Chapter 27. [Emiya the Hero] Working Overtime Even in Another World!
Dungeon, 24th Floor, behind the "Great Blue Falls."
Splash...
Passing through the heavy curtain of water, a natural stone tunnel winding upward appeared. This was a "hidden map" not marked even on the Guild's official charts—a secret shortcut known only to the Xenos.
"Um... Miss Marie?"
Lili followed cautiously behind the mermaid, her hand-crossbow held in a semi-cocked state, her eyes as alert as a rabbit that had stumbled into a wolf pack.
"Is there... really a safe place ahead? I mean, a place 'without monsters that want to boil and eat us'?"
"Mhm! It's safe!" Marie, who was hopping exceptionally cheerfully on the dry land using her tail, turned back and gave a healing smile. "Everyone... is a good kid! Except Asterios, who is a bit scary... but he doesn't eat people!"
"Doesn't eat people..." Lili's mouth twitched. This guarantee sounded about as credible as "this tiger doesn't bite," with a reliability level approaching zero.
"Don't worry."
Shirou Emiya walked at the rear. Although his body was still very weak (having just experienced the exhaustion following a nuclear-level blast), his mental state had recovered significantly. The auras sensed by [Mind's Eye] were mixed, but lacked that malicious killing intent.
"Since Fels is here, it means this is at least a stronghold for the 'Lawful Alignment'."
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Half an hour later. When the two passed through the final narrow crack, the scene before them opened up suddenly.
"Th-this is..."
The hand-crossbow in Lili's hand hit the ground with a clatter. Her mouth hung open in an 'O' shape, and she stood frozen as if a paralysis spell had been cast on her.
It was a massive underground grotto. Luminous crystals dotted the ceiling like a starry sky, their soft light illuminating the... village below.
Yes, a village. There were houses built of wood, cultivated farmland, and even a plaza enclosed by stones.
But what shocked her most were the residents living here.
A Gargoyle squatted on a ridge between fields, carefully using its claws to water a glowing mushroom. A few Goblins and Orcs sat in a circle, seemingly playing chess with homemade pieces, arguing until they were red in the face. In the distance, a girl whose upper body was that of a Harpy was sweeping the street with a crude broom.
Where was the monster den? This was clearly a live-action version of an "Isekai Monster Girl Farm" or "Animal Crossing"!
"Welcome to the 'Hidden Village'."
Fels drifted over like a ghost. His skeletal face (though devoid of expression) seemed to radiate a sense of pride.
"This is a corner forgotten by the Dungeon, and our only home."
"Y-you've got to be kidding..." Lili felt her worldview collapsing and restructuring. "Monsters... farming? Playing chess? Sweeping? Am I under some kind of illusion?"
"This is reality, Lili."
Shirou patted her shoulder, his gaze gentle.
"Living beings with a 'heart' naturally long for order and a life. This has nothing to do with race."
"Emiya-sama..." Looking at Shirou's "business as usual" attitude, Lili couldn't help but complain in her head: 'Why do you accept this so quickly! Is your adaptability made of Vibranium?!'
"Yo! Is this the human who saved Wiene?"
A rough, boisterous voice called out. A Lizardman over two meters tall, covered in crimson scales, strode over. He wore worn-out but clean adventurer gear and carried a greatsword on his back.
One of the leaders of the Xenos, Lyd.
"I'm Lyd! I might look scary, but I'm a gentle lizard!" Lyd extended a massive claw, revealing a "friendly" grin full of sharp teeth. "Thanks, brother! You saved Wiene, so you're the benefactor of our whole village!"
"Uh... hello." Shirou didn't hesitate, reaching out to grasp the claw directly. "Shirou Emiya. Nice to meet you."
"Hahahaha! Straightforward! I like humans like you who don't treat us like monsters!" Lyd laughed and slapped Shirou on the back with enough force to nearly re-break the bones Shirou had just mended.
"That human... smells so good..." A winged Siren girl—Ray—flew down from the sky, circling Shirou curiously. "He has... the scent of something delicious on him."
"That's probably the lingering smell of fried shrimp," Shirou explained calmly.
"Fried shrimp? Want to eat it..."
Seeing this group of monsters surrounding him like he was a giant panda, Shirou didn't show fear. Instead, he pulled some snacks from his pocket and began feeding them.
"These are cookies, these are candies..."
In just five minutes, Shirou Emiya had successfully integrated into the monster community through his high-level "Unlimited Snack Works" diplomacy. A few small Goblins had even started calling him "Big Bro."
Standing to the side, Lili watched this with dead eyes.
