For most of Loki Familia, today was just another ordinary rest day after the server reset.
But for Emiya Shirou, hiding in the underground storeroom and facing the biggest crisis of his life, today was destined to become a survival game titled:
"If Stealth Fails, You Die."
He might be the child of a famous Mage Killer, but when it came to sneaking around…
Shirou was nowhere nearKiritsugu Emiya.
Underground Storage — Hidden Room
"Ahmu… tasty…"
The silver-haired dragon girl Wiene sat on the bed, holding an oversized, custom-made rice ball—bigger than her face.
The filling was high-grade monster meat floss mixed with egg yolk mayonnaise.
Her cheeks puffed up as she ate, and her wings fluttered happily, sending soft breezes through the room.
That completely defenseless cuteness was basically the highest-level definition of "adorable," enough to deal critical damage to any carbon-based lifeform.
"Slow down. There's plenty."
Shirou sat on a wooden crate with warm milk in hand, looking like a father who'd already aged ten years overnight.
No—more like a worrying housewife.
"E-Emiya-sama!"
Nearby, Lili paced back and forth so hard she looked like she was going to grind the floor down to bedrock.
"How can you be this calm?! It's already morning! How are we going to hide her? Loki-sama may have given tacit permission, but if Lady Riveria or Captain Finn finds out—!"
Lili swallowed.
In her mind flashed the image of a usually gentle and dignified elf—whose anger could summon something far worse than a Demon Lord:
The Reality Marble of "Lecture Hell."
"We'll die… we'll absolutely die to that psychic damage called 'common sense'!"
"Calm down, Lili…"
Shirou took another sip of milk, trying to soothe his supporter's shredded nerves.
"The most dangerous place is the safest place."
"And I already added a 'presence severance' spell to the invisibility cloak. As long as Wiene doesn't run around, in theory we should be able to hold out for a while…"
"…Probably."
He hadn't even finished raising that flag—
Knock, knock, knock.
A steady, rhythmic, powerful knock interrupted his classic "I'm safe" behavior.
The room froze.
Time felt like it had been paused.
Wiene dropped her rice ball, dove under the blanket, and left only a pair of terrified golden eyes visible—
the ultimate "if I can't see you, you can't see me" technique.
Lili turned into a statue, face white, already watching the GAME OVER screen in her mind.
"Emiya. Are you awake?"
The voice outside was the voice Lili had nightmares about:
Cool. Noble. Absolute.
The pressure of a top-tier adventurer.
Riveria Ljos Alf—Loki Familia vice-captain, Orario's greatest mage, and the real one holding the household's life-or-death authority.
"…I'm awake."
Shirou set the cup down, shot Lili a "hold the line" look, and stood.
"What is it so early, Riveria-sensei?"
"I want to talk about your 'mana supply' problem."
Her tone remained calm, but it sounded like the stillness before a hurricane.
"Also, last night the kitchen lost an entire pot of stew and half a bag of flour. The head chef is claiming there are rats."
"Do you happen to know anything about that?"
"…Uh."
A bead of sweat slid down Shirou's forehead.
She even knew how much flour was missing—this wasn't a housekeeper.
This was a human surveillance system.
"I… kind of can't right now—"
"Is it that you can't… or that you don't want me to see?"
Click.
The lock made a crisp sound.
Not from a key.
From a refined high-level unlocking spell that physically broke it open.
The technique was so practiced it made you wonder if this noble elven royalty had done side gigs as a thief.
The door creaked open.
Riveria stood there, long green hair draped over her shoulders, emerald eyes shining with the intelligence of someone who sees through everything.
Behind her burned an invisible black aura labeled:
"Room Inspection."
"Let me guess."
She stepped inside, her gaze sweeping across Lili—who looked minutes away from death—then landing on the bulge beneath the blanket behind Shirou.
"That 'specialty' you brought back last night… wasn't just magic stones, was it?"
As an elf, her sensitivity to presence far exceeded normal people.
Even under the cloak and Shirou's spells, that "deep Dungeon" scent—the smell of something other—couldn't fully escape her.
"Come out."
Riveria raised her staff, its tip glowing with dangerous light.
"Or do you want me to give it a physical cooldown with Wimble's Winter?"
"Wait, Riveria!"
Shirou snapped both arms wide, shielding the bed.
His magic circuits lit up.
Structural Reinforcement went into full standby.
In that instant, he took on the resolve of someone facing a final boss.
"Don't attack."
"She… isn't an enemy."
"Emiya?"
Riveria frowned.
The student who normally obeyed her without complaint was now standing in battle posture.
"For something hiding under a blanket… you're going to draw your blade against me?"
"That's behavior you'd expect from a rebellious phase."
The atmosphere plunged to freezing.
Mana pressure crackled like sparks.
The background music had absolutely switched to a boss theme.
And then—
"D-Don't bully Shirou!"
The blanket flipped.
The small dragon girl jumped down from the bed—trembling hard enough to rattle—but she threw her arms out and stood in front of Shirou.
Her golden slit pupils were filled with tears…
and yet held a stubborn resolve.
