Chapter 6

Beta: Worldbringer of Joesun


After returning from the blacksmith's guild, Meltraus didn't waste any time in giving Shirou the task of refilling their stock of iron swords. Apparently, some adventurers had arrived and purchased all of them.

Melhia handled the stall while they were away, but she was a tad bit too intimidated by the adventurers to inquire anything further. It was a bit unfortunate, but the giant grandmaster blacksmith didn't really mind. He said that those blades were just gathering up dust anyway.

While Shirou was forging the first blade, Meltraus had come over and explained where to strike for the most efficiency, how hard to strike, and what temperature to use to temper the blade.

Granted, Shirou could already tell the tolerance of the iron by simply using structural analysis, but learning how to do it manually was a better alternative.

Shirou wanted to learn how to create these blades using his own experience and skill, not from the memories of every other blacksmith's hammer he found.

As Shirou hammered away to flatten the edges, the stall door opened up as a cheerful voice called from outside.

"Little Melhia~" the voice sang, "It's your uncle Halfas~"

Shirou didn't pause in his work but did notice how Melhia shuddered and paused in her work, no longer recounting their stock.

Meltraus simply groaned and put his hammer down. "What does that blasted elf want now…?"

An elf?

Shirou was familiar with the race, even if it was only because of how they were portrayed in popular media, but he was curious as to what an actual one looked like.

The elf stepped into their forge, wearing the standard equipment for a blacksmith. His eyes wandered for a few seconds before finally landing on Melhia.

"There you are!" He cheered, "Sorry! Your Uncle forgot it was your birthday last week so I haven't given you your present yet!"

Uncle?

There was also the fact of her birthday. Sakura would probably like to gift her something, even if it was just a courtesy. He was certain that his lover liked the girl enough to do so.

"You're not her uncle," Meltraus grumbled.

"Don't be rude, papa," Melhia whined, but it came off weak and without much bite. "Uncle, you didn't have to get me a present. I'm not a little girl anymore."

Meltraus once more grumbled something in disagreement, but he wasn't really acknowledged by the elf this time around.

"But–! It is rude to forget your friend's birthday in your culture, correct?" Halfas reasoned, "Don't be like your old man and just accept the gift~"

Within half a second, the elf had tossed something from his pocket and into the young woman's hands, who stumbled to catch it before it hit the floor.

She pouted his direction, but it faded once she saw what she caught.

A golden necklace with a sapphire cut into the shape of a diamond embedded into it.

"This is…" she muttered, "You made this? It's… beautiful?"

Halfas simply smirked as he sent a glance towards Meltraus, "I used gold and pure Azarite. How's that? My smithing skills are great, aren't they?"

Shirou's hammer stopped in surprise but continued on its way shortly after, not wanting to ruin his creation.

What in the world was Azarite?

Meltraus simply gave the necklace a glance.

"The jewel was cut unevenly," he started, "The gold looks warped like it was cut with sheers, and the chain looks like it was welded on without grinding away the excess gold. This is below average."

Brutally honest, Shirou's master was.

The elf simply withered and fell to his knees, theatrically clutching his heart.

"Papa!" Melhia scolded, "That's rude! I'm sure Halfas worked very hard on it!"

"No, your father is right!" The elf bounced right back on his feet, "I still have much to learn!"

Meltraus sighed, going back to fitting a hilt onto Shirou's earlier make. "I'll never know how someone with such deep insight of smithing such as yours can't even forge anything worthwhile…"

"Maybe you should stop trying to smith, Halfas?" Melhia suggested, "You're much better at analyzing anyway."

Shirou wondered what that meant as he doused the heated blade into water, a form of heat-treating as Meltraus called it.

The elf sighed.

"Well, it was only for today that I decided to create it…" he sent a glance towards Shirou, "Your birthday was the main reason I came here, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't spare time for something a bit more… interesting."

His tone of voice changed the moment he stopped talking to his surrogate niece. From the carefree and joyful tone came forth a much more… curious and amused one.

Shirou wasn't unnerved in the slightest, seeing as he was already done forging the iron sword and had moved onto the next, but he was very wary.

"Hello, young apprentice," Halfas greeted, standing a tad bit away from where Shirou was hammering an ingot. "My name is Halfas Fortesa Dyrnnschwallen, a pleasure to meet the apprentice of the old grandmaster smith himself."

"Halfas," Meltraus warned, "Be careful of what you say."

He spun to face him with his hands raised in surrender, "Nothing out of the ordinary dear Meltraus, I'm merely a fan of his work. All I have is an inkling suspicion…"

Halfas turned back to Shirou, "It is unusual to see such quality works from someone who has only recently begun an apprenticeship, let alone an adventurer using traditional methods."

He had a feeling that the elf was probing for something, but whatever it was, Shirou couldn't tell.

"Using ordinary smithing techniques in a regular forge.…" Halfas continued, "… How is it possible that you were able to create something like that? Even I can feel it, you're different from other adventurers, aren't you?"

Shirou's wary feeling doubled.

"I'm not sure what you are implying… sir."

"Simple," he continued, "I noticed your mana go down like a regular adventurer when forging a blade, yet nothing appeared out of nowhere."

Shirou blinked.

Was it from using structural analysis? Did his spell draw from his mana reserves as a player?

"Did you think that you wouldn't be noticed? As an elf, I am naturally more in tune with mana, meaning it was easy to notice," Halfas said, "Either you're different by the fact that you cannot use the smithing magic of adventurers… or you're a sham."

The silence that followed was deafening, enough so that Shirou had to pause from hammering the second iron sword.

Melhia looked a tad skeptical at the insinuation but did not say anything back.

Meltraus, on the other hand, had his eyes narrowed and focused on Shirou. "I trust you boy," he said, "but I also trust Halfas. If you can't explain what he's talking about…"

The rest of the sentence went unsaid, but the intent was clear.

Shirou nodded.

He didn't want to lose the apprenticeship, he still had much to learn. The alternatives were either to leave and halt his smithing until he could purchase a forge, which would cut deeply into their budget…

… or he'd tell them.

Should he? Shouldn't he?

A simple glance out the window gave him enough reason to answer.

This wasn't his world, there was no such thing as a mages association or purpose to keeping their magic secret. Illya had said they should keep it from players to keep them from becoming envious.

But she didn't say anything about Landers.

"If you don't tell any other adventurer, then I can explain without a delay."

A simultaneous nod came from all the Landers.

"It's a kind of magic that I use called structural analysis," Shirou explained, noticing how focused the smiths were listening to him, "It allows me to scan an object and learn its weaknesses, tolerances, and strengths. I use it so I can learn where to strike, when to strike, and how to strike."

