The Epic Story of the Heroic Spirit of Emiya Giant Warrior

Perhaps giving a false name wasn't a good idea, but Aiz couldn't find an opportunity to explain at the moment.

"Ah? Yes..."

Aiz reluctantly released the boy's hand.

She hadn't achieved her goal yet—to ask him about swordsmanship—but she felt that now wasn't a good time.

"Of course, Riveria," Shirou smiled.

The gesture suited her age surprisingly well, and it was very cute.

·

Hephaestus Familia Residence

The crimson-haired goddess was drinking alone by the fireplace, the firelight reflecting her graceful figure on the opposite wall.

The goddess placed the goblet filled with amber liquid on the table and stretched languidly.

"Was it a bit impulsive to allow Shirou to go on an adventure alone?"

Although Hephaestus believed that, based on that child's abilities and personality, no monster in the upper levels could harm him, the Dungeon was always an unreasonable place where anything could happen.

As if in response to the goddess's expectations, someone arrived, but it wasn't Shirou Emiya.

The goddess shifted from a casual, lazy posture to a formal one.

"So, what happened?" she asked.

"It's like this..."

Tsubaki relayed the information she had heard from Shakti to the goddess.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Shakti would never have said it; that was her personality.

From the moment she took in Shirou Emiya, Hephaestus believed that this child would become an extraordinary adventurer.

Therefore, Hephaestus had always been vigilant, guarding against any ulterior motives that other familias might have.

Children with special potential would attract the attention of the gods, and some gods with twisted and malicious personalities would even resort to the despicable act of snatching children from other familias.

However, Hephaestus wasn't worried about Apollo at all because, although the Apollo Familia was quite strong and could be considered a mainstay of Orario, it was ultimately just a "mainstay."

Therefore, compared to open struggles, Hephaestus was more concerned about the underhanded tactics lurking beneath the surface.

"I hoped Shirou would attract the children of the Loki Familia, but to actually send out a first-class adventurer to seduce him..."

"I think it should be an individual's actions; after all, among the first-class adventurers of the Loki Familia, there are two Amazons!"

Amazons, one of the races gathered in Orario, are all female.

Amazons far surpass humans in physical abilities such as strength, endurance, and agility, and are at the top level among many races.

Correspondingly, their magical abilities are biased, and almost no Amazon becomes a pure mage.

The two Amazons in the Loki Familia have rather special personalities; one retains a rare childlike innocence, and the other is purely infatuated with her captain, Finn; both are unconventional Amazons.

The Loki Familia has a full four female first-class adventurers: a pair of Amazon sisters, the elf Nine Hells Riveria, and the Sword Princess Aiz Wallenstein.

"If it's the Sword Princess, perhaps that child is quite compatible with Shirou?" Hephaestus began to consider another aspect.

"I'm back."

Finally, the goddess heard the long-awaited voice.

"Goddess Hephaestus, and Tsubaki-nee, you're both here.

Goddess, what happened to your door?" Shirou said.

"Ah, I did meet a rather special girl today," Shirou Emiya said, unaware of anything.

"I just took her home, so I'm a little late coming back."

Emiya replied: "Her name is Riveria."

......

Hephaestus and Tsubaki exchanged a glance, both able to clearly see extremely complex emotions in each other's eyes.

But precisely because they knew that neither Shirou nor Tsubaki was lying, Hephaestus became increasingly suspicious of herself, even wondering if her divine ability to detect lies was malfunctioning.

Could there be someone else in Orario named Riveria?

The goddess and Tsubaki couldn't help but think, and then they reached a unanimous conclusion.

Therefore, it could only be that Riveria, the vice-captain of the Loki Familia, Nine Hells Riveria Ljos Alf!

Tsubaki recalled Shakti's description again:

"The way she was secretly staring at your kid from behind...tsk tsk, it was so passionate that she looked like she wanted to eat him, it felt a little scary."

Although Tsubaki had countless things to say, she consciously left the room at this time; even as the captain, she shouldn't pry into the Familia members' God's Grace without permission.

Tsubaki left, turning her head every three steps, which couldn't help but surprise the boy.

"Shirou, what do you think of Riveria?" the goddess couldn't help but ask.

Because so far, "Riveria" was the only girl younger than him that Emiya had met in this world.

"Cute?!" The goddess was shocked, and unintentionally, she looked at Shirou with a bit of "respect."

The gods can clearly perceive the lies of the people of the Lower World, and Goddess Hephaestus can now confirm that Shirou's words came from the heart; he sincerely thought Riveria was "cute"!

"No matter what kind of person you like, as long as you are both in love, I will support you!"

Shirou: "Ah? Um...thanks?"

Come to think of it, humans and elves are originally the most common inter-racial couple, and a mere age gap of less than a hundred years might not be a big deal for elves?

"Goddess, I'm ready," the boy said, having already taken off his top, revealing his solid back.

"Oh, um, okay."

Coming back to her senses, Hephaestus pressed her cut finger against Shirou's back.

Lv.1

Endurance: G246 - G278

Agility: H128 - H162

Development Ability:

Magic

[Unlimited Blade Works]

[????? (Roadless Valhalla)]

"Shirou, these are your ability values.

Tell me honestly, what exactly did you do?" Hephaestus asked somewhat seriously.

If this child was underestimating the Dungeon because of his abilities and messing around in the Labyrinth, then Hephaestus would really be angry.

"No, a Minotaur somehow ran to the twelfth floor," Shirou explained.

"I also met Riveria on the twelfth floor; she got separated from her teammates."

It felt strange to be addressed by the name "Riveria".

"Okay, Shirou."

