With his hands in his pockets, Shirou looked up at the sky, his eyes seemingly sparkling.
For his past self, there was only conviction. But conviction alone wasn't enough; he still needed power.
Hearing Shirou's response, neither Tiona and Tione, who were watching the show, nor Ais, who had asked the question, spoke.
The group of five walked silently down the street.
Looking at Shirou's back, Ais, walking at the very end, felt as if she saw her own reflection in him.
They were all people burdened by something. They all had goals they had to achieve.
"Conviction, huh?"
Ais silently repeated the word in her mind. She continuously asked herself if her own conviction was as firm as the person in front of her.
Tiona and Tione, leading the way at the front, kept an eye on the two behind them with their peripheral vision.
The reason they invited Shirou today, besides their interest in him, was primarily because Ais had questions for him.
They both knew a little about Ais's past. Therefore, if they could help her, they would be more than happy to do so.
However, neither of them had expected that their Familia's new member was not as simple as he seemed.
This guy might also be a problem child!
Ah! What a hassle!
Ais and her group's destination for this trip was another Familia in Orario specializing in forging, named the Goblin Familia.
Although this Familia couldn't compare to the Hephaestus Familia in scale, their weapon performance was on par.
Many elite-grade weapons in the Loki Familia were forged by the Goblin Familia. For example, Ais's Despair Sword was a proud creation of the Goblin Familia.
Of course, there was also Tiona's Olga, a large twin blade later corroded by monsters, worth 120 million Valis.
Standing to one side of the Goblin Familia's establishment, watching Tiona, Tione, and Ais interacting with the Goblin Familia's blacksmith, Shirou, who had nothing to do, started chatting with Lefiya.
"I heard, Lefiya, that you're a sorceress highly regarded by Riveria! You must be very strong!"
"Not at all!"
Hearing Shirou's question, Lefiya remembered her inability to chant due to fear of monsters during the expedition and became dejected.
After telling Shirou about her ordeal, Lefiya hung her head mournfully and said, "I'm really terrible! If it were Emiya-san, you'd definitely do better than me!"
"Indeed!"
Shirou folded his arms and nodded faintly. Then, the Lefiya in front of him visibly withered.
Seeing her so easily discouraged, Shirou quickly explained, "I was just joking! Don't take it seriously!"
But no matter what he said, Lefiya remained utterly lifeless.
If Tiona and the others saw her like this later, he'd definitely be accused of bullying a comrade!
No, I have to find a way to fix this.
Looking at Lefiya, who was squatting on the ground, staring blankly at the floor, Shirou directly pulled her up.
"Speaking of which, I'm LV.2 now, but I don't have any comrades to explore the Dungeon with yet. Lefiya, would you like to come with me?"
"Eh? Me… me…?"
Lefiya's face was completely flushed at this moment. Besides Shirou's invitation, it was mostly due to Shirou's right hand holding her arm.
In this world, due to special reasons, elves would only allow people they recognized to touch them. Otherwise, they would feel repulsion.
Looking at Shirou's right hand, Lefiya couldn't help but wonder to herself, Do I not feel any repulsion towards Emiya-san?
Looking at the somewhat dazed Lefiya, Shirou waved his other hand in front of her face while continuously calling her name.
"Lefiya, Lefiya, Lefiya!"
"Yes!"
Lefiya, suddenly snapping out of it, responded quickly.
"Well, will you accept my invitation?"
"Yes!"
Eh? What am I even saying?!
Lefiya, who had suddenly come to, had not yet fully processed anything before agreeing to Shirou's invitation, making her completely bewildered.
"Alright, in that case, I guess I'll have to prepare well when I go back today!"
No, no, no! Don't do it!
Lefiya was filled with regret at this moment, but facing Shirou's smiling face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Yes!"
Ah, I've resigned myself. So be it.
Anyway, Emiya-san's strength is so great; I probably won't hold him back.
Seeing Lefiya agree to his invitation, Shirou felt somewhat satisfied.
This is a sorceress. As everyone knows, mages are the noblest profession. A powerful mage can even change the tide of a battle.
Although Lefiya was still very green, she was the designated successor of Riveria, Orario's strongest sorceress.
In terms of potential, she was absolutely top-tier.
Even if she had underperformed during the expedition, it was because the enemies they faced had become too strong, and she found it difficult to adapt.
If it were only in the middle or even lower levels, she was still a strategic weapon.
How to properly utilize her would be up to him.
Just as Shirou was contemplating the arrangements for tomorrow, Ais, Tiona, and Tione emerged from inside.
"How was it?"
"Everything went smoothly. It only needs one day of maintenance here, and we can pick it up tomorrow!"
Looking at the gradually darkening sky, Tione thought for a moment and said,
"There's an expedition celebration party at the Hostess of Fertility tonight. Why don't we just head straight there?"
"How about we just stroll along the street and head to the Hostess of Fertility?"
"Sounds good!"
Everyone nodded in satisfaction.
"I see, so Lefiya is teaming up with Shirou to explore the Dungeon tomorrow?"
Setting down her cup, Riveria looked at Lefiya beside her, her gaze filled with concern.
This was the Hostess of Fertility, a tavern Loki was extremely fond of. Whenever they returned from an expedition, the Loki Familia would hold their celebration banquet here. This time was no exception.
The Hostess of Fertility was extremely lively at this moment.
The members of the Loki Familia were drinking and eating heartily, loudly boasting about their exploits to their comrades.
Everyone was joyous, displaying a harmonious atmosphere.
After a few rounds of drinks and a period of revelry, the Familia members who had been celebrating together gradually split into smaller groups, each confiding their thoughts.
Sitting beside Lefiya was Riveria.
"That's good. Although Shirou has only just joined the Familia, I can tell he's a steady person. While his decision to delve into the Seventeenth Floor seemed dangerous, he himself had a good grasp of the situation. He's someone who plans well."
"With him, you might learn things you wouldn't normally encounter."
"Yes!"
Listening to Riveria's advice, Lefiya couldn't help but look at Shirou, who was sitting at another table, chatting with Ais and Tiona.
This person feels inexplicably reliable.
"Is this the legendary 'Magic Sword Archer'?"
"Magic Sword Archer?"
Looking at the grey-haired waitress in front of him, Shirou stared at her, somewhat bewildered.
"That's the title everyone gave you!"
"It means an archer who can fire attacks comparable to magic swords. How about it, does it fit well?"
Magic Sword Archer, huh? It sounds like a 'Nuclear Sword', quite nice.
"How to put it? It's surprisingly not bad."
Shirou, quite satisfied with the title, looked at the grey-haired girl in front of him and asked with a smile,
"May I ask your name?"
"Syr Flova, that's my name."
"Syr, then?"
Mulling over the name, Shirou chuckled, "What a lovely name."
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter