Chapter 52: Save Haruhime
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'That child, in what state did she write this letter…', Goddess Astrea had some doubts about this.
The answer actually was: The left hand of the useless elf was being held by Emiya, and because she was too shy, her right hand also started to tremble.
"Let's enter the city, Goddess," Asfi said.
"Mm, let's go," Goddess Astrea nodded.
Looking at the lonely figure of Goddess Astrea, Asfi felt a moment of sadness in her heart.
If that incident had not happened, the Astrea Familia would now have at least three Level 5 first-class adventurers—Alise Lovell, Ryuu Lion, and Gojouno Kaguya. At least these three would definitely have leveled up within two years.
"And now, only [Gale] remains…", Asfi sighed softly.
The walls of Orario were so high that one had to tilt their head back until their neck ached to see the top, exuding an overwhelming presence. As the only barrier against the dungeon in the world, this fortress, standing here since ancient times, felt somewhat cold and stern.
Crossing this massive wall, one entered the labyrinth city at the center of the world. Thanks to the privileges of the Hermes Familia, Asfi and her companions did not need to queue at a city gate like merchants or travelers but used a different entrance.
"Yo, Asfi, back so soon? Who's this?", The guard at the entrance was an adventurer with brown skin and a scruffy beard, casually dressed with a pattern on the shoulder of his clothes, the emblem of the Ganesha Familia, mimicking the face of the God Ganesha.
"A friend of Lord Ganesha, Hashana," Asfi replied.
Before entering the city, Goddess Astrea first put on a hood, concealing her iconic, stunningly beautiful face.
Goddess Astrea simply wanted to return to Orario to see Ryuu, and to avoid misunderstandings like "The Astrea Familia is returning to the labyrinth city," which could cause unnecessary trouble, she simply concealed her identity.
Hashana Dorlia, a Level 3 adventurer of the Ganesha Familia, with the title [Hard Fist Fighter].
The Ganesha Familia manages the city's order, and Hashana was responsible for the security near the city gates during this period.
"I see… I'll confirm with Lord Ganesha," Hashana shrugged and then chose to let them pass.
He knew that Asfi was trustworthy, and it was better not to pry into the secrets of the Hermes Familia.
Later, he would inform his God, Lord Ganesha, who probably knew the reasons for their coming and going.
"Lady Astrea, [Gale] is now working as a waitress at the [Hostess of Fertility] tavern, shall we go there?", Asfi inquired.
"I look forward to reuniting with Ryuu, but there's no rush, let's go to the Hephaestus Familia first," Astrea said, "I want to see that child first."
———
[Northeast Avenue, Hephaestus Familia headquarters]
Unaware that Goddess Astrea was heading here, Emiya was currently holding the VIP card and note given to him by Aisha, returning to the workshop.
'So, what happened back then wasn't an illusion…', Emiya thought to himself.
Not long ago, during the battle to defeat the Black Goliath, Emiya, to protect the rear of Ryuu and Aria, creating conditions for them to kill the Dungeon King, faced the monster feast summoned by the Black Goliath alone.
During the fight, his status values suddenly experienced a significant boost.
It was at that moment, with multiple enhancements, Emiya's magic power finally reached the threshold to project [Anti-Army Noble Phantasm], and he ultimately used [Fake Caladbolg] to annihilate the hundreds of monsters summoned by the Black Goliath.
Because he was already in the state of enhanced status values activated by [Oath Under the Snow], and under the influence of [Mad Enhancement], Emiya, in the heat of battle, couldn't immediately discern the source of the enhancement.
He once thought that the status boost during the battle was also an effect of [Oath Under the Snow].
It wasn't until now that Emiya learned it was actually the effect of Haruhime Sanjouno's magic [Uchide no Kozuchi].
Moreover, the enhancement he received at that time wasn't a status boost but a "level up."
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[Uchide no Kozuchi]
— Level up.
— Limited to one target, the effect lasts for fifteen minutes.
— After activation, there is a certain cooldown period, and the caster themselves cannot be the target.
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This is the only magic of the Level 1 rookie adventurer, Haruhime Sanjouno.