The kind of classic "awakening to protect someone important" scene that the universe loved.
"I… I'm not scared of you!"
"Bad person!"
Riveria froze.
Her staff hung midair.
The calm, intelligent expression she always wore—
completely broke.
Wings. Tail.
And the crimson gemstone set into the forehead.
"A Vouivre…?"
Riveria whispered, as if her worldview had just been rewritten.
"You can… speak?"
Thirty Minutes Later — Twilight Manor, Top Floor Meeting Room
An emergency session, reserved only for the Familia's core leadership.
Or rather—
A three-panel tribunal aimed directly at Emiya Shirou.
At the head of the long table sat Finn.
His hands were folded under his chin.
His thumb—symbol of that "golden wisdom"—was twitching faintly.
To the left: Riveria, grave-faced, and Gareth, friendly-looking but sharp-eyed.
To the right: Loki, legs crossed, wearing the delighted expression of someone watching premium entertainment.
At the center:
Shirou stood perfectly straight.
Beside him was Wiene, gripping the hem of his clothes, shaking.
The tableau looked exactly like that famous painting:
"The hero returns to the village carrying the Demon King's daughter and gets put on trial."
Honestly?
For Shirou, this was completely in character.
"...I see."
Finn broke the suffocating silence.
"A monster that can speak, feel, and even has a name…"
"A Xenos."
His gaze fell on Wiene.
No killing intent.
Only the curiosity of a scientist who'd just discovered an alien.
"Emiya."
"Do you understand what this means?"
"In Orario, monsters are absolute 'evil.' That's a truth carved into every race's bones over thousands of years."
"You brought her back. You even want to shelter her."
"This isn't just breaking rules—"
"It's challenging the world's operating system."
"If the Guild or other Familias learn of it," Gareth added, voice deep, "Loki Familia will be branded 'traitors to humanity.'"
"Our reputation will hit zero… or worse."
"I know."
Shirou nodded without flinching.
"But I can't abandon her."
"Why?" Finn asked.
"Just sympathy? Because she looks human?"
"Listen, Emiya… humans can't—at the very least, shouldn't—"
Shirou's mouth twitched.
Captain, now is not the time for that meme.
"Because she was asking for help."
Shirou lifted his head, eyes locked onto Finn's.
Amber pupils burning with something called conviction.
A gaze unique to a "Hero of Justice," stubborn enough to hurt.
"That day in the Great Tree Labyrinth, she was crying."
"She was shouting 'save me.'"
"If I face a life that can cry, laugh, and think—"
"And because she's labeled 'monster,' I raise my sword against her…"
His fist clenched.
His voice struck like iron.
"Then I wouldn't be 'Emiya Shirou' anymore."
"My sword exists to protect."
"Not to slaughter innocent lives."
"Even if that life is a 'monster' in the eyes of the world."
A flawless protagonist speech.
Even the air itself felt like it was getting hyped.
Silence again.
Riveria looked at him, something complicated flickering in her eyes.
The boy who smiled warmly and cooked in the kitchen…
was now showing the stubbornness of a storybook hero.
Stupid.
And somehow… moving.
"You really are…"
"A fool."
Riveria sighed—yet her lips curled slightly upward.
(Somewhere, an invisible affection bar ticked up.)
"HAHAHAHA!"
Loki slammed the table, laughing.
"Well? Finn? I told you he's a fun freak!"
"For a monster, he's willing to square up against a room full of Lv.6s!"
"That's spirit! That's what my Familia should look like!"
"Loki," Finn said, tired, "you knew already."
"Eh, I bumped into him while stealing food from the kitchen last night." Loki shrugged, selling her teammate with zero guilt.
"I thought it was interesting, so I let him keep her."
"Also, that stew was delicious and Wiene is cute. Look—tiny wings! So adorable!"
Loki even made a face at Wiene, who immediately shrank behind Shirou like she'd just met a strange uncle.
Finn rubbed his temple.
If the goddess had already decided…
what was a captain supposed to do?
He hopped down from his chair and walked up to Wiene.
Wiene squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for judgment.
But no strike came.
Finn gently tapped the red gem on her forehead.
"Does it hurt?"
"N-no…"
"Do you get hungry?"
"Mm… I'm hungry."
"Do you want to live?"
"Yes!"
"I want to be with Shirou… and everyone!"
Finn stared into her eyes for a long time.
They were clear—no brutality, no murky violence.
Pure to the point of being absurd.
He exhaled.
Then smiled—the kind of smile that made Familia members trust him.
"Then we don't have a choice."
He turned to the others.
"If she has a 'heart,' we can't treat her like a monster."
"And Emiya is right."
"If we ignore a cry for help…"
"Then Loki Familia doesn't deserve to call itself 'the strongest.'"
"We're not third-rate villains who bully the weak."
"Finn?" Gareth looked surprised.
"I agree to keep her," Riveria said, staff tapping lightly on the floor.
"I'm interested in this unknown lifeform."
"And… I can't bring myself to harm a child that small."
"I do have maternal instincts."
