Tap, tap, tap—
Syr puffed out her cheeks, using her little pink fists to pound Shirou's shoulder again and again.
Of course, to Lv.3 Shirou, the girl's fists posed no threat at all, but Shirou still made an effort to pretend he was being hit hard.
"You just went out exploring once and already hooked up with two more elves, you damn [Elf Slayer]. No, you should be called [Enemy of Women]," While pounding away, Syr spoke angrily.
Ryuu was also standing next to Syr, hands on her hips, glaring at Shirou with puffed-up cheeks.
"Maybe we should just lock Shirou up…", She muttered lowly, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.
"Well… but this time, the cat feels that it might not necessarily be Shirou's fault, nya~", Anya stepped forward at this time and spoke a fair word.
"Those two elves from Dionysus's Familia, the cat thinks… they're really hard to judge, nya…", The catgirl crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning as she spoke.
Then Chloe spoke, "Then let the cat judge. Bitches, both of them, nya!"
Her always merciless mouth was especially venomous this time, expressing her opinion without any restraint.
"Bit… isn't that a bit too much?", Kind-hearted Miss Ryuu couldn't help but speak a fair word for her fellow elves, but still didn't forget to glare at Shirou.
"Yeah, this time, I actually think that dumb cat isn't wrong," Lunoire looked at Chloe, then added thoughtfully, "But, not quite accurate."
"They're not 'bitches' like the prostitutes from the Pleasure District…", Lunoire paused, as if searching for the most fitting term, "More like those girls who, out of a vengeful mindset, completely disregard themselves."
"That mourning one… [White Witch] Filvis, to be honest, is exactly that kind of self-destructive person," Chloe still didn't hold back, directly naming names.
"She probably feels like her existence is meaningless, so she wants to devote everything to someone else… most likely the god Dionysus."
Thinking back to Filvis's experience, one by one, her companions and friends died, leaving only her surviving.
Despair and guilt continuously corroded her heart, gradually distorting her personality. So, such a mentality wasn't hard to understand.
"I'll just say it, Filvis is trying to use her body to seduce Shirou, and through that gain benefits for her Familia, like having Shirou forge weapons for them or something," Chloe bluntly stated her speculation.
She had once lived among the criminal Familia of the Evil Goddess, and had seen many similar situations.
Those inherently good people, due to their origins and other reasons, were forced to join Evilus, eventually becoming twisted beyond salvation.
They carried deep guilt, gradually sinking into a swamp of self-deprecation, trying to prove their worth by giving their all, ultimately walking toward self-destruction.
"Atonement and a desire for punishment, coupled with deep self-loathing… that's the type she is. So I say that [White Witch] is a bitch who doesn't value herself at all."
"Chloe, you know so much, nya," Anya exclaimed.
"That's life experience, nya," The catgirl, actually not very old, put on a pretentiously mature look.
Becoming the center of attention, the girl became slightly smug and continued on her own, "As for that [Grape Chalice], it's obvious she became a love-obsessed idiot after heartbreak, feeling life lost all meaning, and instantly went to extremes and gave up on herself."
Aura liked the god Dionysus, but Dionysus chose the one she hated most, Filvis. That, Aura couldn't accept, and her heart completely broke down.
Like those well-behaved girls who, after getting hurt in love, suddenly start letting loose in nightclubs… Chloe explained like that.
Shirou muttered to himself, "Is that so…"
He felt that Aura's condition was… a bit too bad.
'Just because of heartbreak, she broke down to that extent?'
"Also, she might have slightly projected her deceased older brother onto Shirou," Lunoire crossed her arms, calmly analyzing.
Then, her gaze turned to Shirou, with a hint of teasing in her tone, "By the way, Shirou, what do you think? Putting [White Witch] aside, what about [Grape Chalice]? Are you planning to reject her?"
Shirou was silent for a moment, then finally shook his head and sighed, "I want to reject her… but, to be honest, I just can't stop worrying about her."
"That's what I'm saying, Shirou, you're just too kind."
Syr sighed, "I think Ryuu should go talk to Aura properly. As for that [White Witch]… it's better to stay away from her."
"L-Let me go take a look," Haruhime suddenly spoke up from the side, "I once had a time when I wanted to give up on myself too. Thanks to the Master and everyone's help, I was able to stand up again. S-So… Miss Filvis and Miss Aura, I believe… they can be saved too!"
