Chapter 82: The Ongoing Turmoil, a Commission from Freya?
"Isthar Familia..."
Just as the matter with the Apollo Familia had finally come to an end, a new problem emerged.
Even Shirou couldn't help showing signs of exhaustion.
Loki and Freya noticed his fatigue and advised him to return and rest.
After all, neither the issue with the Isthar Familia nor the Dark Faction was something that could be resolved overnight.
Rather than trying to force a solution now, it would be better to rest, wait for the situation with the Apollo Familia to be fully wrapped up, and then gather again to discuss next steps.
"This time, it really was all thanks to you, Emiya."
After leaving the Pleasure District, Loki couldn't help but speak up. In this battle against the Apollo Familia, Shirou had essentially single-handedly brought down the massive faction that had taken root in Orario.
Even Loki had to admit that Shirou had achieved something far beyond her expectations.
"I only did what I should have done," Shirou replied, without any sign of arrogance.
He didn't believe this victory was solely his own doing. If Bell hadn't defeated Hyakinthos, and if Lili hadn't used her transformation magic to place Enkidu on Apollo, Shirou wouldn't have been able to win. In a way, it was really the Hestia Familia as a whole that had brought down Apollo.
Moreover, based on the information Apollo had provided, Shirou understood that the crisis was far from over.
Whether it was the Dark Faction plotting from the shadows or the Isthar Familia potentially colluding with them, these were threats Shirou knew he would have to face eventually.
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Over the next few days, the Dungeon City Orario became incredibly lively.
The string of major events had given the city's gossip-hungry citizens plenty to talk about.
At first, everyone focused on Bell.
For defeating Hyakinthos in the arena while being a lower level, the gods gave him the nickname "The Fastest Rookie" — a tribute to how he reached Level 2 in just a few months and even managed to defeat a Level 3.
As a result, many powerful Familias began eyeing Bell, trying to recruit him into their ranks — but that didn't last long.
No one knew exactly why, but rumor had it that some powerful individual issued a warning, causing the other Familias to suddenly stop their attempts to poach Bell.
Aside from Bell, the downfall of the Apollo Familia was another hot topic among Orario's citizens.
Although only a few people — some gods and the casino staff — had witnessed the events unfold, the impact was too enormous to ignore.
It far surpassed even the shock of Bell and Hyakinthos's duel. The moment the Apollo Familia, which controlled the casino, collapsed, the news exploded across the city.
At the same time, the name Emiya Shirou rapidly spread and drew the attention of both gods and mortals.
After all, he had already gained attention for defeating Soma, the god of alcohol, in a tavern with food — beating the divine brew through his cooking.
And now, he had defeated Apollo himself, even while the god wielded his Authority of "Extreme Fortune", right within the casino.
Two consecutive victories against divine beings. Such a feat wasn't just shocking — it was nearly unbelievable.
Because defeating a god directly is unimaginably difficult, the attention Shirou received quickly outpaced even Bell's.
The gods, thoroughly intrigued, discussed the matter for several days before eventually giving him a nickname: "Godslayer". While a bit melodramatic, it perfectly reflected how deeply the gods were shaken by what had occurred.
Of course, Shirou himself didn't pay this title any mind. After concluding his bet with Apollo, he simply returned to his daily life — dividing his time between forging weapons and resting at the Hestia Familia home.
Although he remained concerned about the Isthar Familia, without solid evidence, he couldn't take any direct action. So he decided to wait until Loki and Freya had fully dismantled the Apollo Familia and sorted through the data before making any new moves.
That should have meant Shirou's life would return to a normal rhythm...
But it didn't.
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Because during Bell's duel in the arena, under the eyes of the entire city, he had used the Magic Sword: Hrunting.
The weapon's overwhelming power immediately sent shockwaves through Orario's entire community of smiths. Nearly every blacksmith went wild trying to find out who had forged such a terrifying weapon and what kind of person could create it.
As a member of the Hestia Familia and a registered smith under the Hephaestus Familia, Shirou naturally became one of the prime suspects.
Members of the Hephaestus Familia began subtly testing him every day, trying to see whether he had the skills to forge a magic sword like that.