"Since Riveria-mama agrees, this old man has no objections!" Gareth laughed.
"Really…?"
Shirou looked like he couldn't believe it.
He'd been fully prepared to take Wiene and run—an entire Fugitive arc.
And yet…
He cleared the trial this fast?
"Don't celebrate yet," Finn said, expression sharpening.
"There are conditions."
"First: she never leaves Twilight Manor. If outsiders discover her, we will be forced to 'deal with' her. That is the bottom line."
"Second: you are responsible for watching her."
"If she shows any aggression or signs of losing control…"
"You will personally cut the thread of causality."
"That is responsibility."
"Third—"
Finn's eyes flashed with keen interest.
"You will tell me everything you know about the Xenos."
"There's something behind this. A hidden quest we haven't seen yet."
"No problem!"
Shirou nodded hard.
"I swear on the name of Senji Muramasa—I won't let you down!"
"Wiene!"
Shirou crouched and hugged her.
"They accepted you! We cleared the stage!"
"R-really?"
Wiene didn't fully understand, but seeing Shirou happy made her smile too.
"Yay… Shirou!"
The room finally softened.
The air almost filled with pink bubbles.
But then—
"By the way," Riveria said, turning her gaze dangerous, "you said you added magecraft to the cloak."
"A spell that can partially block even my senses?"
"When did you learn a technique like that?"
Shirou began sweating.
"And," Finn added, narrowing his eyes, "when you raised your sword at Riveria…"
"That pressure wasn't something a Lv.2 should have."
"Emiya… do you have some kind of 'cheat' you haven't told us about?"
Shirou felt a new side-quest of interrogation triggering.
"...Uh."
"As punishment!" Loki cut in with a wicked grin, finally revealing her true blade.
"Tonight's celebration feast—for Wiene joining—YOU handle it all alone!"
"I want those fried shrimp tempura again!"
"One hundred pieces!"
"Short even one, and I'll throw you into the Dungeon to feed the dragons!"
"One hundred?!"
"That's going to kill me at the stove!"
Backyard — Later
"Um… I'm Ais."
The blonde Sword Princess crouched on the grass, stiffly looking toward Wiene, who hid behind a tree.
After the meeting, Ais was the first to come check on the "new member."
She had an instinctive hatred of monsters (the Black Dragon trauma), but after hearing how Shirou confronted the executives to protect this child…
she felt something unfamiliar—
curiosity.
Wiene peeked out, timid.
"H-hello…"
Ais pulled out a fried potato ball—her favorite snack, and the highest form of goodwill in her personal moral framework.
In Ais' worldview:
If a fried potato ball can't solve it, use two.
"For you."
"Good."
Wiene sniffed, eyes lighting up.
"Smells nice!"
She carefully took it, bit down.
"Tasty!"
Ais nodded, satisfied—
then slowly raised a hand to pat Wiene's head.
But she stopped halfway.
She was a monster-slaying sword.
Her hands were stained with monster blood.
Could hands like that… touch her?
Would it trigger some bad route?
Before Ais could decide—
Wiene leaned forward and rubbed her head into Ais' palm.
Cool scales—yet unexpectedly soft.
Like petting a large lizard.
"Big sister… good person."
Wiene smiled and issued a full "good person card."
Ais stiffened.
Some invisible ice inside her heart seemed to crack—just a little.
"…Call me Ais."
Her voice came out gentler than it ever did in battle.
From a distant corridor, Shirou leaned against a pillar, smiling with relief.
"Looks like we won't have problems getting along."
"Hmph. Don't relax," Finn said, appearing beside him.
"Ais' past is heavy."
"For her to accept Wiene is a miracle."
"But that's exactly why—"
"If Wiene ever loses control, Ais will be hurt the most."
"It's a double-edged sword."
"I won't let that happen."
Shirou looked down at his own hands.
"I'll become stronger."
"Strong enough to protect this 'ordinary life.'"
"That's what my Unlimited Blade Works exists for."
"…I hope so."
Finn stared at the sky, eyes deep.
"The wind in Orario is changing."
"I've got a bad feeling."
"Something big is coming."
Meanwhile — Dungeon, 20th Floor
Deep inside a hidden cavern, countless eyes glittered in the dark—watching the skeleton man standing at the center.
"Fels… that human who took Wiene…"
"Can we really trust him?" asked a winged Siren, her voice worried.
"I don't know," Fels replied, blue fire flickering in his eye sockets.
"But he did what we couldn't."
"He made the strongest human Familia accept an outsider."
"It's… almost miraculous."
"Then let's gamble," roared the towering black bull—Asterios.
"For our kin's future…"
"And because I want to fight that man again."
"I can't wait."
"The Ikelos Familia poachers have been getting bolder," hissed a Arachne.
"They're looking for the entrance to our 'Hidden Sanctuary.'"
"Those people… are more monstrous than monsters."
"Then we prepare for battle."
Fels raised his staff, striking a dramatic casting pose.
"For survival."
"And to wait for that fool…"
The one who might break the boundary between humans and monsters.
....
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