Chapter 52. The Great Hero Emiya and the [Goddess Freya]?
Dungeon, 18th Floor, "Under Resort".
The current atmosphere was less of a "post-war aftermath" and more of a "large-scale family drama scene." The air was thick with a flammable and explosive gas known as a "shura field" (love polygon), so concentrated that even a protagonist as dense as a light novel lead could sense it.
"Um... Ais?"
Shirou Emiya was strapped to a stretcher (yes, as a "stretcher regular" in this story, he was prone again). He spoke cautiously to the girl beside him, who kept her head down and radiated a golden aura of "low atmospheric pressure."
"..." Ais didn't speak; she just walked in silence. Her hand was still tightly gripping Shirou's left hand, the strength so great it felt like she might crush his bones—as if confirming a certain "right of ownership."
Her gaze was much like a kitten protecting its food, silently declaring: This feeder is mine; nobody else can take him.
"Hmph! Emiya-sama is a big dummy!"
On the other side, Lili carried a massive backpack filled with loot (mostly scavenged from Jura—after all, "a thief never leaves empty-handed" is the professional ethic of a Supporter). She muttered crossly under her breath.
"You promised you were just coming to save someone, but you ended up covered in injuries again! And you even given a gift to another woman! That bow looks very expensive! It's a memento of love, isn't it? It definitely is! Are you trying to complete the 'Harem King' achievement?"
"I told you, it was a return gift for 'after-sales service'! And I'm a blacksmith; that was a sample display!" Shirou wanted to cry but had no tears. Although the wounds on his body had mostly healed under the effects of [Pseudo-Avalon] and high-grade potions, this kind of mental torture (White Album season) was the most lethal.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing, heroes."
Just then, a team of adventurers in uniform approached. It was the administrator of the 18th floor and the mayor of Rivira—Bors.
This man, who looked like a bandit leader with thick flesh, was actually a very shrewd businessman who knew exactly how to read the room—an NPC with the "sailing with the wind" skill maxed out.
"Mr. Emiya, we really owe you one this time." Bors wiped cold sweat away and glanced at Jura, who was tied up and dragged behind like a dead dog. "If that lunatic had let that 'Juggernaut' thing out, our entire town of Rivira would have been finished. You are our savior! We almost collectively hit the 'GG' button!"
"Not only killed the monster but cleaned up the trash as well." Shirou smiled, though the expression twitched slightly from pain. "This guy is a Guild fugitive; the bounty should be quite high, right?"
"Absolutely!" Bors thumped his chest, his facial fat quivering. "We'll hand him over to the Guild, and every cent of the bounty will be deposited into the Loki Familia's account! We'll only take a tiny 'processing fee.' In addition..."
He leaned in mysteriously, like a peddler selling pirated discs, and stuffed a small pouch into Shirou's hand.
"This is 'good stuff' we found in Jura's secret hideout. I don't know what it is, but it feels like a rare drop (SSR). Consider it a thank-you gift."
Shirou took the bag and opened it. Inside lay an oddly shaped, eyeball-like gemstone emitting an eerie blue light.
"This is..." Shirou's pupils contracted. [Structural Analysis] activated instantly, and a waterfall of information flooded his mind.
[Daedalus Orb (Orb of Daedalus)]
Material: Ultra-high purity Orichalcum + Unknown biological eyeball (living tissue)Properties: Key, Mana Amplifier, IndestructibleNote: The only proof of passage into that "Labyrinth," and the final puzzle piece to unlocking the secrets beneath Orario.
"Finally... I have it." Shirou gripped the gem. This was the true key to opening the doors of the man-made labyrinth, Knossos. With this, the Loki Familia could turn the tide from passive to active and strike at the heart of the enemy. It was like finally finding the master key to the final boss room in a hidden map while playing an RPG.
"Thanks, Bors." Shirou put the gem away, his gaze deepening.
"This is very useful to me. More valuable than any bounty."