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shirou was forced to hide his abilities and refrain from displaying his true craftsmanship.
While this tactic worked for deterring ordinary blacksmiths, it clearly wasn't enough for those with exceptional skills.
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"Yo, Emiya Shirou."
One day, just as Shirou was preparing to head to the forge like usual, a red-haired figure was already waiting for him at the door.
Seeing the man's face, Shirou immediately remembered him — it was Welf, someone he had met before.
Back then, to hide his identity, Shirou had introduced himself as "Muramasa", but now the man had spoken his real name — clearly, his identity had already been exposed.
"Welf, huh. What do you want?"
Shirou pretended not to care and spoke quietly. Welf, on the other hand, laughed in exasperation and said, "You tricked me using a fake name, and now you're openly greeting me like nothing happened? You're quite the interesting guy."
"I can't help it, you already know," Shirou sighed. "And it wasn't like I intentionally tried to deceive you before. The situation was just a bit awkward at the time." "Hah, of course I know that," Welf nodded. "So I'm not here to blame you or anything." "Oh? Then what did you come for?" "That day in the colosseum—Bell Cranel was holding a magic sword, right? That sword was forged by you, wasn't it?"
Welf got straight to the point, saying something that made Shirou's brows furrow. Although Shirou had considered the possibility of being exposed, he hadn't expected Welf to realize it so quickly.
Because of that, he looked at Welf a little more seriously and asked, "Why do you think that sword was forged by me? It's not like just anyone can forge a magic sword."
"Yeah, I didn't think you had that kind of skill at first either," Welf nodded silently. "What made me so certain was the forging technique of that sword. After I found Bell Cranel and forced him to let me examine the weapon, I realized it was completely different from any forging style currently used in Orario."
Shirou wasn't surprised. Bell was always the kind of person who couldn't say no to others, so he probably agreed to Welf's request without hesitation.
Still, Shirou asked, "Just because the forging technique was unfamiliar to you, you decided it was mine? Didn't you say before that my forging technique was too jumbled, like I'd mixed together all the styles in Orario?"
"Exactly," Welf gave him a provocative look. "That's why you stopped mimicking other styles after hearing what I said that day and began forging using your own original method, right? Since it's a new technique, it's cruder than usual, but you did it anyway because you accepted my words. You wanted to create something unique, didn't you?"
"..." Welf's keen perception surprised even Shirou.
Shirou couldn't help but chuckle, "You came to that conclusion based on just a few clues? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" "To most people, sure. But for us blacksmiths, we can be absolutely certain from just a sliver of intuition, right?" Welf looked at Shirou. "Honestly, I didn't even need to analyze it that much. The moment I saw that weapon, I just knew—it was your work."
"Intuition, huh..." Shirou had to admit Welf was indeed an exceptional blacksmith. "Well then, I guess I can't deny it."
"So it really was you who forged that magic sword!" Welf's eyes lit up. "Emiya, you're clearly capable of making incredible magic swords—why do you refuse to make them? A sword of that level could easily sell for tens of millions."
"It's not that I refuse to," Shirou waved his hand. "It's just that there's no need to. Weapons aren't born to be sold for profit."
"Weapons aren't born to be sold for profit...?" Welf looked like he'd just heard something unbelievable. His face lit up with excitement. "I knew it—we really get along, Emiya." "..."
Shirou could completely understand what Welf meant.
Because he had previously seen that golden blood in Welf, Shirou had taken a strong interest in him and conducted a lot of research, eventually uncovering the truth about him.
Welf's true name was Welf Crozzo, a descendant of the Crozzo family.
The Crozzo clan had received the blood of Spirit a thousand years ago, and their descendants inherited a special bloodline that allowed them to forge powerful magic swords easily.
However, the Crozzo family abused that power, causing destruction that even affected the Elves and Spirit, and as a result, they were cursed by the Spirit.
From then on, no descendant was able to forge magic swords anymore.
The only exception was Welf.
For some reason, he retained the ability to forge magic swords and was therefore highly valued by the Crozzo family.