He held up two separate iron ingots. He raised the one in his left hand, "This ingot weighs 9 kilograms and is purer in comparison to the other ingot, which weighs 9.3 kilograms and has some more tin within it so it isn't as pure. From this information, I can determine what's the best way to handle the metal."

"Fascinating…" Halfas muttered, "Such implications of a spell like that… are you certain that no other adventurer knows this?"

"In my guild, there are a few that know,"

"Sakura-chan knows?" Melhia asked.

"A little," Shirou admitted, "But not to the extent that I can. You can say that I mastered it." He turned to face Meltraus, "Are you satisfied with my answer, grand master smith?"

His glare had lessened, but he still stood rigidly.

"Can you attest that you made those blades to the best of your ability?"

Shirou nodded.

Meltraus' shoulders fell, "I'm still unsure on whether or not I like the fact that you use magic to smith, but I'm willing to overlook it. However, I forbid you from using… magic, while we are working. Experience is a better teacher."

"Well, that was a better explanation than I thought," Halfas mused, "I thought your dear apprentice was being magically aided by the gods. Not sure which is better, to be honest~"

Of course, the traditional smith would say that. Shirou couldn't really disagree and nodded.

"Get back to forging those blades," Meltraus ordered, "There's more work to be done later."

Shirou did as he was told, even as Halfas was looking over him with a mischievous grin.

"Oh no you're not!" He cheered, "Make something exciting, like a battleaxe!"

"He starts with the basics first!"

"But battle axes are magnificent!"

Shirou hoped that he could keep focused on the task at hand.

At least he got to keep his apprenticeship, his Blacksmith Subclass was rising in levels steadily and he didn't really want to stall the progress in the slightest.

Although admittedly he had to put the sword-in-progress away in order to help Melhia stop Meltraus and Halfas from arguing like children.

Blacksmiths, they were stubborn as nails.


After repairing the testing room, Ferlna found herself stood on a stool busy sorting the displayed books and scrolls in her store. Most of them ended up out of order after Magi Tohsaka ruffled through them all.

The same offending adventurer sat by the counter and began reviewing their research notes. Ferlna wanted to contribute to it, but all thoughts and inputs she delivered had already been thought of by the Magi.

Ferlna had a feeling that 'Magi', was not supposed to be used in a singular form. She did not know why, but she felt it anyway.

"Okay, so that's how that reacts…" Magi Tohsaka muttered with quiet fervor, "… All that's left is to compile the notes– ah no wait, we still need to test if simultaneous modular spellcasting is possible…"

Ferlna nearly stumbled from the stool she stood on.

Simultaneous–!? Does she mean casting two spells at once!?

Ferlna had to take a moment to simply breathe, hoping that the genius adventurer sitting away from her didn't notice her embarrassing stumble.

In her defense, what the Magi – that truly did not feel right – had just said was shocking. It had long since been accepted that the spellcasting of two spells at the same time was nigh-impossible.

In the first place, researchers determined that using two spells at once came with several complications, the most notable being two.

The first was the chant, which would need to be overhauled and changed for it to work, in which case they haven't cast two spells but created a new singular spell instead.

Chanting a Fireball and a Wind Bullet at once would require saying both of their names, but doing so at the same time would just come out as Fwiirnedbbaullllet, which did not make any sort of sense at all. The spell would either not work or fail spectacularly.

There were also non-chanting spells but those came with the other underlying problem, the second complication of focus.

Focusing on a spell required your undivided attention, using only half of your mental capacity on such a task would come with the same error as previously stated. There have been cases by reckless novice sorcerers that burned their robes while trying to do so.

In short, researchers concluded it to be impossible. Even as Ferlna disliked their mentality, she could not find any fault in those particular reports.

… but Magi Tohsaka did not care for that, did she? Perhaps the modular spellcasting could provide the solution. If not, then Ferlna was certain that the Mag– Tohsaka Rin would not be downtrodden and would simply carry on with new research.

As Ferlna was about to offer her help for the testing stages, a ring echoed through the store.

A customer?

She pried her attention away from the Sorcerer adventurer and laid her eyes on the new arrival.

Ferlna blinked.

It was an old lander with a ginger beard that extended down to his knees and a long rimmed hat sat atop his head. The most defining feature he had was the white robes he wore, which was the hallmark of a magical researcher.

There was no doubt that he was one because Ferlna knew him far too well.

"Caelus?"

"Greetings Ferlna," Caelus started with a polite and calm smile, a nostalgic sight to be had. "I'm here with the supplies. I hope that I am not intruding."

His eyes lit up as he noticed something behind her. "Oh? Is that an adventurer I see? Did one of them actually decide to work for you?" He jested.

Ferlna sighed with a relaxed smile, "No, she is not. I am not a miracle worker, old friend."

Magi Tohsaka was the one who deserved that title.

"The adventurer is an acquaintance of mine named Tohsaka," Ferlna introduced Rin, who had not even looked up from their research papers, "We've been collaborating on several research topics."

"Oh?" His eyes widened, "Are you finally going to return to Eastal then? The others await your results eagerly…" His eyes lowered to prevent his gaze from being seen, "… Especially since it has only been a week after the May Incident. The Lords are eager to find any possible explanation as to what happened."

Ah… yes, that was correct…

She had been so caught up lately on their shared research ventures that she didn't truly realize about how her fellow Landers over at the capital were feeling about the simultaneously break down that all the adventurers had.

She was the only Lander researcher that chose to live alongside the adventurers, meaning that out of all the kingdom's greatest, only she had the experience necessary to look into the incident. Even though Ferlna only knew as much as her eyes could tell her.

Should she look into it further…? It would delay their shared research by a substantial amount but if the Lords were this worried… was it not her duty as a citizen of Eastal to look into it?

"Ferlna? Who's the old guy?" Rin ever so bluntly asked only now just noticing his presence.

Ferlna turned to the woman whom she had rapidly gained respect for, "This man is Caelus, the only Lander Alchemist you can find in Akihabara. He is the sole alchemical reagent supplier for the Arcadia."

Rin regarded him with a singular look before shrugging, "Alright, don't let me disturb you."

Ferlna hadn't known Tohsaka Rin for long, but she could feel that the sorcerer did not have any interest in her old friend.

"Please leave the supplies in the back room," Ferlna asked, "I believe I do not need to show you the way?"

Caelus nodded with a soft chuckle, "I've been here enough times to know where to go. Don't pay me any mind~"

As the old lander walked past the adventurer, he entered the back room and shut the door, leaving the store to be enveloped in a moment of silence.

"Are you sure it's okay for him to be in there alone?" Tohsaka Rin asked.

"As Caelus said, he has been here more than enough to know. He should be out any minute now." Ferlna replied with a hint of exasperation.