'Powerful enough to incite war,' Emiya had only this evaluation for the [Uchide no Kozuchi] magic.
Leveling up provides a comprehensive enhancement to adventurers, with a very significant boost. Only a very few skills can provide enhancements that surpass levels, and these are rare skills.
Ais's [Avenger], Alice's [Seika Benisaki], and Emiya's [Oath Under the Snow]… etc., adventurers in Orario with such skills can be counted on one hand.
And without exception, these skills have their own activation conditions or usage costs, and more importantly, these skills can only affect the possessor themselves.
But Haruhime Sanjouno's [Uchide no Kozuchi] is a magic that can be directly used, and it can be used on others.
The [Man Killer] Phryne Jamil, at the bottom of the Level 5 upper-tier adventurers, can directly enter the Level 6 hero realm with the enhancement of [Uchide no Kozuchi], and if the Level 7 [The King] Ottar received the enhancement of [Uchide no Kozuchi], his strength could reach the long-lost Level 8 in the labyrinth city.
Emiya clenched the note secretly passed to him by Aisha, 'I never expected, the Ishtar Familia was hiding such a secret…'
He recalled Haruhime's appearance, that delicate, timid fox girl, always following closely behind Aisha, and in the end, it was her courageous release of [Uchide no Kozuchi] that became the key to Emiya ending the battle.
Being the first fox person and the first woman in a kimono he met in this world, Emiya had a deep impression of Haruhime, and now, he had a new understanding of her.
Undoubtedly, Haruhime's act of using magic on him took a huge risk, and their fates became intertwined because of this magic.
And Aisha's act of leaking Haruhime's information to Emiya was an indisputable betrayal of her Familia. Aisha betrayed the trust of the Ishtar Familia, which appointed her as an executive, even entrusting her with the most important tasks like taking care of Haruhime and purchasing magic swords.
Aisha held a very high position in Ishtar, as the only Level 5 in the Ishtar Familia had strength but no brains, and the only Level 4 was the Goddess Ishtar's close attendant, not involved in Familia affairs.
Having leveled up to Level 3 a few years ago, Aisha, with a promising future, was already part of the Familia's management, effectively the vice-captain of the Familia.
Trusted by the Goddess, loved by her peers, holding a high position… Yet, Aisha still chose to betray.
Because of a stone, a stone from the Far East—[Sesshou Seki].
[Sesshou Seki] is an item specifically for fox people.
A forbidden magical item made from [Tamamo-no-Mae's Stone] and [Toriba's Stone].
The material for [Tamamo-no-Mae's Stone] is the remains of a fox person, preferably a fox child, just from the material and the method of making, it's already a forbidden item not tolerated by the world.
The effect of [Tamamo-no-Mae's Stone] is to greatly enhance the magic, or [Sorcery], of a fox person.
[Gekka Seki] is a special ore that changes color under moonlight, emits light, and generates magical power, also used by blacksmiths as a weapon material.
It's also called [Toriba's Stone] because the ore's original color is as black as wet crow feathers.
Because a certain bard, holding the ore that glowed in various colors and lights under the moonlight, sang a tragic love song about the moon, which became widely known, this ore gained recognition in the world.
Weapons and items made with this material change their hardness, power, and effects with the moonlight. However, this characteristic is meaningless in the deep underground dungeon, so Gekka Seki itself is not circulated in the market of the labyrinth city.
The time when [Toriba's Stone] can exert its maximum effect is on the night of a full moon. At that time, the [Sesshou Seki], a fusion of the two ores, turns into a demon stone.
It will seal the user of the Sesshou Seki… the fox person's magic, no, [Soul] into the stone.
With the corresponding equipment, the [Sesshou Seki] perfectly sealed with magic can provide the fox person's precious magic, "sorcery" to a third party, completing a magical item not inferior to [Magic Swords].
As a cost… the sacrificed fox person will become an empty shell, losing their soul.
The Ishtar Familia has already purchased a [Sesshou Seki] from the Far East and transported it into Orario. Their plan is to initiate the [Sesshou Seki] ritual on the next full moon night, sealing Haruhime's soul into it.
