Chapter 9. The Great Hero Emiya, Wholesaler of Magic Swords!?
The Dungeon, 12th Floor.
This was the starting point of what was known as the "Middle Levels," and it was also the graveyard for countless Level 1 adventurers. The air grew dry and hot, and the surrounding rock walls took on a withered, yellowish hue. The monsters lurking here were no longer simple beasts but more aggressive Orcs and Imps.
"E-Emiya-sama! Watch out on the left!"
Lilliruca, carrying her massive backpack, clutched a spare recovery potion tightly, her voice trembling as she shouted.
To the left of her field of vision, three Orcs wielding crude stone axes were roaring as they charged. This monster's subcutaneous fat was extremely thick; a hit from an ordinary iron sword was like striking a tire, making it nearly impossible to inflict a lethal wound.
"Don't panic."
Shirou Emiya's voice remained calm.
He didn't use the magic that hardened his body (Structural Reinforcement). Instead, he drew the deep-red shortsword from his waist.
"Just in time. I'll use you to test the sharpness of this blade."
Shirou took a deep breath, pouring his Magic Circuits into the sword's body.
Whir—!
The crimson shortsword ignited instantly. The tortoiseshell patterns on the blade glowed like flowing magma, and the surrounding air distorted from the high heat.
[Otherworld · Kanshou]. Forged from the premium Red Lotus Ore of the Hephaestus Familia, a magical armament with all impurities stripped away.
"Slash."
A red afterimage flashed.
There was no "bitter struggle," nor were there sparks from metal clashing. Shirou's silhouette was like a bolt of red lightning, instantly passing through the encirclement of the three Orcs.
Splurt—
The movements of the three Orcs froze. A second later, a charred red line appeared simultaneously across their waists. Their upper bodies slowly slid off; the wounds were as smooth as glass, and because of the instantaneous high-temperature carbonization, not a single drop of blood flowed out.
"S-So strong..."
Lili's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape.
Those were Orcs! Monsters famous for their defense! And they were sliced open like tofu?
"Is that... that magic sword?"
Lili stared intently at the red shortsword in Shirou's hand, a glimmer of greed flashing in her eyes. It could release high heat without an incantation, and its sharpness was enough to cleave through an Orc's thick hide... A weapon of this caliber would definitely start at tens of millions of Valis on the market!
'If I could steal it...' Lili swallowed hard, her heart pounding.
'If I had that money, I could buy my freedom from the Soma Familia! I could be free!'
"Lili?"
Shirou's voice suddenly rang in her ear.
"Ah! Yes!" Lili jumped, quickly switching to a flattering smile.
"Emiya-sama is truly amazing! Monsters like that are no match for you!"
"Stop dazing off. Remember to pick up the Magic Stones."
Shirou shook the residual heat from the blade and sheathed it.
"Our pack is getting full, isn't it?"
"Y-Yes!"
Lili hurried over to process the Orc corpses. As she skillfully dug out the Magic Stones, she calculated the perfect timing to make her move.
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Break Time.
The two found a relatively safe corner in a dead-end alley.
"Um... Emiya-sama."
Lili handed him a canteen, her gaze drifting casually toward the shortsword resting at Shirou's side.
"Your sword is so beautiful. Is it a work from the Hephaestus Familia?"
"In a way." Shirou took a sip of water. "I made it myself, but the materials were indeed bought from them."
"Eh? You made it yourself?!"
Lili put on an exaggerated expression of worship.
"Emiya-sama can use magic and forge? That's incredible! Um... can Lili touch it? Lili has never seen such a high-grade magic sword before."
She was testing him. Testing this man's alertness regarding his weapon. Any ordinary adventurer would never let a Supporter touch their primary weapon.
"Sure."
To her surprise, Shirou handed the shortsword over casually, as if it weren't a priceless treasure but a mere kitchen knife.
"Be careful, it's a bit heavy."
Lili took the sword, and her wrist immediately dipped under the weight.
'So heavy! The density of this sword is terrifying!'
Moreover, as her fingers touched the hilt, she could feel a surge of warm magical energy within the blade, as if the sword were "alive."
"This is... a magic sword..."
Lili's fingers trembled slightly.
'If I just run with this sword right now... if I run deep into the maze... No, that won't work. This is the 12th floor. Without this man's protection, I won't make it out even with the sword; the monsters will tear me apart.
I have to wait until we're back on the surface. Or... while he's sleeping...'
"Had enough of a look?" Shirou asked gently.
"Ah! Y-Yes, plenty!"
Lili handed the sword back as if she'd been electrocuted, her heart nearly leaping out of her throat.
"It really is a great sword! It must be worth a lot of money, right?"
"Maybe."
Shirou took the sword and lightly stroked the blade, his gaze turning deep. "But to me, it's just a 'tool.' If it breaks or gets lost one day... I'll just make another one."
"M-Make another one?!"