Was Magi Tohsaka worried that he would learn of their research? Not that any Lander could ever hope to replicate her findings so far. Perhaps she was just protective of their research?

"Hmm…" Tohsaka Rin mused. However, she seemed to simply continue with her look of disinterest, choosing to instead continue to write down their findings.

It only took a few moments until Caelus returned from the back room and left, wishing Ferlna luck on future endeavors, paying nothing but cautious heed to the adventurer manning her station.

"Have a good day, Ferlna." He wished.

As usual, Landers would forever see adventurers as something to be avoided. It was a stigma that each side shared since the day that the first adventurer arrived.

Ferlna nodded as he left the store, "To you as well, Caelus."

When the store bell rang, signifying his departure, Ferlna allowed herself a single breath of reprieve. Perhaps she should prepare for a trip to Eastal, to ease the worries of the Lords?

"By the way, Ferlna…" Tohsaka Rin asked, her gaze not once leaving the research papers.

"Hm?"

Ferlna blinked as she awaited the question that Magi Tohsaka was about to ask. However, as the seconds dragged on, Ferlna found herself about to ask what–

"What is the May Incident?"

Just like that, Ferlna felt her throat dry and heart rate shoot up.

W-what? Did she overhear?

However, true to her conditioning as a noble, she maintained a calm demeanor and replied as politely as possible.

"Pardon?" Ferlna found herself saying, her upbringing as a noble creating an automatic response. "I do not believe I understand what you are referring to."

The adventurer's response was to send Ferlna a minor look of exasperation as if she was just a tad bit annoyed yet tired at the same time. "I'm not deaf, that old guy didn't whisper as quietly as he thought."

She set down the research papers, sat on the counter, and gave Ferlna a look of warning. It was a look that clearly said that if Ferlna lied here, then there would be repercussions.

"This May Incident sounds like something I should know about, seeing the urgency that the old man had when talking to you about it…" her eyes sharpened "… So either you tell me about it, or I walk out this store and never come back. I can continue my research alone, with or without your help."

But she still needed access to the books of the Arcadia, right?

No, she didn't.

Ferlna knew her for a day, but even she could tell that this adventurer wouldn't mind leaving and simply purchase or look elsewhere for the books in question.

Ferlna needed her to obtain her dream, but Tohsaka Rin certainly did not.

"… Fine." Ferlna found herself saying once more, "The May Incident happened a few days ago. I believe that the adventurers had come to call such an event as the 'Apocalypse' as it were."

Tohsaka's eyes showed no sign of recognition, so Ferlna took it as a prompt to continue.

"One day, all adventurers simply stopped what they were doing – whether it be browsing the stalls or simply walking – and fell as if they were puppets with their strings cut."

Ferlna looked outside her window as an adventurer fell flat, her head crashing onto the window with an audible thud, yet nothing broke as per usual.

What in the world…?

As if the adventurer had lost its meaning, she fell onto the ground alongside the hundreds of other adventurers around the street. Even some within her store fell, leaning onto the bookshelves like broken mannequins.

What was going on?

Ferlna left her seat to check on the adventurers, confirming the existence of a pulse on all the ones in her store.

What had just happened?

Ferlna sighed as she continued. "When the adventurers awoke, they were far more lively. Unlike before, your kind displayed emotions that any normal person would have… and with that new-found liveliness, you all displayed fear and anger."

When Ferlna moved away from an odd bunny-eared adventurer, she noticed a few of them stirring.

"Were they alright now?" She remembered herself mumbling.

Ferlna personally looked over a guardian-class adventurer and checked to see if he would awaken.

His eyes snapped open, a show of life and confusion overtook his visage as he struggled to push himself up, gazing at the surroundings with his pupils dilating.

Ferlna said nothing and simply gazed at him with new burning curiosity.

It was when the adventurer screamed that Ferlna regretted that choice of inaction.

Perhaps she should have offered a word of comfort.

Such an incredibly small and insignificant act could have prevented the following choir of despair.

It was something that no Lander could forget, not even if they tried.

They had tried to return back to their way of life, but Ferlna knew that it was going to be impossible. The adventurers might have awoken from whatever miniature slumber affected them, but their mental states had forever altered.

That sudden change in behavior to an entire race of people… what if such a thing could happen to them?

"We were confused as to what to do," Ferlna explained with a calm breath in contrast to her thoughts. "The stalwart and emotionless protectors of our race had suddenly changed, as if the natural order of the world had been irrevocably altered."

"Eventually after a few relayed messages from courier pigeons, that day was marked as the May Incident… the day that all adventurers changed." Ferlna finished.

She looked towards the adventurer once more, "Does that answer your question, Magi Tohsaka?"

The following silence that came from the adventurer was unnerving, but the resulting chuckle was certainly not what she expected.

"Was that it?" Rin muttered, still trying to contain a few late chuckles, "Something like that… True, I can see the cause for concern."

… After an explanation like that, all this adventurer could do was laugh?

Laugh at the event that changed the lives of people?

The event that caused so many Landers to alter their very jobs to accommodate the lack of adventurers?

… All she did was laugh?

"Tell you what," Rin offered after she had calmed down. "I'll help you out on your research about the May Incident if you want, but only after we finish this paper."

What?

The more Ferlna listened to this adventurer, the more she found herself being surprised.

"Is that a deal?" Rin asked once more. "Being an adventurer myself, I could yield valuable research data. I doubt any other adventurer will agree to participate anyway."

… Ferlna could not explain it.

After feeling a resurgence of fear from being caught out, to indignation at the tribulations of Landers, and finally to a…

… A strange sense of relief.

Truly, Tohsaka Rin broke all conceived notions she had about adventurers.

"... Very well," Ferlna replied as she walked towards the research paper, "Let us finish this task. I hope that you intend to keep your word, Magi Tohsaka."

"Don't worry, my pride as a Magus won't allow that," Tohsaka claimed. Ferlna wasn't sure if it was in pride or arrogance, but honestly, that wasn't what the Lander focused on the most.

Magus.

Ah… So that was the singular term… Magus Tohsaka…

"Now let's prepare the room again," Rin informally ordered, "I want to try out simultaneous modular spellcasting."

"As you wish," Ferlna agreed with a glint on the rim of her glasses. "… Magi Tohsaka."

"… When will you stop calling me that, Ferlna?"

Ferlna found that she liked that nickname far more.


Illya knew that the storyline was most likely going to be overly long and contrived like all MMO storylines…

"–and that was when those cultists sprung their vile trap and encased me in an impenetrable crystal."

… but this was just getting plain ridiculous.

At the present, Illya sat on the broken remains of the fountain while Eisel stood close by. The old ghost, whose name is Krentelfal by the way, hovered before her.