At that time, the Ishtar Familia will divide the [Sesshou Seki] along with Haruhime's soul into fragments, and each fragment of the [Sesshou Seki] will be a [Magic Sword] capable of releasing [Uchide no Kozuchi] once.
The Ishtar Familia will obtain an unprecedented forbidden magical item, and Haruhime, her soul will be completely shattered in dozens of divisions, leaving only her body, becoming a hollow puppet.
Aisha, knowing the Ishtar Familia's plan, made the choice Emiya would have made, she chose the latter between Familia and sister.
["Save Haruhime"], she issued such an adventurer's request to Emiya.
———
"This situation is really troublesome," Goddess Hephaestus rubbed her temples, staring at Aisha's note, her tone unprecedentedly grave.
Regarding Haruhime's situation and Aisha's request, Emiya did not shut himself in, pondering alone, nor did he act impulsively on his own. Instead, he immediately sought out Goddess Hephaestus.
Compared to acting rashly alone, he trusted the Goddess's wisdom more.
"Your thoughts are correct, Shirou, we must save that child, [Sesshou Seki] such a forbidden item should not exist," The Goddess said seriously, "However, we must carefully consider what method to take…"
The Ishtar Familia is not an easy opponent, being one of the top factions in Orario in terms of strength, with one Level 5 and one Level 4 in their Familia, surpassing the Hephaestus Familia in top-tier combat power.
[One-Eyed Giant Blacksmith] Tsubaki's strength is superior to the Ishtar Familia's Level 5 [Man Killer] Phryne, but the Hephaestus Familia lacks a Level 4, and apart from Tsubaki and Emiya, the other members are mostly blacksmiths with average combat abilities, while the Ishtar Familia has many battle prostitutes who frequently engage in dungeon adventures.
This is without considering Haruhime and [Uchide no Kozuchi], if [Man Killer] is enhanced to Level 6, dealing with her would be troublesome.
In terms of financial resources, the Ishtar Familia is second only to the Hephaestus Familia, and if the cost of obtaining the Sesshou Seki wasn't so high, the Dian Cecht Familia might not have outbid them in the magic sword auction.
"If we were to go to war with the Ishtar Familia, winning in the end wouldn't be a problem, we could just use magic swords to bombard them to death…", Hephaestus said, "But, a war between our two great Familias would most likely end in mutual destruction, and there are many issues we must consider."
"First, is Aisha's information reliable, the reputation of [Beauty Elite] is quite good, she should be trustworthy, but for such a significant matter, we must be cautious."
"Second, what is Haruhime Sanjouno's attitude towards the Ishtar Familia, will her magic [Uchide no Kozuchi] be cast on [Man Killer] Phryne or on you, Shirou, this is very important."
"Third, can Haruhime and [Uchide no Kozuchi]'s information remain confidential after this matter," Hephaestus pointed out several important issues she was concerned about, and Emiya also fell silent.
"So I say, this situation is really troublesome… but fortunately," Hephaestus changed her tone, "Today, there happens to be a friend here who can help us."
Hephaestus's lips curled into a pleased arc.
"Astrea, come in," Hephaestus called out loudly.
"Is this alright, Hephaestus, your Familia's affairs, should I not step back for now?", The Goddess outside the door responded.
"I trust you, and besides, this matter requires the intervention of you, the Goddess of Stars and Justice," Hephaestus said.
"Is that so, then it seems I've come at just the right time," The stunningly beautiful Goddess with long brown hair pushed the door open and entered.
The Goddess of Stars and Justice, Astrea, hearing this name, Emiya couldn't help but be startled.
'Astrea, Ryuu's former Familia…', He also thought of Goddess Hephaestus's words—the "dowry" of the Astrea Familia.
Emiya could project and borrow the powers of all deceased members of the Astrea Familia, and with his relationship with Ryuu, he was momentarily unsure of how to face Goddess Astrea.
"Shirou, I finally meet you," Astrea walked up to the boy.
Anyone could see at a glance.
As a benevolent Goddess, she was full of compassion, or rather, maternal love.
The air around her was so gentle, just, and pure.
Her walnut-colored long hair fell down her back, and her eyes were a deep blue like the starry sea.
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