———
In the palace of Dionysus, an extremely twisted laughter echoed throughout the room.
"Ha ha, HAHAHAHA, this kind of thing is just too amusing," God Dionysus laughed madly. Those elegant eyes now flashed with a crazed light, and his once-handsome face had completely twisted into something ferocious and terrifying.
In his hand was a thin sheet of parchment, upon which was recorded a stat report.
"Originally, I just wanted to use divine wine to completely burn her brain out, and then use that beautiful virgin body to seduce the [Demon King of the Sword], to see if it'd be of any use. Never thought something like this would happen. The possibilities of the lower world really are fascinating."
Written on the paper were Aura's status values. From Strength to Magic, each stat had undergone a shocking increase, nearly three hundred points each, completely beyond normal growth speed.
And, a new skill.
[Witch of Forgetting (Pandora Oath)]
— Permanently increases status at the cost of twisted memories and emotions.
"With this, Aura can no longer be used. All her feelings have been distorted into love for that man… well, her already burned-out brain can only handle such simple thoughts."
"This round, I've lost," Dionysus gently swirled the wine in his glass, seemingly saluting that "opponent," with a smile that carried a trace of cruel satisfaction.
"To solve a problem in this way… truly impressive."
The corner of the god's mouth curled.
However, Dionysus didn't particularly mind the loss this time, a mere Lv.2, discarded and that's that.
Moreover, the moment Aura accidentally discovered Filvis's secret, she had already become a doomed discard.
"[Demon King of the Sword], you really are… more and more fascinating."
"There's no mistake, only I can smell that purest fragrance from you."
"That 'destroy everything' sin, brewed into the finest wine."
"Only I can understand you!"
———
At the base of the Loki Familia, in Twilight Manor, a burst of noise broke the previous tranquility.
"Everyone! Big news!"
[Super Ordinary Guy] Raul Nord shouted loudly.
His voice drew the attention of the other adventurers in the manor, and they all gathered around curiously.
"What happened?", Someone asked.
Raul cleared his throat and deliberately lowered his voice mysteriously, then said word by word, "[Saber] Shirou Emiya was spotted today… going on a date with [Grape Chalice] Aura Moriel!"
However, the reaction from the adventurers was surprisingly indifferent.
"Oh," A certain elf girl lazily responded.
"And then?", Another person asked nonchalantly.
"You called everyone out… just for that?", Someone even rolled their eyes, looking like their time had been wasted.
"Just another elf the [Elf Slayer] bagged. What's the big deal?"
By now, most of the adventurers in Loki Familia had already accepted this narrative.
Only Riveria, standing not far away, looked slightly gloomy, her silver teeth clenched quietly.
"She's the number one on the 'Potential Rankings,' also known as the 'If You Want to Marry Rich, Do It Now Rankings.' It's not strange for her to be pursued every day," A certain elf girl remarked.
"Speaking of which, weren't the people on that list originally those 'potential stocks' who might become part of noble houses in the future?"
Another girl thought for a moment and continued, "But as for Lord Shirou… he's already a noble house himself, right?"
"That's right."
The elf girl nodded, speaking with admiration, "He's the number one blacksmith in the city, after all."
These girls were elves who had recently joined the Loki Familia.
They had originally been slaves in the Kingdom of Rakia, and a twist of fate brought them salvation when Shirou and others ventured deep into enemy territory to rescue them from that endless darkness.
Because of that, they became Shirou's most loyal supporters. And under the influence of these girls, Shirou's reputation within the Loki Familia had risen quite a bit.
The topic quickly spread among the girls, who chirped endlessly.
"I heard now he can't even walk alone in the streets, he gets surrounded immediately."
"Exactly, I saw it!"
Another quickly chimed in, "The eyes of those women practically glowed red, like they wanted to eat him alive."
"And in the end—"
A catgirl giggled and added, "They all got blown away by [Gale]. The scene was really something."
"A sword casually forged by [Saber] Lord can sell for over a hundred million valis. A man like that, and still unmarried…"
"When you think of it that way, he really is pretty tempting."
"But back to the point…"
Elfie lowered her voice, cautiously glancing to both sides: "[Gale], and Lady Riveria, they sure have good taste, huh."
All the girls around her held their breath, none dared respond.
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