He didn't have any legs as usual and floated like a spirit, but he wore steel mail armor that covered everything on him. The sole exception was his head, which lacked a helmet in order to show off his scraggly beard.

Krentelfal was basically an old ghost knight without legs or a weapon.

Didn't really need one when you could smash level 90's with fists alone…

Moving on… to summarize what this old ghost had just told her…

Belaphr, the monster that the golden rhapsody Tulius – previous wielder of her beloved axe – had slain, was going to be revived by some cultists. However, to do so they would need the sacrifice of one of Tulius' equipment, probably due to some spiritual connection, which will revive this… monster at full strength.

They managed to obtain a piece of Tulius' armor, which Krentelfal had been guarding under the fountain, after using a unique item that reduced the strength of all undead creatures by ninety-percent.

It was absurdly broken and Illya wanted it, but then she remembered that she broke it earlier, so that was impossible to achieve.

She did collect the fragments though, just in case.

"All we have to do is eliminate some cultists, correct?" Eisel asked, to which the old ghost nodded, "Alright… I need to talk to my guild master."

As Eisel opened up his menu, Illya was left to ponder the plot that they had been handed.

It was basically a miniature demon lord revival scenario, and not even a good one. It was overdone and could be found across various games. An ancient evil was going to awaken, so you have to slay some things until it won't.

Ah… the wonders of MMO writing. Sometimes you strike gold but most of the time you find coal.

"So…" the old ghost said once more, "Knowing all this, will you aid in preventing Belaphr's revival and subdue these cultists before the worst comes to pass?"

… Corny dialogue aside, it was still an issue that needed to be addressed.

Belaphr sounded like a raid boss name, something that she was woefully underprepared to tackle. If she declined this quest, then was there a chance that this monster could come to life and wreak havoc?

Since this world followed some game logic, perhaps it would. There were events in the past that changed everything like that. She distinctly remembered something about culling a goblin population, but the higher level players usually dealt with it quickly so she didn't have much knowledge on that.

Was this something similar? Periodically killing cultists to ensure that this raid-boss level threat didn't come back to life?

Oh, who am I kidding?

Knowing the game intimately, Illya was hard-pressed to not acknowledge the possibility.

With that in mind, Illya turned to Eisel, who nodded towards her in a show of confirmation, his hands already dropping away from a fading menu screen.

Marielle must have agreed then… Well, at least she has company.

"We'll help in taking out the cultists," Illya accepted, "If you can show us the way, we can head over there right now."

It was just going to be killing a few cultists, nothing too hard. After all, compared to her childhood, it was going to be a cake walk.

"While I do not know where they have fled," Krentelfal replied, "I do know of the location of one of their hidden lairs. It is west of here, towards the Depths of Palm."

Great.

"Come on, Eisel," Illya called, walking over to her horse, "The sooner we get this done, the better."

"No complaints there…" Eisel muttered an agreement.

It didn't take long before they arrived back at their horses. Eisel walked up to his and stroked its mane, watching as it neighed in delight.

Truly, the world around them was real. Elder Tale couldn't simulate something like that, only a couple of different idle animations were possible to add variety. A horse neighing and moving depending on where you stroke it, responding to you when you talk to it?

It would take a literal butt load of code to make that possible, which isn't the case because this was an MMO. That coding space could be used for things like new monsters and content instead.

Illya sighed at the prospect and leaped onto her horse, watching it neigh in slight indignation, which Illya found to be a bit troublesome.

"Suck it up."

"That was certainly rude."

Illya could not help but to leap off her horse with a girlish squeal.

The action disturbed the horse, who reared onto its hind legs, in turn startling Eisel's horse, but he managed to calm it down before it did anything drastic.

Illya's horse though? It became an idiot and froze on the spot. Not even Illya knew why…

… Actually, wait, there was a far more important matter that needed addressing.

When Illya managed to stand, she sent a glare at the offending party that startled her, and her horse by proxy.

"Krentelfal…" Illya began nicely, "Why have you followed us?"

The old ghost knight simply stroked his beard as it floated above the horse. "Well, you see the fountain was my spiritual anchor to this plane of existence. Without it constantly supplying me with mana, I will soon fade back into oblivion or the afterlife as it were."

"Yes, go on." Illya urged, noticing a pause he had.

"It's dreadfully boring over there. So I don't want to go back," he answered, "In order to make sure that I don't return beyond the grave, I made you into one."

Illya blinked.

"What?"

"You are my permanent spiritual anchor now," he said unashamedly as he stroked his beard. "You have been for the last few minutes."

… and that's her headache again, returning with a vengeance.

Illya suppressed any violent reactions, seeing as such an action could ruin the quest somehow. Instead, she took a few calming breaths and simply sighed.

Was this a part of the quest? Did the MMO team really think that this was a good feature to implement? An old ghost that links to you forever? Forever listening to bad dad jokes – from other player's opinions – would have driven others to near insanity, or at least away from playing the game.

No matter how Illya looked at it, this was a bad decision.

"And you didn't think to ask permission beforehand?" Illya prompted.

"Of course not," he denied. "You might have said 'No'."

This little dad joke mother–

"I must say though… I am certainly surprised. You have a lot more hidden magical energy than I thought. Draining mana from you does not seem to weaken you whatsoever."

Illya found herself blinking once more.

What drain?

Illya sent a glance to her character status bar, only to find absolutely no mana drain whatsoever. She wasn't feeling anything at all, actually… except for extreme irritation and annoyance at the specter.

What was this old goat talking about now?

"I certainly didn't expect this much mana…" Krentelfal muttered, quiet enough that Eisel couldn't hear. He wouldn't have heard anyway, seeing as he was far too busy feeding his horse with a look of bliss on his face–

"Why, it is almost as if I was tapping into an unlimited source of mana–"

What.

With grace and speed unbefitting of her, Illya bolted straight towards the ghost and wrap her fingers around his mouth. She sent Eisel a glance and

began walking away quietly and discreetly.

She wasn't going to be gone for a while, just for a minute or two… Until she could confirm what she had just heard.

Once they were behind a tree, out of Eisel's distracted point of view, Illya shoved the ghost onto the tree with a crazed look in her eyes.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

Krentelfal didn't seem disturbed whatsoever and simply blinked at her.

"Pardon?"

"You said you were tapping into an unlimited source of mana," she said slowly. "Were. You. Lying?"

Another blink, "No, not at all. Why?"

Illya scanned his face, desperate to find any sign of deception. When she found none, there was only one conclusion she could draw.