However, Welf himself was dissatisfied with how others valued only the magic swords and ignored his own personal forging skills.
So he fled the Crozzo family and swore never to forge another magic sword, eventually joining the Hephaestus Familia as a little-known blacksmith.
Shirou wasn't particularly interested in Welf's backstory. What interested him more was the golden blood he had seen.
If he wasn't mistaken, that golden blood was likely a result of the Spirit bloodline the Crozzo clan had inherited.
Which meant that the strange magic stone Shirou had absorbed on the 20th floor of the dungeon might also contain the power of the Spirit.
But that raised a troubling question. According to legend, the Spirit were avatars of the gods—manifestations of divine power sent to help humanity before the gods descended to the lower world.
If that legend was true, then the Spirit should have been forces of good. But if that's the case, why did they create the mutated monsters found on the 20th floor?
Disturbed by the actions of the dark factions, Shirou only exchanged a few more words with Welf before immersing himself once again in his forging.
Regardless of anything else, practicing the forge was incredibly meaningful to Shirou at this point—not only was it a practical skill, but forging itself brought him genuine enjoyment. It was one of the rare moments where he could truly relax.
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Shirou's peaceful days didn't last long. One morning, as he got up and headed to the Hephaestus Familia to continue forging, he ran into Loki with her signature narrow eyes. "Come on, Emiya. It's time for a strategy meeting." "Okay."
Finally receiving news regarding the dark factions stirred a bit of excitement in Shirou's heart.
He followed Loki to the same remote tavern they had visited before.
Just like last time, Freya was already there waiting. Even under her cloak, the goddess of beauty's allure was impossible to ignore.
"So you've finally arrived," Freya smiled at Shirou. "It's only been a few days, but I've already missed you terribly, Emiya." "Don't go charming my Emiya boy right off the bat, you shameless woman!"
Loki glared at Freya.
"Emiya's not your Familia member, you know." "He will be in five years!"
Shirou was already used to the two goddesses' bickering and sat quietly to the side, ignoring their antics.
After a while, Loki got down to business and explained the aftermath of the Apollo Familia.
In short, Apollo had been completely exiled from Orario, and his Familia disbanded.
All its members had transferred to other Familias—Apollo Familia no longer existed.
However, the transfer of power over the casino was not going so smoothly.
The reason was the interference from the Guild and the Ganesha Familia.
The two major organizations seemed unwilling to hand over such a lucrative operation, and were using every trick to delay things.
Since Loki and Freya had no real interest in running a casino, they were fine playing the waiting game.
As a result, Orario's casino was now half-shut down—effectively out of business.
What followed would be a test of patience.
On that front, Loki and Freya had the clear advantage. After all, they had basically acquired the casino for free—no investment meant no losses.
Their only goal was to force the Guild and Ganesha Familia to relinquish full control of the casino and bring it under proper regulation.
"Well, the Guild will cave eventually. If they let the casino stay closed any longer, they'll be losing everything—down to their underwear. I bet that fat pig Royman will come crawling to negotiate soon." Loki wore a sly grin, clearly having plotted this out thoroughly.
Against the scheming goddess of trickery, the Guild didn't stand a chance. No matter how much they resisted, they were nothing more than fish on a chopping block.
"Looks like everything's going smoothly." Shirou commented quietly.
But the moment he said that, he noticed Freya's expression had turned somewhat grim.
As the goddess of Orario's most powerful Familia, Freya was usually calm and composed, rarely showing such visible unease.
Both Shirou and Loki turned to look at her. "Did something happen?" Shirou asked first. "Yes, a bit of trouble," Freya said, gazing at Shirou. "Before we dealt with the Apollo Familia, I mentioned that you owed me a favor, right?" "That's right." "Now I want to use that favor. I want you to help me with something." "What is it?"
Shirou was visibly surprised that Freya would ask him to handle something. But Freya didn't hesitate at all and said, "Just a few days ago, one of my Familia's healers— Heith Velvet—went missing near the Pleasure Quarter.
I want you to go there, especially to the Ishtar Familia, and investigate.
Bring that child back safely."