DanMachi: Heroic Epic of Emiya the Great Hero

Perhaps lying about one's name isn't a good idea, but for now, little Ais couldn't find the right moment to explain.

Being called by the name "Riveria" by the other party felt truly strange.

"Hmm, Shirou."

"Well then, let's part ways here. The Demeter Familia's base should be over there."

"Ah? Um... yes.",Ais reluctantly let go of the boy's hand.

She hadn't yet achieved her goal—to ask him for guidance in swordsmanship, but she felt that now wasn't the right time.

"Shirou, will we meet again?",Ais asked, tilting her head slightly, her golden hair fluttering in the night breeze.

"Of course, Riveria.",Shirou smiled.

"Mm, then, it's a promise—",Ais said earnestly, extending her right hand with her pinky finger hooked.

This gesture was quite fitting for her age and, moreover, very cute.

Emiya: "Mm, it's a promise."

'Riveria of the Demeter Familia', Emiya Shirou carefully remembered this somewhat peculiar but adorable girl.

———

[Hephaestus Familia Base]

The crimson-haired god sat by the fireplace, drinking alone. The firelight cast her graceful figure onto the opposite wall. The god placed the goblet filled with amber wine on the table and stretched lazily.

"Shirou hasn't returned yet...",Hephaestus murmured, leaning back on the soft velvet chair.

Gods could sense the status of their Familia members through their "Blessings." As long as the number of Blessings didn't decrease, they could at least confirm that their children hadn't been killed.

"Was it a bit impulsive to allow Shirou to go on an adventure alone?"

Although Hephaestus believed that, given the boy's abilities and personality, no monster in the upper levels could harm him, the Dungeon was always an unreasonable place where any kind of accident could happen.

While worrying about the child's safety, she was also curious about what kind of growth he would achieve through this adventure. Thus, Hephaestus eagerly awaited Emiya's return.

As if responding to the goddess's anticipation, someone arrived—but it wasn't Emiya Shirou.

Tsubaki burst through the door,"Goddess, something terrible has happened!"

Hephaestus looked at the door panel in Tsubaki's hand and sighed deeply,"Tsubaki, remember to fix my door when you leave."

The goddess shifted from her casual, lazy posture to a more upright one.

"So, what happened?",she asked.

"It's like this...",Tsubaki relayed the news she had heard from Shakti to the goddess.

Both Tsubaki and the goddess were well-acquainted with Shakti's character. What the [Staff of the Elephant God] said was undoubtedly the absolute truth.

If Shakti hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have spoken of it. That was just her nature.

Hephaestus's expression began to turn serious,"The Loki Familia, tsk, to use such tactics, how sneaky..."

From the moment she took in Emiya Shirou, Hephaestus had believed that this child would surely become a remarkable adventurer.

Not just because of his limitless potential in [Magic] and [Skills], but also because of the firm will and strong mind that even gods would praise.

Thus, Hephaestus had always been vigilant, guarding against any ulterior motives other Familias might harbor.

Children with special potential would always attract the attention of the gods, and some twisted and malevolent gods would even stoop to the despicable act of snatching children from other Familias.

For example, the main god of the [Apollo Familia], the sun god Apollo, was such a character, known among the gods by the nickname [Tragic Love]. Every adventurer in his Familia had been pursued by Apollo, and if they refused, they would be dragged in by various means (including but not limited to being hunted down).

However, Hephaestus wasn't worried about Apollo at all. Although the [Apollo Familia] was quite powerful and could be considered a core force in the labyrinth city, they were ultimately just a [core] force.

If they dared to reach out, she would chop off their claws along with their heads. The top faction [Hephaestus Familia] had that kind of power.

So, compared to open conflicts, Hephaestus was more concerned about the hidden tactics beneath the surface.

For example, using children of the opposite sex from the Familia to seduce was a common trick.

"I had hoped that Shirou would attract children from the Loki Familia, but to directly send a first-class adventurer to seduce him...",The goddess couldn't help but frown at this.

"This might not necessarily be an action at the Familia level. Although the god Loki seems unreliable, I still trust Captain Finn's character.",Tsubaki said.

"I think it's more likely an individual's action. After all, among the first-class adventurers of the Loki Familia, there are two Amazons."

The goddess hesitated for a moment,"Hmm, Amazons, indeed..."

Amazons, one of the races gathered in Orario, were an all-female race. Amazons far surpassed humans in physical abilities such as strength, endurance, and agility, ranking at the top among various races. However, their magical abilities were relatively weak, and it was rare for an Amazon to become a pure mage.

But compared to their racial abilities, the Amazons were more famous for their racial temperament and behavior.

To put it mildly: Amazons were usually quite "open" and had slightly deviant social habits.

For example, it was well-known that Amazons had an extraordinary enthusiasm for beautiful young men.

The two Amazons in the Loki Familia had somewhat special personalities. One retained a rare childlike innocence, while the other was purely infatuated with their captain, Finn, both being unconventional Amazons.

But, after all, they were Amazons. Who knew if there would be a sudden awakening one day.

"Speaking of which, which female first-class adventurer from the Loki Familia was trying to seduce Shirou?",Hephaestus noticed the key question.

The Loki Familia had a total of four female first-class adventurers: a pair of Amazon sisters, the elf [Nine Hells] Riveria, and the [Sword Princess] Ais Wallenstein.

"Ah... this...",Tsubaki was momentarily stunned, scratching her head guiltily,"I was in such a hurry that I didn't hear clearly and ran back."