There were only four sources of infinite mana that she was aware of, but only one that was possible…

If this ghost said he was drawing upon it, then could that mean that…

… No, it can't be. That was impossible. He should be draining mana, it had to be a glitch or something–

No… this world was as real as could be. The fact that he could tap into an 'unlimited source of mana', meant only one thing.

The third true magic, Heaven's Feel.

"I feel as if something is of the matter," he muttered, "Mayhaps you be trying to withhold some piece of forbidden knowledge?"

"That's one way to put it…" Illya found herself muttering, letting go of the knight after calming herself down. "Are you sure that you weren't mistaken?"

He nodded, "Positive."

"Absolutely sure?"

"I am currently trying to drain you dry of mana, yet my endeavors seem to be fruitless as of this moment," he said as his body began glowing, "Truly, this is a substantial amount of mana you have."

"I don't have that much mana," Illya denied, "I don't have access to it."

His brows narrowed, "I see… are you certain? Shall I see how far I can go?"

Illya contemplated the benefits of such an act… before remembering that her other guildmates had broken skills. If she had Heaven's Feel at her fingertips, then why was she not able to access it? Or rather, why didn't she even see it in her menu?

Did True Magic not count as a skill? If so, then how was it possible that it existed here, where skills were the explanation for every phenomenon created by adventurers?

Ugh… her headache was getting worse.

Screw it. If this was somehow going to unlock a broken skill for her, then why not?

It wasn't like there were any downsides.

right?

"Very well then," Krentelfal agreed once he saw Illya nod. He closed his eyes and simply breathed.

It was then that Illya actually saw tendrils of mana draw out from her and towards the spirit. So much mana that it literally became visible. The ghost became less pale, skin returning to a peachy color and his beard shined a petulant silver.

… and Illya still didn't feel any drain.

"Okay, this clearly isn't working." Illya interrupted, "How about we go after those cultists before we try anything else?"

The ghost contemplated but gave a swift nod. "Agreed. Although, I haven't felt this great in years. Not even the fountain granted me this much mana."

… which told Illya that she now had a ghost that could probably one-shot even level-ninety tanks.

Wonderful.

She might like the ghost and his dad jokes, but having the slightest of chances that the story line might turn this ghost against them, who was now supercharged with mana, was a worrying thought. Especially since that such a plot point can definitely happen in MMO quest lines.

Hopefully, that supercharged with mana aspect of the ghost won't last long, she didn't want to even imagine if there was an entity in this world responsible for regulating them like Alaya or Gaia.

"Sorry for the wait, Eisel." Illya called, "Apparently, Krentelfal here is accompanying us."

Eisel stopped feeding his horse. He widened his eyes before grimacing swiftly after. "Really? Is this another escort mission?"

Illya shook her head, feeling her companion's disdain for the mission type. Nobody liked babysitting like that. "No, he'll just be watching from a distance," she emphasized, glaring at the ghost as she did so. "Anyway, less talking and more riding. I want these cultists gone before night falls."

Eisel looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he simply sighed and nodded. "Alright, come on Sapphire."

Did he name his horse?

Illya turned back to her horse… and he was still frozen like an idiot.

Was her horse defective or something?

"Suck it up."

"That was certainly rude."

This was going to be a long afternoon, Illya could just feel it.


After returning from her adventure with Nazuna and Soujiro, Sakura decided to return to the guild hall and clean up. She distinctly remembered that Rin was the last to leave their dorm so she probably left it in a state of disarray.

She wasn't the tidiest person in the household. She knew her way around chores but that didn't mean she liked it. Ever since Rin started living in the Emiya residence, that lethargic nature of hers only worsened.

It certainly didn't help that Shirou didn't mind cleaning up after her either.

Sakura sighed and walked past the large gate of the guild hall, noticing a lack of players around. Compared to a few days ago, it was almost like a ghost town.

It would probably be like that, seeing as adventurers were either at bars drinking away their despair, as Nazuna said, or outside in boredom, trying to kill time in some way or form.

Sakura couldn't really relate, seeing as she found ways to keep herself occupied quite easily via housework or simply sightseeing, but she supposed she could understand what the other players were going through.

She walked past the Landers by the guild counter, noticing how stoic and nonchalant they looked at the apparent lack of business. They didn't even seem to be bothered by standing upright with perfect posture and a dead fish gaze…

Were these actually Landers or some form of automated golem?

Sakura didn't really know, and since she had the time, she decided to check. She walked up to the counter and noticed that one of them snapped his head – or was it hers? – towards her and spoke.

"Good afternoon. Would you like to make a deposit?"

Sakura found herself blinking in minor surprise, before shaking her head.

"I see," he said, "When you wish to make an inquiry, please do so."

He certainly seemed a tad bit odd.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked with a tilt of her head, "You seem… down?"

The Lander didn't really respond whatsoever, merely turning his head away and returning to gaze outward like a dead fish.

Alright…?

Sakura was a little out of her depth here, so she decided to just leave things be. If these Landers didn't want to speak with her then she supposed that she could understand.

She needed to get back to cleaning their guild room anyway. No use crying over spilled milk after all.

When Sakura made her way to her guild room, she didn't need to bring out a key to unlock the door. It was very convenient that the door unlocked itself for members of its respective guild, it made breaking into guild rooms nigh-impossible.

Nigh-impossible, because Sakura was sure that either Illya or Rin would find a way to circumvent that system in the future.

Sakura turned the knob and entered the room only to find herself mildly surprised.

The bed folds were tucked in neatly, the blankets were tucked in smoothly, and even the table and chairs were set neatly to the side where it belonged.

It was like the room was… cleaned.

Sakura was sure that Rin wasn't the one who did this, but she was also the last person to have left… So what did this mean?

She didn't want to think that it was a thief, because no sane thief would bother to fix up the room into a new and unrecognizable state, as much as she hated to admit it.

That didn't stop Sakura to roam the room to see if anything was stolen, but the books that Rin had bought and the first sword that Shirou forged that leaned beside his bed remained.

She could also rule out adventurers because of the personalized guild room rules only allowed guild members in… so was it a Lander?

Maybe one of the people at reception would know? They were probably the right people to ask, or at least they seemed knowledgeable enough for that.

Sakura left the room in a mild haste.

Boing

In that haste, she didn't notice herself bumping into someone.

"Are you alright? Like, are you hurt anywhere?" A concerned voice asked.

Sakura didn't recognize the voice but nodded once she managed to push herself off the floor.

"This is why you should always look where you're going, Marielle." An apologetic yet scolding voice soon followed.

Sakura took a few seconds to orient herself and take in the two new people in front of her. One of them was a female blond elf that wore a green blouse that hid her bountiful blessings, and the other was a female orange-haired human wearing a purple dress with glasses that sat on her visage.