"I'm tired... let it all end... the world is too crazy..."
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"Small talk ends here."
Fels tapped his staff on the ground, interrupting the cross-species social gathering. "Shirou Emiya, I have something to say to you."
The atmosphere turned serious instantly. Lyd and Ray stopped smiling and stood behind Fels.
"Regarding that Ikelos Familia..." Fels's eye sockets, flickering with ghostfire, stared intently at Shirou. "Do you know why they are capturing Xenos?"
"For money?" Shirou guessed.
"Not just money." Fels's voice turned cold. "They are after the 'Key.' To open that sealed place located deeper in the Dungeon... the Artificial Labyrinth - Knossos."
"Artificial Labyrinth?"
"It is a legacy left by the ancient Evilus, an underground fortress whose specific entrance is unknown even to the Guild. And the Magic Stones within the bodies of Xenos are the keys to open the labyrinth gates."
Fels paused, his tone heavy: "Lately, many comrades have gone missing. We tried to fight back, but that man named Dix is too strong, and they possess a 'Curse' that can force Xenos into a berserk state."
"So, you want my help?" Shirou asked.
"Yes." Fels nodded. "Though it is brazen of me, I beseech you... the human who heavily wounded Dix. Please lend us your strength.
We don't need you to participate directly in combat (though you are strong), but we need an eye on the 'surface,' and... a 'bridge' that can provide us protection at a critical moment."
Shirou fell silent. This was a heavy request. Accepting it meant standing completely opposite the mainstream values of Orario, and might even implicate the Loki Familia.
But, looking at the hopeful eyes of the monsters around him. Looking at Wiene, who was hiding behind Lyd and waving at him.
"A bridge, huh..." A smile played on Shirou's lips. "Sounds like a decent side job."
"I accept."
"Thank you..." Fels breathed a sigh of relief.
"However!" Just then, a low roar like thunder interrupted everyone.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ground began to vibrate. A suffocating pressure emanated from the other end of the plaza.
All the Xenos instinctively moved aside to make a path.
A Minotaur over three meters tall, jet-black, with muscles bulging like boulders, walked over slowly. He carried no weapon, but his massive fists were the ultimate killing tools.
The Black Minotaur—Asterios. The strongest among the Xenos, and the "Monster King" destined to shock the world in the future.
He walked up to Shirou, looking down at the red-haired human. Deep within those beastly pupils burned an intense fighting spirit.
"You... are strong."
Asterios's voice was low and gravelly, each word squeezed out of his chest.
"That day... on the 18th floor... I saw it. You... have not only power... but conviction."
He pointed at the sword at Shirou's waist.
"I want... to fight you."
It wasn't for slaughter. It was the pure desire of a warrior. He was a monster reborn to become stronger, searching for an opponent who could make his blood boil.
"Now?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.
"No... right now... you are too weak." Asterios shook his head, and that bull-face actually showed a hint of human-like disappointment (or was it mockery?). "Injured... mana depleted... like a broken doll."
Shirou: "..."
Even if it was the honest truth, being mocked as "too weak" by a bull was still quite irritating.
"When you... recover. When you... get stronger."
Asterios turned around, his back to Shirou, leaving behind a declaration like a challenge:
"I will wait for you... at the end of the battlefield. Red-haired... Hero."
With that, he strode away from the plaza, leaving behind a lonely and powerful silhouette.
"Whew..." Lili finally dared to breathe. "That black bull... what kind of monster is that! Just standing there made me feel like I was suffocating!"
"Asterios..." Shirou watched the departing figure, the fighting spirit in his eyes ignited.
That was the aura of a powerhouse. A true rival, infinitely purer than a devious person like Dix.
"It's a promise," Shirou whispered to himself. "Next time we meet, I'll show you... what 'Infinite' really means."
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Meanwhile. Surface, Twilight Manor.
"A-choo!" Loki, who was eating breakfast, suddenly sneezed and rubbed her nose.
"Strange... I have a feeling that Emiya kid is causing some big trouble again." Loki looked at Ais beside her.
"Ais-tan, do you think Emiya might blow up the Dungeon?"
"As long as he can still cook..." Ais took a bite of bread, her eyes serious. "It's fine if he blows it up."
"You're spoiling him too much!"
And at the entrance to the 18th floor, a group of figures in black cloaks was slipping in soundlessly. The masked woman leading them looked at the compass in her hand and gave a cold command:
"Found it. Traces leading to the 'Great Hollow' on the 20th floor. Notify Dix and tell him to bring the remaining 'Curses'.
This time, we will... completely purge that village."
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