"If it's the [Sword Princess], that child might actually be a good match for Shirou?",Hephaestus began to consider another angle.

Both of them were similar in age and talent, with the main difference being the time they had spent as adventurers. The [Sword Princess] had started adventuring very early; this girl had been following the Loki Familia on expeditions into the Dungeon since she was seven, which seemed insane to outsiders.

"I'm back."

Finally, the goddess heard the long-awaited voice.

"Goddess Hephaestus, and Tsubaki, you're both here. Goddess, why is your door broken?",Shirou asked.

"Shirou, I want to ask about today's adventure. Did you meet any interesting people or things?",Hephaestus asked with a gentle expression.

"Ah, I did meet a rather special girl today.",Emiya Shirou said without any hesitation,"I just escorted her home, so I'm a bit late coming back."

"What's her name?",Hephaestus narrowed her eyes, thinking,'Let's see which bad woman is trying to seduce my child.'

Emiya replied,"Her name is Riveria."

Hephaestus and Tsubaki exchanged glances, both clearly seeing extremely complex emotions in each other's eyes.

Surprise, confusion, distress, bewilderment, and even fear.

"What's her name?",Hephaestus asked. Children of the lower world couldn't lie in front of a god; any lie would be easily detected.

But precisely because she knew that neither Shirou nor Tsubaki were lying, Hephaestus began to doubt herself, even wondering if the god's ability to detect lies had malfunctioned.

"Her name is Riveria.",Shirou repeated, though somewhat puzzled, as per the goddess's request.

Could there be another person named Riveria in Orario? The goddess and Tsubaki couldn't help but wonder, and they quickly reached the same conclusion.

No, other names might be duplicated, but "Riveria" definitely wouldn't be, as it was the name of the respected elven royal family. Anyone daring to use this name would surely be torn apart by the elves.

So, it could only be that Riveria, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia, [Nine Hells] Riveria Ljos Alf.

Tsubaki recalled Shakti's description again,"Walking hand in hand, intimately on the street."

"From behind, secretly staring at your child's eyes... tsk tsk, it was so passionate it felt like she wanted to devour him, it was almost scary."

'Riveria, what are you doing?'

———

Reminded by Shirou, the shocked goddess Hephaestus finally remembered that she still needed to update Shirou's status.

Although Tsubaki had countless things she wanted to say, she consciously left the room at this moment. Even as the captain, she shouldn't pry into a member's divine Blessing without permission.

She could sense that Shirou had some special abilities besides the magic [Unlimited Blade Works], but since neither the goddess nor Shirou had mentioned it, she wouldn't ask.

Tsubaki left, looking back every few steps, which even made the boy feel puzzled.

"Shirou, what do you think of Riveria?",the goddess couldn't help but ask.

"Well, I think she's quite cute.",Shirou said,"Probably the cutest girl I've ever met."

So far, "Riveria" was the only girl younger than him that Emiya had met in this world.

So Shirou felt that other girls, whether it was Ryuu or Anya, were more beautiful than cute, while only "Riveria" was more cute than beautiful.

"Cute?",The goddess was shocked, and unconsciously, her gaze at Shirou carried a hint of "respect."

At first, she thought it was Riveria, the high-aged elf, who was the problem. Now, it seemed her own child wasn't simple either.

Gods could clearly discern the lies of the lower world's people. Goddess Hephaestus could now confirm that Shirou's words were sincere; he genuinely thought Riveria was "cute".

"Shirou," the goddess softly called the boy's name.

"Goddess, what is it?"

"No matter who you like, as long as you both feel the same, I will support you."

Goddess Hephaestus didn't quite understand, but she chose to respect and bless.

Emiya: "Ah? Um... thank you?"

At least, this way, there was no need to worry about Shirou being deceived by a bad woman. Although Riveria's preferences were somewhat unexpected, her noble character should be trustworthy... probably.

Thinking carefully, humans and elves were the most common pair for cross-racial unions. A mere hundred-year age gap might not be a big deal for elves?

'Should I start crafting some jewelry? What kind of gifts do elves like...',The goddess's thoughts began to drift.

"Goddess, I'm ready," the boy had already removed his shirt, revealing his sturdy back.

"Oh, um, alright," coming back to her senses, Hephaestus pressed her cut finger onto Shirou's back.

The emblem of a volcano and a forging hammer appeared, followed by the sacred script forming the status data.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

[Emiya Shirou]

Lv.1

Strength: H139-H180

Endurance: G246-G278

Dexterity: E447-D507

Agility: H128-H162

Magic: F311-E410

[Development Abilities]

—: Magic :—

[Unlimited Blade Works]

—: Skills :—

[Oath under the Snow]

[?????? (Roadless Valhalla)]

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Hephaestus rubbed her eyes, a bit startled by the boy's sudden surge in status.

"Shirou, this is your status. Tell me the truth, what exactly did you do?",Hephaestus asked seriously.

Emiya Shirou thought for a moment,"Maybe it's because I killed a Minotaur?"

"What, a Minotaur? Did you go deep into the middle levels?",Hephaestus's tone became serious,"We agreed, no further than the 12th floor."

'If this child had underestimated the Dungeon and acted recklessly in the labyrinth', Hephaestus would truly be angry.

"No, a Minotaur somehow appeared on the 12th floor.",Shirou explained,"I met Riveria on the 12th floor; she was separated from her team."

"I see.",Hephaestus's brow relaxed.

It was rare for monsters from the 15th floor and below to appear on the 12th floor, but it wasn't impossible.

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