Sakura bowed hastily in apology, "Sorry for bumping into you,"

"It's fine, it was my fault anyway." the elf said. "So… why are you in such a hurry?"

That last bit was said with a tilt of her head and a tone of innocent curiosity.

Sakura found it a tad hard to refuse giving an answer. A part of her said that these two might know the answer to her dilemma, a very compelling thought.

"Things in our guild room seem to have been moved… and oddly tidier," Sakura explained, "I wanted to check with the front desk and see if they knew anything."

"I wonder what could have– Tidier?" Marielle blinked and nodded with a look of understanding on her face, "Oh right… is this, like, your first time owning a guild hall?"

"It's more of a guild room and it's not really mine, but I suppose so," Sakura found herself saying.

"Don't worry, the Landers here come in every once in a while to clean them," the glasses-wearing human answered. "It's a benefit you have if you have a guild hall in the building as opposed to outside. Otherwise, you'd have to hire your own little helper."

The blond elf smiled a bit, "Everyone who makes a guild for the first time gets confused about finding the items in their chests sorted and all that. Don't worry, these Landers are super nice!"

All urgency left Sakura as she dimly nodded at the answers.

So it was just a cleaner?

That was a relief, at least it wasn't booby trapped. If it was a regular occurrence then there was nothing to worry about.

"That's a relief…" Sakura muttered. "How often does this happen? Once every week or so?"

"Yeah, it's once every week or so," the elf answered, "So now that's out of the way, do you know anyone named [Illyasviel]?"

Urgency returned with vigor.

"I'm not doing anything mean!" The elf protested once she noticed Sakura's wariness, "My name is Marielle, my friend here is Henrietta. We met yesterday in the meeting among smaller guilds. I haven't seen 'The Emiya Family' before so I'm, like, curious about its members."

"Marielle," the human with glasses – Henrietta – scolded, "It is rude to pry."

"But I want to know~"

Once more, urgency faded… these two were very lively and Sakura found herself withholding a chuckle at the minor argument they had. "You two must be close friends."

"Yes, we're totally the best!" Marielle agreed cheerfully. "We've been playing together since, like, level ten!" Her eyes widened as she finally noticed something, "… Hang on, you're quite a low level aren't you? Have you been playing much?"

Sakura didn't really see the harm in answering. They seemed like an honest pair of people. She didn't feel any ill intent either so this person was probably just genuinely curious.

"I started playing only a few days ago."

"A few days–" her eyes widened, "Wait, you only started then!? You began, like, when the Apocalypse started!?"

Sakura blinked at the reaction and nodded.

"Calm down, Marielle," Henrietta said, although her hand seemed a bit shaky after pushing her slightly off-centered glasses back onto her face. "Was it scary for you? To wake up in a world that you have almost no clue about?"

Oh, they were worried. That was sweet of them.

"It was at first…" she admitted. "… but I had my family by my side to help me."

"The Emiya Family is more than just a name then," Henrietta concluded. "You are very lucky to have your 'family' as it were, by your side."

Sakura nodded.

If she had been in this world without Rin, Illya, or Shirou… then she would have despaired like the rest, perhaps even more so.

She couldn't imagine a world without them, or rather she didn't even want to try to do so.

"Hey hey~" Marielle called. "Do you want to come to our guild room? I want to totally know more about your guild! Woodstock-san has nothing but praises for Illyasviel so I, like, want to see if they're true. We also have yummy cookies!"

"Marielle, you sound like a predator like that," Henrietta scolded. "Also the cookies taste like wet biscuits."

"Hmm? Oh, you're right…"

Seeing the saddened look on the elf's face, Sakura could easily tell that Marielle held nothing but the purest of intentions.

Well, why not? She didn't have anything else to do at the present anyway.

"I don't see a problem with that, Marielle-san. Henrietta-san."

Sakura could see Illya complaining about her choice, citing the danger of entering a stranger's guild room was just asking for trouble. Even Shirou would probably disagree just based on the ambiguity of the danger.

However, Sakura trusted the impression she built of these people, as naive as that sounded.

Besides, it would be rude to decline.

She would decline the cookies though, no question on that.


Shirou put his hammer away and grabbed the final finished iron sword. All he had to do now was grind it until it was sharpened and he'd be finished.

Halfas had been dragged away by Meltraus and both had disappeared. Melhia said that it was a common occurrence so he shouldn't be worried. The elf would turn up again sooner or later.

"Boy," Meltraus called. "Go with Melhia and meet our suppliers. We're low on ingots. I'll handle grinding your blade."

Shirou nodded as he set the blade aside, "Understood."

Meltraus admittedly seemed to have an uncertain frown at his blunt acceptance, grumbling at nothing when he grabbed the blade and began sharpening it.

Melhia only giggled at her father and walked out, prompting Shirou to follow.

"Ignore papa," she said. "He gets like that sometimes."

"I see…" Shirou muttered. "Do you know why he told us to meet with the suppliers?"

"Well…" Melhia started. "He usually sends me alone, but I guess he wants you to get to know the local supplier better. Keeping a good supplier relationship is what keeps most forges afloat. If your supplier doesn't like you, then it'll be hard to get ingots or equipment."

"That makes sense."

"In our case, there's really only three suppliers in this city." Melhia added, "There's Drudgel up north who supplies everything at a fair price, no exceptions. Edgar down south who sells to adventurer smiths primarily, and finally we have Tomtom between them. He's our supplier."

"Is there anything notable about him?"

"He sells everything he can at a fair price, but he gives discounts to people who he likes," Melhia answered. "He likes papa a lot, something about a debt being repaid, so we usually get a thirty percent discount from all purchases we make from him."

Thirty percent?

"That's quite a lot. Is his business okay?" Shirou asked in concern. "I can't imagine it being profitable if you sell at a discount every time."

"There's only a handful of people who get his discounts," Melhia amended. "So the financial drain isn't that high, enough to keep his business afloat. Blacksmiths in this district try to butter him up for a discount anyway. Knowing the guy, he probably likes that treatment."

The more Shirou learned about this Tomtom, the less he felt sure about him.

It didn't take long before Shirou found himself walking alongside Melhia deeper into the marketing district. The further they went, the more back alleys and Landers there were.

A majority of the shops and stalls that had items tailored for players were at the rim of the marketplace. There were less players and fewer player-tailored equipment the deeper you went.

Once they reached the center of the marketing district, the heart of the district, there were no more players around. Only Landers made appearances, purchasing wares that players found admittedly useless.

It was also here that he dragged attention to himself as the sole adventurer in a district where only Landers appeared.

Terrific.

Shirou decided to hang back and let Melhia lead the way. She didn't stop at any of the smaller stalls but instead walked straight up to a rather large one.