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Back on the surface. Twilight Manor, Top Floor Meeting Room.
When Shirou placed the blue eyeball gem on the table, Finn's thumb instantly stopped twitching. It was the signal that his "intuition" radar had finally locked onto the target.
"This is it." Finn picked up the gem, his eyes flashing with wisdom. "The legacy of Daedalus... the key to the man-made labyrinth. That fool Jura actually carried it on him; he basically hand-delivered a package to the enemy."
"With this, we can freely enter and exit that hellhole." Gareth rubbed his hands together, his beard bristling with excitement.
"Dix got the better of us last time; this time, I'm taking men to tear his nest apart! Let them know how hard a Dwarf's axe is!"
"Don't be hasty, Gareth." Riveria analyzed calmly. As the "brain" of the team, she was always ready with the necessary cold water. "The structure of the man-made labyrinth is extremely complex, and it's filled with traps specifically for adventurers. If we rush in without full preparation, we'll just repeat the same mistake and turn into 'Huluwa' (calabash brothers) delivering ourselves one by one."
"Furthermore..." Riveria looked at Shirou with a hint of worry, a maternal-like concern. "Emiya's condition needs adjustment. Even if your body has recovered, the load on your Magic Circuits was too great. You cannot use those 'nuclear explosion' level moves again in the short term. Your body is not a disposable item."
"I understand." Shirou nodded, touching his chest. After this series of fierce battles, he was deeply aware of his shortcomings. Although his burst power was strong enough to challenge those above his level, his endurance and physical durability were still weak points. Without activating [Structural Strengthening], he couldn't even withstand a single hit from a Lv. 3. This was the so-called "Glass Cannon" physique.
"In any case, first, we must analyze this key." Finn made his decision, leadership authority radiating from his small body.
"With Miss Haruhime's intelligence and this key, we can map out Knossos. The time for the general offensive... is set for three days from now."
"Three days?" Everyone was a bit surprised.
"Exactly." Finn's gaze became as sharp as an eagle locking onto its prey. "Speed is the essence of war. The Dark Factions have just lost Dix and Jura; they are in chaos. We must strike a fatal blow before they can react! This is a 'Rush' tactic!"
"Understood!" Everyone felt the Captain's resolve. This would be a reckoning—for the past, for the future, and for the peace of Orario.
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After the meeting, Shirou dragged his exhausted body back to his room.
"Phew... finally, I can rest." He flopped onto the bed, not wanting to move a single finger. He felt completely hollowed out, wanting nothing more than to be a salted fish.
"Good work, Shirou-sama." Haruhime appeared at the bedside at some point, holding a cup of hot tea with a perfectly healing smile, her large tail wagging gently behind her.
"Would you like me to give you a massage? Although my technique isn't very good... I will work very hard."
"No, no, it's fine..." Shirou waved his hands frantically, shrinking back like a pure-hearted boy. If Ais or Lili saw this scene, his room would turn into the battlefield of the "Second Holy Grail War."
"Um... Emiya-sama." Just then, Lili walked in holding a letter, her expression odd, as if she were looking at a time bomb.
"What's wrong, Lili? Is it a debt collector?" Shirou joked. "Don't worry, the loot this time should be enough to pay off your equipment debt."
"No... this is a hundred times scarier than a debt collector." Lili handed the letter to Shirou, her hands trembling slightly as if the envelope were poisonous.
"This was just sent by... a gray-haired lady in a maid outfit. She said... it must be handed to you personally."
"Maid outfit? Gray hair?" Shirou blinked. Syr? The overlord of the "Dark Cooking World"?
He took the envelope. It was made of the highest quality parchment, emitting an intoxicating scent of roses. It was stamped with a complex wax seal. It wasn't the symbol of "The Benevolent Mistress." It was—the profile of a Goddess, surrounded by thorny roses and sharp swords.
[Freya Familia].
Shirou's heart skipped a beat. That premonition... had come true. The Goddess of Beauty who stood at the peak of Orario and commanded the strongest combat group had finally made her move on him.
