Chapter 99: Punishing Himself

Friana's [Four Elemental Secret Ring], Riveria's [Fairy King's Seal], plus the power of the [Spirit King's Ring] and the sacrifice of the [Philosopher's Stone], only then was this miracle finally created.

"Right, Sister Riveria... The [Philosopher's Stone] got accidentally broken, so this ring, I'll return it to you...", Emiya gently raised his hand, a faint light flickering between his fingers.

Riveria shook her head, "No rush. Wait until we return to the camp, then take it off and give it to me."

However, beside them, Friana was feeling depressed over her shattered [Philosopher's Stone]. When she heard Riveria mention 'take it off,' she immediately lowered her head, the corners of her lips subtly lifting, as if struggling to hold back laughter.

'No, hold it in. I can't laugh out loud just yet...', Friana bit her lower lip hard, her fingers quietly pinching her thigh, trying to suppress herself.

'That ignorant and uneducated princess still hasn't realized it yet...'

Her shoulders trembled slightly, but everyone's attention was focused on Emiya, so no one noticed her abnormal reaction.

"Do you need me to carry you back, Shirou?", Riveria asked with concern.

Emiya tried to stand up, but in the end, he shook his head helplessly, "I'll have to trouble you."

Riveria ignored Hogni's attempt to volunteer himself and walked straight over to personally carry Emiya on her back.

The elves walked out of the nearly destroyed ruins. However, at that moment, a green figure suddenly dashed toward them.

It was none other than [Gale] Ryuu Lion. She rushed up to the group without hesitation and threw a punch, striking Hedin's glasses directly off his face.

"[White Fairy's Magic Wand], you bastard!"

With a punch, Ryuu struck Hedin's cheek directly.

The glasses hanging on Hedin's nose bridge were sent flying by the punch. Even as a Level 6 adventurer, he was momentarily seeing stars from the furious blow of Level 5 Ryuu.

After the battle outside the ruins ended, Ryuu had learned about Hedin's true plan from Hermes. She immediately rushed over.

"You actually made Shirou do something so dangerous!", Ryuu roared, landing two more punches in rapid succession.

With his mental energy exhausted, Hedin had no strength to react or dodge Ryuu's punches. But even if he could avoid them, he wouldn't. He simply stood there, allowing Ryuu to vent her anger.

This was the personality and behavior of the [White Fairy's Magic Wand]. At this point, he had no intention of explaining anything to this young junior.

After taking three punches, Hedin staggered back a couple of steps, then steadied himself again, facing Ryuu calmly.

His once-handsome face was now half swollen, with a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.

"And you even sent me away!", Ryuu angrily raised her fist.

But this time, she didn't strike. Emiya's voice caused her to hesitate.

"Sorry, Ryuu," Emiya spoke softly, "I agreed to Hedin-san's plan. The companions outside the ruins needed your strength."

In the [Great Tree Sea], where a defensive line was built to fend off monsters, all the adventurers survived. The wounded were also promptly rescued. A large part of this success was thanks to Ryuu.

The presence of a Level 5 magic swordsman not only provided a tactical core but also became a pillar of morale for the adventurers. As long as [Gale] was still there, their confidence wouldn't collapse.

However, Hedin interrupted Emiya's words in a calm tone.

"No," Hedin said, "I left you outside simply because your level wasn't high enough. A Level 5's magic would have dragged down our magical energy efficiency."

Hearing this, Hogni tilted his head slightly.

Because among the four Level 6 elves responsible for supplying magic, he was actually the weakest link. Riveria, Hedin, and Friana were all mages, with S-rank magic power.

But Hogni was a magic swordsman. His strength and dexterity were S-rank, but his magic was only a mere B-rank.

Hogni also didn't have the development ability [Spirit Recovery]. Among the four elves, he contributed the least amount of magic power.

If Ryuu were to level up to 6 and train her magic stat, he would probably be the one replaced.

Thinking of this, Hogni's mood darkened. He suddenly felt the urge to find a corner to squat in and cry…

"Additionally, your personality is too irrational. It could have affected my planning," The white-haired elf looked at Ryuu and spoke bluntly.

Ryuu's previously somewhat calmed emotions were instantly reignited. She raised her fist again, but this time, she didn't throw the punch.

"Not continuing? After today, I won't be this lenient with you anymore, junior," Hedin spoke, his tone almost provocative.

It sounded as if he was hoping Ryuu would continue hitting him.

Riveria observed Hedin. This proud elf was definitely not a masochist. Even if he were, his target wouldn't be Ryuu. It would be that goddess on the high tower, Freya.

"Is this your way of punishing yourself, [White Fairy's Magic Wand]?", Clearly, even though he had devised a plan that placed nearly the entire burden on Emiya, this proud elf himself wasn't completely indifferent to it.

That was why he had fought so desperately during Emiya's battle against Antares.

Now, Hedin's condition was the worst among everyone present, except for Emiya. Before the battle even started, he had exhausted all his mental energy to enhance Emiya with [Laurus Hildr]. Then, he had pushed himself to the limit, extracting every bit of recovered energy through [Spirit Recovery] and magic potions.

At this moment, though his posture remained straight, he looked weak enough to be knocked over by a gust of wind.

"[White Fairy's Magic Wand], I will visit you for a lesson in the future," Ryuu retracted her fist.

"Heh, come back when you catch up in level, junior," Hedin smirked, bent down, picked up his now-cracked glasses from the dust, and put them back on as if nothing had happened.

Their gazes met in the air, both unwilling to back down. After a brief standoff, Ryuu finally snorted and turned away, breaking the confrontation.

