Chapter 21: Those Are the Eyes of a Strong One!
"Unbelievable—Shirou, are you crazy!? How could you dare make that kind of bet with Loki!?"
Since they couldn't continue making a scene in the tavern and disturbing the customers, Shirou and the Loki Familia didn't prolong their confrontation.
After a brief verbal agreement regarding the wager just made, both sides left directly.
On the way back, Hestia grew agitated on the spot, unable to hold back her questioning of Shirou.
After all, Hestia was undoubtedly the person most unwilling to let Shirou leave her Familia—and even more so unwilling to let him be taken by the Loki Familia. She absolutely could not allow such a thing to happen.
"Don't worry. I only said that because I'm confident," Shirou calmly responded to Hestia's anxiety. "Or are you saying, Hestia, that you doubt Bell's ability?"
"This..."
Hestia couldn't bring herself to immediately refute Shirou's words.
After all, she remembered the special skill Bell possessed—[Liaris Freese]. With that ability, it wasn't entirely impossible to rapidly grow to the level of a top-tier adventurer.
"But five years is still too short!" Hestia said bitterly. "Shirou, you don't understand the normal pace of an adventurer's growth. To go from level 1 to level 5 in just five years—that's a feat only a very few can achieve. In recent years, the only one to have leveled up that quickly is that Sword Princess Ais from the Loki Familia."
"If someone has a strong enough will, that kind of thing can be done in a single night."
Shirou wasn't joking when he said this. He himself had once transformed overnight—from an ordinary person with no strength—to someone who cut down through the Holy Grail War in a single night.
Of course, much of that was due to the power of Heroic Spirit EMIYA, but Shirou's own change in resolve was the most crucial factor.
The power of Heroic Spirit EMIYA only drastically accelerated the process.
"This..."
Although Hestia didn't think Shirou was lying, she still couldn't accept his perspective.
She couldn't trust Shirou, let alone trust Bell. It was just too hard to believe that Bell could defeat a level 5 like Bete in only five years.
That kind of thing was pure fantasy.
However, Hestia didn't panic.
To her, the worst-case scenario was losing the bet—and then simply refusing to honor it. She'd find a way to weasel out.
Yes, Hestia never had any intention of handing over Shirou.
Having long grown used to being a shameless god, she had no plans to abide by the wager.
Not to mention, the bet was something Shirou made on his own with Loki—Hestia hadn't even agreed to it. She had plenty of ways to deal with Loki.
I am the great goddess Hestia—flexible and adaptable.
At worst, when the time comes, I'll go to Loki, kneel, lick her feet, and beg for mercy.
Anyway, she can forget about getting Shirou. I'd rather throw away my pride and life and fight Loki to the bitter end!
.
.
.
Meanwhile, at the Loki Familia...
"Hey, are you serious!?" Bete, having just had his restraints removed, immediately found Loki and shouted, "What's the benefit of letting someone like that into our Familia?!"
Indeed, Bete never even considered the possibility that he might lose to Bell. He was convinced from the start that he would win—100%.
So to him, this whole thing was just Loki giving Shirou a chance to join their Familia as a form of charity.
Even though Bete had been unexpectedly suppressed by that man in their earlier confrontation, he believed it was simply because he was unprepared. If he had been ready, he could've easily crushed that Shirou Emiya guy.
"Alright, alright, calm down, Bete. If you keep losing your cool, Riveria really will kill you."
"Hiss—!"
Hearing Loki's warning, Bete glanced at the green-haired elf beside him. Sure enough, he felt an intense murderous intent.
He immediately shut up—at least until Loki answered his question, he wasn't saying another word.
On the other side, Riveria also looked at Loki and spoke slowly: "Honestly, I don't understand your actions either, Lady Loki. Although that Shirou Emiya seems a bit unusual, when I used
blessing-detection magic, I found that he's just level 1. Even if he's special in some way, is that really worth making a bet like that?"
"Oh? Your investigation shows Shirou is level 1?"
"That's correct."
Riveria nodded silently. She had absolute confidence in her detection ability—after all, she was the most powerful mage in the entire dungeon city.
"Heh, that is strange," Loki said with a sly smile to her Familia members. "A level 1 kid—how could he possibly suppress a level 5 like Bete? And how did he manage to dodge Bete's attacks? Do you really believe something like that is possible?"
"Uh..."
Hearing Loki's words, the Familia members immediately sensed something wasn't right, and their expressions turned skeptical.
"Could he be using some kind of magic to hide his level?"
The Familia's captain, the pallum "boy" Finn Deimne, spoke up.
"Who knows." Loki shrugged. "I don't understand what that guy is, either. But I do recognize those eyes."
"Eyes?"
"Yes—those are the eyes of a strong one."
Loki's expression turned serious, as if she were recalling a memory from long ago. "In this lower world, there are thousands, tens of thousands, even millions of people. But among them, only a very small number possess eyes like that.
And without exception, those who have them go on to become extraordinary figures—people who change entire eras."
"Isn't that a little exaggerated?"
Most of the Loki Familia members didn't believe Loki. They couldn't see any remarkable qualities in Shirou.
Even Ais the Sword Princess felt the same.
"Hehe, maybe I'm just getting old and my eyes are failing me," Loki laughed when she saw everyone doubting her. "Anyway, what's the harm in letting him join? His cooking is amazing. Ais can vouch for that."
"Well... that is true."
Even if they didn't understand Shirou's strength, when it came to his cooking, even Ais had to admit—it was incredibly delicious.
And so, under Loki's playful deflection, the Familia no longer seriously questioned whether Shirou had any exaggerated power.
Most of them chalked it up to one of their goddess's whims or impulses.
As for the bet between Bell and Bete, none of them actually believed Bell could beat Bete. They treated the whole thing as just an indirect ceremony to pull Shirou into their Familia.
For a large Familia like Loki's, adding one more member didn't hurt anything.
The only one suffering was Bete.
He now thoroughly hated Shirou—and there was no way he could accept him as a comrade.
But unfortunately, since everyone else had already agreed, Bete's opinion no longer had any weight.