"Well then, let's say goodbye here. The Demeter Familia's headquarters should be over there."

"Shirou, will we ever meet again?" Ais asked, tilting her head slightly, golden strands of hair dancing in the night breeze.

"Yeah, let's make a promise then—" Ais said earnestly, extending her right hand with her little finger hooked.

Shirou: "Yeah, I promise."

[Riveria of the Demeter Familia], Shirou Emiya carefully memorized the name of this somewhat strange and adorable girl.

"Shirou, hasn't come back yet..." Hephaestus muttered to herself, leaning against the soft velvet back of her chair.

Gods can sense the state of their Familia through "Grace". As long as the amount of Grace hasn't decreased, they can at least confirm that the children of the Familia haven't been harmed.

While worrying about her child's safety, she was also curious about what kind of growth he would achieve in this adventure. Hephaestus waited for Shirou's return with such anticipation.

Tsubaki burst through the door: "Goddess-sama, something bad has happened!"

Hephaestus looked at the door panel in Tsubaki's hand and sighed: "Tsubaki, remember to fix my door when you leave."

Both Tsubaki and the goddess understood Shakti's character very well. What this [Staff of Ganesha] said must be 100% true.

Hephaestus's expression began to turn serious: "Loki Familia, tsk, to use such a trick, how insidious..."

It wasn't just because of his limitless potential in [Magic] and [Skills], but also because of the unwavering will and strong mind that the child possessed, which even the gods had to praise.

For example, the head god of the [Apollo Familia], the sun god Apollo, is such a fellow, with the nickname [Tragic Love] among the gods. Without exception, the adventurers of his Familia are all courted by Apollo after he takes a fancy to them. If they don't agree, he will use various means to pull them in (including chasing them).

If anyone dares to reach out, their claws and head will be chopped to pieces. The top-tier Familia [Hephaestus Familia] has such power.

For example, having a female child from the Familia seduce someone is a common trick.

The goddess couldn't help but frown at this.

"It's not necessarily a Familia-level action. Although the god Loki seems a bit unreliable, I still believe in the character of Captain Finn," Tsubaki said.

The goddess hesitated for a moment: "Yeah, the Amazons, indeed..."

Compared to racial abilities, the Amazon race is more famous for their racial personality and style.

To put it euphemistically: Amazons are usually more "open" and have hobbies that deviate slightly from social norms.

For example, the Amazon's extraordinary enthusiasm for beautiful boys is well known.

But, in the end, they are still Amazons. Who knows if they might suddenly awaken one day.

"Speaking of which, which first-class female adventurer from the Loki Familia is seducing Shirou?" Hephaestus noticed the key issue.

"Ah... this..." Tsubaki was stunned for a moment. She scratched her head guiltily: "I was too anxious at the time and ran back without hearing clearly."

The two are similar in both age and talent. The current difference mainly lies in the time they became adventurers. [Sword Princess] started adventuring too early. This girl started following the Loki Familia to explore the dungeon at the age of seven, which seems crazy to outsiders.

"Shirou-kun, I'd like to ask, did you encounter any interesting people or things during today's adventure?" Hephaestus asked gently with a soft expression.

"What's her name?" Hephaestus narrowed her eyes, thinking: "I want to see which bad woman is seducing my child."

Astonishment, doubt, confusion, bewilderment, and horror.

"What's her name?" Hephaestus asked. Children from the Lower World cannot lie in front of gods. Any lie will be easily seen through.

"Her name is Riveria." Although Shirou was a little puzzled, he repeated it as the goddess requested.

No way, other names may be repeated, but "Riveria" absolutely will not, because this is the name of the Elven royalty respected by all elves. Who would dare to use this name? The elves would definitely tear him apart.

"Holding hands, walking intimately on the street."

Riveria, what are you doing?!

Chapter 29 Goddess: Doesn't Understand, But Respects and Blesses

Under Shirou's reminder, the shocked goddess Hephaestus finally remembered that she still had to update Shirou's ability values.

She could feel that Shirou, in addition to the magic [Unlimited Blade Works], should also have some special ability, but since the goddess and Shirou didn't say anything, she wouldn't take the initiative to ask.

"Well, I think she's quite cute." Shirou said, "She should be the cutest girl I've ever met."

So Shirou felt that other girls, whether it was Ryu or Anya, were more beautiful than cute, only "Riveria" was more cute than beautiful.

At first, she thought it was the problem of Riveria, this elderly elf, but now it seems that her own child is not simple either.

"Shirou."

"Goddess-sama, what's wrong?"

The goddess Hephaestus didn't quite understand, but chose to respect and bless.

At least, this way, she doesn't have to worry about Shirou being deceived by a bad woman. Although Riveria's preferences are a bit unpredictable, her noble character should be trustworthy... probably.

"Should I prepare to make some jewelry? What kind of gifts do elves like...?" The goddess's consciousness drifted away again.

The emblem of the volcano and forging hammer appeared, followed by the ability value data composed of divine characters.

Shirou Emiya

Strength: H139 - H180

Dexterity: E447 - D507

Magic: F311 - E410

Skills

[Oath under the Snow]

Hephaestus rubbed her eyes. She was a little surprised by the sudden surge in the boy's ability values.

Shirou Emiya thought for a moment: "Maybe it's because I killed a Minotaur?"

"What, a Minotaur? Did you go deep into the middle levels?" Hephaestus's tone became serious: "We agreed that you would only go to the twelfth floor at most."

"I see." Hephaestus's frown relaxed.

It is indeed rare for monsters from the fifteenth floor and beyond to appear on the twelfth floor, but it is not impossible.