Just as Hedin had said. At Level 5, Ryuu was still unqualified to truly challenge him. Hedin letting her land three punches was indeed an act of leniency.

Seeing that the conflict between Hedin and Ryuu had gradually settled, Riveria let out a small sigh of relief. However, at that moment, Ryuu suddenly turned toward her.

"Lady Riveria, thank you," Ryuu said seriously.

"Hm?", Riveria was momentarily stunned, not understanding the reason for this gratitude.

And in the next second, Ryuu had already reached her, swiftly lifting Emiya off Riveria's back and carrying him onto her own without hesitation.

Riveria hadn't even fully processed what was happening. In that brief moment of distraction, Emiya had already been moved. Or rather, snatched.

Riveria: ???

"Huh? Lady Riveria, is something wrong?", Noticing Riveria staring at her, Ryuu turned back in confusion.

Her eyes were filled with pure innocence and slight puzzlement, as if she genuinely had no idea why the elf princess was so shocked.

Riveria gazed into Ryuu's clear, foolish-looking eyes.

'Little girl, do you not want to be an elf anymore?', For the first time, Riveria considered using her royal title to threaten someone with expulsion from the elven race.

But in the end, her noble character and good manners restrained her.

"Hmph. Ryuu, I'll leave Shirou in your care, then," She forced an unnatural smile and spoke with a tone that did not match her expression.

Under these circumstances, even the usually airheaded [Sword Princess] Ais could sense that Riveria's mood was a little off.

However, when it came to the domain of being a "deadweight elf," the useless elf never failed to live up to expectations.

"As you command, Lady Riveria," Ryuu remained serious, her face full of respect and gratitude, "I will definitely take good care of Shirou!"

Friana reached out and gently patted Ryuu's shoulder.

"Little girl, from now on, just live well in Orario. Don't go back to the Elven Forest anymore."

She gave this piece of advice to the young girl who could barely be considered her student.

———

Not long after, Emiya and his group returned to the camp outside the ruins of Elsos.

At this moment, nearly half of the adventurers in the camp were exhausted from the fierce battle earlier in the day and had already fallen into deep sleep. The remaining half were immersed in a celebratory feast, their cheers and laughter rising and falling in waves.

Seeing this scene, one couldn't help but marvel at the sheer stamina and energy of these adventurers.

At the camp entrance, the gods and Asfi led the members of the Hermes Familia, waiting in anticipation. The moment Riveria and her group appeared in their line of sight, cheers erupted instantly.

Witnessing this scene, Riveria couldn't help but smile gently, revealing a rare expression of relaxation.

"Heroes, congratulations! You have saved the world and made history!"

Hermes clapped his hands as he stepped forward.

"When I saw that beam of light, I had no words. In my billions of years as a god, this is definitely one of the most memorable moments."

He spoke with a smile on his lips. It had to be said, when Hermes wasn't up to his usual mischief or inappropriate antics, his divine handsomeness was indeed flawless.

However, Riveria and the others did not show him much kindness.

"God Hermes, if you had told us the whole truth from the beginning and hadn't played your mysterious games, we could have been better prepared."

Riveria's tone was calm, yet carried an obvious note of reproach.

"Ah, well... I couldn't help it. It was all the Guild's doing, Ouranus' request..."

Hermes' smile instantly froze, and the noble, enigmatic aura he had been maintaining vanished in an instant, returning him to his usual self, the unreliable and unpretentious traveler god.

Under Riveria's condemning gaze, Hermes quickly made his escape.

Everyone present tacitly chose not to mention the goddess who was no longer there.

Afterward, the elves politely declined the invitation to the celebration. As was natural for their kind, they were never fond of such lively gatherings, and besides, they were already somewhat fatigued.

Only Friana relentlessly sought out Hermes, demanding that he, as a god with some level of representation for the Adventurers' Guild, promise full compensation for her [Philosopher's Stone].

Hermes, being as magnanimous as ever, signed the contract with a grand flourish, using Ouranus' name.

After all, it was the Guild's problem, and he had no intention of saving money for that bunch of bureaucrats.

As for Friana's lost [Philosopher's Stone], which had already consumed more than half of its magical power, and her demand that the Guild compensate her with a completely intact one—such a minor detail was hardly worth fussing over.

Only [Omnipotent One] Asfi, upon hearing the name [Philosopher's Stone], couldn't resist asking Friana for guidance.

For this pinnacle and most mysterious creation of alchemy, Asfi, herself a maker of magic tools, was clearly filled with curiosity and longing.

However, Friana was straightforward, she had no idea what the [Philosopher's Stone] created by the historical [Sage] looked like. In any case, the one she made couldn't turn stone into gold, nor could it produce an elixir of immortality. It was simply a very powerful magical energy source.

To refine such a magic stone, high-level developmental abilities like [Mystery] and [Magic] were essential. Besides that, some now-extinct materials were also required.

Friana admitted that the key ingredient for making her [Philosopher's Stone] had been a fragment of the sea king Leviathan's magic stone, which she had traded for from Leon Vardenburg.

Clearly, such rare materials were no longer available anywhere. The Adventurers' Guild was in for a hefty compensation payment this time.

Hedin and Hogni each returned to their tents to rest, while Friana was pestered by Asfi, who bombarded her with all sorts of questions.

The clever student reignited Friana's passion for teaching, and the frustration she had felt when instructing the stubborn and useless elf Ryuu completely vanished.

Ryuu, on the other hand, secretly felt grateful to Asfi for diverting Teacher Friana's attention, because she still hadn't completed the homework Friana had assigned her the day before.

That's right. Even though today's expedition battle could have spelled world-ending disaster if anything had gone wrong, the elven teacher had still not forgotten to assign Ryuu homework.

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