It had bags surrounding it, filled to the brim with items, antiquities, and, most importantly, ingots and raw ore. They weren't left unprotected either. In a display of wealth, there were Lander bodyguards situated around the stall, prepared to catch any would-be thief.

This must be Tomtom's place.

Melhia simply waved at the bodyguards who let her pass. Shirou followed suit only when Melhia told him to follow. He didn't want to antagonize any of these bodyguards and start an incident.

Meltraus would probably kill him if he did.

Not that he could, but it was the sentiment that counted.

"Tomtom?" Melhia called out. "I'm here for papa's orders!"

There was shuffling at the back of the large stall with a few things falling over as a lithe figure shambled out, looking a bit embarrassed at the overall state of his stall.

He was dressed in the stereotypical outfit that most renaissance merchants had. A fluffy hat with a feather sticking out of it and simple drapes on his body, but lined with golden fabric to give off a wealthy appearance.

It was a stark contrast to the nervous expression he seemed to have.

"Melhia, that's you right?" He asked as he shuffled towards them, trying his best not to step on any of his wares. It was a hard task when you considered the fact that his pants got in the way, making it messier than before. "Sorry, I was cleaning my stall… but it's gotten a tad messier than when I started."

Melhia could only sigh as she stepped into the stall, "Alright then, let me help you out, as usual."

Tomtom just nodded, feeling all the more embarrassed, "I'll give you and your father a bigger discount to compensate... sorry."

"Keep it at thirty percent Tomtom or I'm walking out of here."

"Do you want me to help out?"

Tomtom's eyes narrowed down on him like a hawk. His demeanor shifted as he gazed away from Melhia to Shirou with a guarded look. The bodyguards outside shifted and held their weapons tighter.

Interesting...

Melhia didn't seem to notice and simply nodded, "Sure. You can put the books back on the shelves."

Shirou simply nodded and grabbed some fallen over books and placed them on a nearby shelf, ordering it alphabetically.

"Erm..." Tomtom muttered as he stared down Shirou. "Who is this fellow?"

"He's papa's new apprentice," Melhia answered as she pushed a box aside. "Papa saw some potential in him and decided to take him in."

"... But isn't he an adventurer?" He asked, a hint of worry lacing his tone. "Doesn't Meltraus-san hate them?"

"Shirou-san doesn't use that adventurer smithing magic at all. He uses regular methods, and he's pretty good at it."

"I-I see..."

Shirou could tell that he was still unsure about that claim due to the wary looks he was receiving from the Lander. Perhaps he didn't have many interactions with players due to where his stall was located and was simply nervous?

Meltraus did say that he should build a relationship with the supplier.

"My name is Emiya Shirou," He introduced to lessen the tension between them. "If you have any questions about me, just ask."

"R-Right, I'll be sure to do so."

Judging from how he shifted away, he was definitely trying to avoid talking with Shirou, leaning towards a far more comforting and familiar presence.

Perhaps he was nervous to new people in general? The way that Melhia was talking to him indicated that they knew each other for a long while now, perhaps childhood friends?

Although Shirou could tell from the first second that the Lander noticed him, he narrowed his eyes like a hawk. Nervous people don't make a successful business, so either this was his genuine self or a front he puts on.

"Alright, done," Melhia said. "How's your end, Shirou-san?"

"The books are sorted alphabetically, no issue here," Shirou answered.

"Great," Melhia muttered before turning to Tomtom. "Alright Tomtom, which bag out front is ours?"

"I-It's in the usual spot, between Halfas' and Kazhak's bag," he said. "You can pay later if you want! I can always wait!"

"We can pay now," Melhia said as she tossed a bag of coins into his hands. "Shirou-san, can you carry the bag?"

Shirou nodded, but not before gazing towards Tomtom one last time, receiving a stern stare in return.

It was almost as if he was being protective of something...

Shirou grabbed the bag and followed Melhia out, all the while keeping the ire of the local supplier. The last sight he had of Tomtom was of him talking to his bodyguards.

Something told Shirou that his relationship with the merchant was going to be... strained, to say the least.

He didn't even know what he did wrong that could have offended the merchant. Melhia seemed clueless too based on how she acted as if nothing was wrong.

Maybe Sakura would know what was going on, she understood people far better than he did.

It didn't take long before they arrived back at the stall, but based on the setting sun, Shirou had to leave soon. He set the bag down beside the entrance of the forge and turned to Meltraus.

"It's getting late, can I head back?" Shirou asked.

Meltraus, who had been sharpening an axe, gazed outside a window and nodded. "I suppose it's getting a little late... Melhia, quell the forge. You can go home now, boy."

Shirou nodded and took his leave, noticing how Melhia grabbed a tong and simply crushed the remains of the flame stone, which caused the remaining embers of the forge to fade away.

Could they not have simply taken it out and put it to use at a later date?

Perhaps they could but it would be too troublesome. He wasn't about to question the livelihood of most of the smiths in the city.

I wonder how everyone else is doing?


Well, that was a thing.

Rin rubbed her shoulder and returned to working on the paper, her mana having run low from continuous spellcasting.

The simultaneous modular spellcasting theory had some ground and plausibility, which seemingly stunned Ferlna for some reason. All one had to do was forgo the chant and focus on two things.

Although, Rin could see how it was 'impossible' by an idiot's standards. They didn't refine the process of spellcasting at all so everything was harder if you wanted to make something advanced. It was easier to simply invoke a Fire Ball and Wind Bullet at once if you were used to modularly augmenting the spells for maximum efficiency, ignoring the idea of forcing the spell into actuality like a barbarian.

See? Simple.

When Ferlna tried it, she admittedly had some difficulty at first, but she did manage to create a small burst of wind and fire simultaneously, which made the Lander's eyes light up in clear yet subdued excitement… for some reason…

Sometimes, Rin didn't understand Landers.

Although she could definitely understand the position they were in when this 'May Incident' occurred. Rin truly could.

From the perspective of an ordinary Lander, who lived alongside adventurers and were used to their presence, such a shift in behavior was a true cause for concern. Especially if that shift affected an entire race of people.

It was concerning to know that Landers considered Adventurers to be an entirely different race of people, but not as concerning as appearing in a whole new world.

There was some room for relation, but not very much. Just enough for understanding.

"Ferlna?" Rin called out to the backroom from her seat. "Are you done in there?"

The sound of fire and water crashing onto the wall told Rin otherwise.

Oh well, extra research data was always a benefit.

Rin turned back to the research paper and labeled simultaneous modular spellcasting as possible, but it would require a load of tweaking. Perhaps holding onto a spell before casting it and casting another was an option? You could keep a Fire Ball at your fingertips for quite a while so it should be possible.

When the store bell rang, Rin didn't even look up from her work. It was probably another Lander or something.