He opened the envelope. Inside was only an exquisite card with a few lines of elegant, refined handwriting, where every word seemed written with a blend of blood and honey:
To my dear Shirou Emiya (Senji Muramasa):
Congratulations on passing the "trial" of the 37th floor and completing the "hero saving the beauty" on the 18th floor. Your brilliance has made it impossible for me to look away. The color of a soul blooming out of despair is truly delicious.
Tomorrow evening, I will host a banquet at "Folkvangr." As Orario's newest Lv. 3, and as the "unpolished gem" I look forward to most.
Please do me the honor of attending.
P.S. This isn't a request; it's an order. If you don't come... I'll have Ottar go "invite" you. Or, I wouldn't mind going to Twilight Manor to snatch you away myself.
Love (wanting to devour you), Freya.
"..." After reading the letter, Shirou felt the card in his hand weigh a thousand pounds.
How was this an invitation? This was clearly a ticket to a a trap) And in the style of a domineering CEO: "If you don't come, I'll destroy your family!" Moreover, the content in the final parentheses definitely wasn't a rhetorical device—she was serious!
"Freya Familia..." Lili swallowed hard, her face pale.
"The strongest Familia in Orario? The 'Army of the Beauty Goddess' that you can never escape once their deity sets her sights on you? Legend says that of the men she fancies, not one has ever escaped her grasp..."
"Yeah, probably." Shirou gave a bitter laugh and tossed the letter on the table.
"It seems... I've really been targeted by someone truly formidable."
From the "Monster King" on the 37th floor, to Syr's various hints, to this formal invitation. Freya's net had tightened. This was a "hunting operation" directed at him.
"What should we do, Emiya-sama?" Lili asked anxiously. "Should we tell Captain Finn? Or... should we run away? Escape outside of Orario?"
"We can't escape." Shirou shook his head. In this Orario, no one can hide from Freya's eyes. Her [Eyes] can see the brilliance of a soul; no matter where you hide, as long as your soul is still shining, you will be found. Besides... if a war between the two strongest Familias was triggered because of him, that was the last thing he wanted to see.
"Since I can't hide, I can only face it." Shirou stood up, a flash of determination in his eyes, like a martyr about to head to the execution ground.
"I'll go."
"Emiya-sama!"
"Don't worry, Lili." Shirou patted her head, forcing out a smile. "It's just a dinner. I'm not a pushover. If she wants to devour me, she'll have to be careful not to break her teeth."
Though he said that, Shirou knew very well in his heart. Tomorrow night's banquet would likely be more treacherous than the final battle in the man-made labyrinth. Because what he had to face wasn't a monster or a conspiracy.
It was—the "Love" of a deity.
The kind of love that was heavy enough to suffocate, distort, and even destroy one's self... a love as heavy as a black hole.
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Meanwhile, at the top of Babel, in Folkvangr.
Freya stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the brightly lit Twilight Manor. The wine glass in her hand swirled gently, the deep red liquid rippling like blood.
"Did he receive it?" the Goddess asked softly, her voice lazy and enchanting.
"Yes, Goddess-sama," Ottar replied from the shadows behind her, head bowed. "The letter has been delivered. The gray-haired girl who delivered it (Syr) seemed very happy."
"Good." The corner of Freya's mouth curled into a seductive smile—a smile enough to drive any man to madness.
"Get ready, Ottar. Tomorrow night, I want all of Orario to know..."
She reached out her hand and made a grasping motion toward the distant Twilight Manor, her fingers slowly tightening as if to completely take the red-haired boy's soul into her palm.
"This soul named 'Shirou Emiya'...
Is a prey I, Freya, have set my sights on.
No one shall take him away. Not Loki, not even that little Hestia... no one."
The winds were rising. Before the general offensive on the man-made labyrinth, a struggle for "ownership" was about to begin at the peak of this Labyrinth City. This was a war named "Love," and it was the most cruel war of all.