaki nodded. "If we increase mass here, power rises too."
"Trace, on."
Modify the shape to carry more mass.
"Trace, on."
Extend the length.
"Trace, on."
Upgrade the materials—add more magic stones.
"Trace, on."
The two of them were completely absorbed—until...
"Ugh... I feel dizzy."
Shirou had overdrawn his mana.
The low cost of sword-type projections and his deep understanding of the designs let him sustain the spell. But after so many times, the mana depletion added up. His low stats didn't help.
Were it not for his strong will, he would've collapsed already.
"I need to rest a bit," he murmured, slumping into a chair and closing his eyes.
Tsubaki looked at his face, then at the sword they had finalized together.
It was a far cry from the original blueprint. Every part—from the shape to the material, even the elemental attribute—had changed.
"This shape suits lightning better. Let's make it a thunder-element sword."
Originally, it was meant to be a fire magic sword.
A fire sword... that now released lightning.
"With this spiral blade design, let's call it Spiral Sword. Shirou-kun, I'll credit us both on this one."
Yes, this was their first collaborative creation.
"From here on, leave the real forging to big sis!"
Shirou's projections were just prototypes. The true weapon still needed to be crafted with a smith's hands.
Tsubaki's eyes lit with fiery passion.
Unlimited Blade Works had enormous potential for blacksmiths. Tsubaki had a hunch—with Shirou's help, she might finally realize her dream:
To forge a weapon that surpasses even the divine.
Chapter 11: First Status Update
"Goddess Hephaestus, I'm here."
"Ooh~ Shirou-kun, here to update your status?"
"Yes."
"You're quite patient. Most kids can't wait to update their stats every day after getting their blessing."
"It was Tsubaki's advice. She said even without updates, experience accumulates. Plus, this is a key period for refining my technique—getting boosted stats too early might actually be a setback."
Like giving a rookie an overpowered weapon—it might hinder real growth.
For example, adventurers with high "Dexterity" often learned archery faster, but in real combat, they were far outclassed by elves with similar stats who had trained with bows long before getting their blessing.
"True. But higher Endurance and Magic from updates also lets you train longer," Hephaestus noted. "Each has its merits."
"Right. Tsubaki thinks now's the right time."
This was another benefit of joining a major Familia: wise counsel from gods and seasoned adventurers, even on something as nuanced as update frequency.
"Alright then—let's see what you've gained these past two weeks."
It had been 15 days since Shirou received his blessing.
His days were packed: forging by day, training with Anya by night (sometimes getting destroyed by Ryuu), and practicing projection until mana depletion before bed.
He worked alongside master craftsmen, gradually earning their trust. On his way home, he'd grab fish for dinner, then grill it post-training for Anya (who ate 80% of it), with Ryuu and Syr often joining.
He learned Ryuu liked stargazing. And ever since Tsubaki had dined at the tavern, Ryuu kept watching him from behind...
His routine was busy, fulfilling, and joyful.
Now, Tsubaki deemed his foundational smithing strong enough—it was time to update.
Shirou took off his shirt, revealing a leaner, more muscular frame. Even his height had visibly increased.
"You're looking good," Hephaestus grinned, pricking her finger and smearing divine blood on his back.
Shirou Emiya
Level: 1
Strength: i0 → H120
Endurance: i0 → G204
Dexterity: i0 → F332
Agility: i0 → H104
Magic: i0 → G248
Development Ability:
Magic:
Unlimited Blade Works
Projection-type summoning magic
Materializes replicas of real-world items using mana
Efficiency scales with item familiarity
Reduced mana cost for bladed weapons
Skills:
Oath under the Snow
Boosts attack, endurance, magic, and skill when protecting others
Gains high-level boosts when bonds exist with protected targets
Super-boosts all stats and raises cap with intimate bonds
?????
"Wow." Hephaestus couldn't help but marvel.
The unreadable skill was expected, but the stat growth was absurd.
Over 1,000 total gain. Each stat rose by 200+, with Dexterity climbing over 300. Magic went up more than 200.
Even with fast early growth, this was extreme.
But on second thought, it made sense.
He was training daily with at least two high-level adventurers. Holding his own—barely—against their attacks raked in massive experience.
His magic stat grew through constant projection practice—Unlimited Blade Works was perfect for grinding.
Dexterity soared from supporting Tsubaki in crafting a magic sword—genuinely contributing to a Level 5's elite project.
All this, while spending most of his time learning smithing.
Shirou had a growth-boosting skill: Oath under the Snow's third tier. But it likely hadn't triggered yet—it required strict bond conditions.
"To be honest, if this were anyone else, I'd be more worried than proud."
Hephaestus had seen similar growth before.
One boy had lost all his family in a dark Familia raid. He trained obsessively, delved recklessly into the dungeon, leveled up quickly—and in two weeks, gained nearly 800 points.
In the end, he used a trap with magic swords and firestones to take down a high-ranking dark adventurer in a mutual kill.
His name was honored as a hero in Orario's war against the dark. But Hephaestus never wanted to see that again.
Such explosive growth could mean incredible talent...
Or someone burning themselves out.