Lili nearly bit her tongue.
Was a magic sword of this caliber something you could just "make"? What did this man think magic swords were? Cabbages on the side of the road?
"What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing..." Lili lowered her head to hide the shock and envy in her eyes.
This man... was an absolute monster. Not only was he powerful, but he possessed an incomprehensible talent. If it were him...
Lili clenched her fists.
'I have to squeeze him dry! Whether it's the money or this sword, sooner or later, they will be mine!'
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Dusk, Babel.
As the two walked out of the Dungeon, the sky had already been dyed red by the evening glow.
"Good work today, Lili."
Shirou stretched. "We had a good haul today. Let's head straight to the Guild to cash in."
Guild Hall, Exchange Window.
When the heavy backpack of Magic Stones and drop items was poured onto the counter, surrounding adventurers cast surprised glances their way.
"Is that... loot from the Middle Levels?"
"That red-haired kid, isn't he only Level 1? He went to the 12th floor already?"
"And that Supporter he's with... isn't that 'Lili the Liar'?"
Ignoring the whispers, the half-elf clerk at the window quickly finished the tally.
"Total... 56,000 Valis."
The clerk handed out two heavy pouches of coins.
"Emiya-san, your efficiency today is staggering. Even for a Level 2 party, it's difficult to reach this level of profit in a single day."
"Thank you."
Shirou took the pouches and turned to look at Lili standing behind him.
Lili stood with her head down, twisting the hem of her clothes. Usually, a Supporter only receives 10% to 20% of the total profit. That meant she would get about 5,000 Valis. To her, this was already a fortune—enough to buy several bottles of cheap Soma wine to offer to the God Soma in exchange for a temporary peace.
"Here."
A coin pouch was stuffed into her arms.
Lili froze, instinctively weighing it. It was heavy. It was actually a bit heavier than the one Shirou kept for himself.
"Th-this is..."
"56,000 Valis. Half for each is 28,000."
Shirou opened his own pouch, took out a few more gold coins, and dropped them into Lili's bag. "Let's round it up—30,000 for you. The rest is mine."
"Th-thirty thousand?!"
Lili's voice went shrill and out of tune, causing people nearby to turn and stare. She looked at the pouch in her hand in disbelief, then at Shirou's matter-of-fact face.
"Why?!"
Lili couldn't understand. "I'm just a Supporter! I only picked up stones and carried the bag! You handled all the fighting by yourself... Why give me so much?!"
"Because it's the result of our joint labor."
Shirou smiled and reached out to pat Lili's head, which was hidden under her hood. "If you weren't back there picking up stones, I would have had to waste time bending over, and I wouldn't have been able to kill so many monsters. This is a fair distribution, not charity."
"But..."
"Take it. You look like... you really need the money, don't you?"
Shirou's voice dropped lower, so only the two of them could hear. "I don't know what troubles you're having, but this should help a little. If it's not enough, we can go together again tomorrow."
Lili stared at him blankly.
'Fair distribution? Helping? Go together again tomorrow?'
In the Soma Familia, she was a slave to be exploited. In other adventurer parties, she was a burden to be discarded at any moment, a lowly thief.
No one had ever... treated her as an equal "companion."
"...Idiot."
Lili clutched the coin pouch tightly, tears stubbornly welling up in her eyes. She lowered her head, not wanting this man to see her current expression.
"You really are... a hopeless big idiot!"
[Lilliruca Arde's Affection has increased.]
[Current Status: Wavering Traitor.]
[Only one turning point remains before "Complete Devotion."]
(P.s. if it's not clear this isn't a real message from a system but an humorous way to explain the situation)
"Alright, don't cry."
Shirou didn't call out her tears; he simply patted her shoulder.
"To celebrate today's harvest, how about I treat you to dinner? What do you want to eat?"
"...Potato puffs."
Lili said in a small, snuffly voice.
"I want to eat the potato puffs Mama Mia makes. And I want fruit juice!"
"Alright, the Hostess of Fertility it is."
Shirou smiled and turned to lead the way.
Lili followed behind him, looking at his back while gripping the pouch in her arms. The red magic sword was still swinging at his waist, within reach.
But this time, Lili didn't reach for it.
'Just a little longer...' she said to herself.
'Let him live for a few more days... After all, a master who's this easy to scam is hard to find.'
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Meanwhile, on the second floor of the Guild.
Eina Tulle watched the two departing below, her brow furrowed.
"That Lilliruca... her reputation is bad, but it seems she hasn't made a move on Emiya-san?"
She pushed up her glasses, looking worried. "However, Emiya-san's growth speed is too fast. Deep into the 12th floor in just two days... at this rate, he'll probably encounter that soon, won't he?"
She picked up a document from her desk. The title read:
[Monsterphilia Preparation Plan]
[Coliseum Schedule: Silverback, War Shadow, Al-miraj...]
"I hope nothing goes wrong."
Eina sighed.