That was disproved the moment footsteps halted before her station. The sound of the counter bell ringing told Rin as much as she needed.

A customer then.

"Ferlna?" Rin called, once again not looking up from her research. "You have a customer!"

"Excuse me, but are you a fellow player?"

"Yes, I am," she answered, flicking through her research. "If you wait for a few moments then the owner should be here any moment."

"… You are close to this NPC then?"

"They find it offensive if you call them an NPC," Rin informed. "Make sure to refer to them as Landers. It's like calling a black man the n-word."

She could tell that this person had a frown on his face. "I'll… be sure to remember that."

It didn't take long before Ferlna left the backroom, adopting a professional expression as she faced the customer. "Yes? What is it that you wish to purchase, adventurer?"

"A bundle of Philliac vials and of exceptional quality if possible," he said.

Rin had no idea what those were, but she'd ask Illya later.

Ferlna nodded and went out back to retrieve them, leaving Rin and the adventurer alone once more.

The silence between them was… unnerving, just ever so slightly. Like the awkward air between classmates on the first day. You hold no ill will but at the same time, you don't feel the need to socialize.

"I suppose you're curious as to why I want to purchase them?" The adventurer said, trying to strike up a conversation.

"No, not really," Rin said, turning back to an empty page to fill out her hypothesis on a new method of simultaneous spellcasting.

The adventurer hummed to himself, not really enjoying the socialization

effort that Rin was giving, or lack thereof. "I'm curious, you are a part of the Emiya Family, the guild led by Illyasviel, are you not?"

Rin's quill ceased its movement.

"That brought out a reaction, didn't it?" He said with a hint of caution. Good, he wasn't looking for a fight then. "We met at a meeting yesterday, I trust that you are aware of that?"

"... Yes, she might have mentioned it…" Rin muttered.

That being said, she was still very cautious of the adventurer. She didn't set her quill aside but offered a single cursory glance. He was short, only just taller than Illya's younger and original form by a margin, yet he had a strong jaw only emphasized by the steam-punk inspired monocle on his face.

"... I don't think she mentioned who you were though," Rin added neutrally, concealing any trace of emotions she held. Her father's and guardian's political training returning to her aid.

"My name is Ichimonjinosuke Akenya."

"Tohsaka."

Rin didn't bother with pleasantries and only offered the username that Illya provided her character, that should be good enough for this man.

Ichimonjinosuke hummed to himself. "Your guild leader off-handedly mentioned that the rest of her guild members were relatively low level. Is that not dangerous for you? Why not join a bigger guild for protection?"

He was probing for something but Rin didn't know what it was yet. She had to keep her cards hidden, as it were.

"We're not fans of strangers, Ichimonjinosuke-san," Rin said. "We're a rather tightly-knit group."

"Solidarity and cooperation is a good thing to foster," he said with approval. "Are you sure that your guild is not in need of any aid?"

He tried starting a conversation and only succeeded in doing so by mentioning her guild. He introduced himself and held himself in a manner that wasn't antagonizing but not welcoming either. Only to offer aid at the very latest.

He wanted to make a connection, but was wary in establishing one, almost as if he distrusted her… or rather, not her specifically but her guild.

Where could animosity against her guild be generated? The first answer to come to mind was the meeting between small guilds yesterday in which Illya–

Illya.

Midget, what in the name of the Root did you do in that meeting?

"Has my guild master displeased you in some way?" Rin tested her hypothesis. "If so, then I apologize on our guild's behalf."

He snorted. "We had a disagreement, nothing more or less. I had meant to offer help towards your guild sometime after the meeting, but your guild master left earlier than I anticipated."

"I see…" Rin muttered. "I'll have to discuss with my other guild members before we can decide."

She was still going to be cautious though.

Ferlna returned not long after with a bag. Within, was a couple of red vials with green goo inside of them. Some of the goo glowed brightly while the rest didn't.

"There are ten vials here, five of which are exceptional," Ferlna informed. "Unfortunately, my supplier has not been able to obtain much of them. That'll be two hundred gold."

Ichimonjinosuke didn't hesitate to put out the funds.

Not even bartering? Rin would have thought that he'd at least try to bargain for a lower price… unless you couldn't and that was something exclusive to their old world… or some other classes that might have a focus on trading.

Game logic didn't make sense to her.

Ichimonjinosuke grabbed the vials, whose purpose eluded her, and placed them into his pouch. It was similar to Illya's, probably housing its own hammerspace or pocket dimension to contain everything he owns.

Rin wanted one, if only because she could test the limits of what it could do.

"Well then," Ichimonjinosuke started as he left. "I sent you a friend request so you can contact me at any time. I bid you farewell."

Rin noticed that when he left, he didn't say farewell to them both, treating Ferlna as if she didn't exist.

It seems that players, even the ones that were helping each other, still didn't recognize Landers as living beings. Unfortunate.

"It is getting rather late," Ferlna stated as she gazed outside. "Perhaps it is best that you head back before night falls?"

"Right," Rin said as she stood, stretching her body due to how long she sat. "Can I leave everything here to you? I'll be back tomorrow to help out."

"That is acceptable," Ferlna said. "Have a pleasant journey back home, Magi Tohsaka."

"Just call me Rin."

"As you wish, Magi Tohsaka."

Rin sighed.


I'm glad that I stocked up on potions.

Currently, the trio of Illya, Eisel, and Krentelfal, were crouched behind a tree as they stared at a cave, a cultist or two walking out to keep guard while a single torch lit up the cave from behind them.

There were spikes with animal skulls perched atop, still dripping with blood alongside the stains that came from beheading such animals.

It was intimidating, but not so much as a basement filled with failed homunculi.

Compared to that? This seemed pretty tame.

Eisel didn't agree and seemed to shiver at the thought of going in, probably used to seeing such things in the form of digital shapes and textures.

"This wasn't here in the game before… Damn, it looks scary," Eisel muttered with trepidation. "Is that the lair?"

Krentelfal nodded as he stood beside them.

Yes, stood. The old ghost had drained so much mana from Illya's apparently unlimited source of mana that he gained legs back, which meant he could probably fight better now that he could find stable footing.

"Yes, that is indeed their lair," Krentelfal confirmed. "It would be troublesome if they noticed us, so let us–"

Illya wasn't really the cautious type. Her class wasn't good at that either with the amount of armor she had, granted it was lessened due to the female armor stereotype.

Her play style as a Guardian was far less cautious, and she was getting bored.

So she equipped her axe and triggered a skill.

A simple Slam.

Illya's lithe body lurched and launched itself into the air, Golden Rhapsody held above her head as she descended atop one of the cultists.

It didn't take long before she fell, slamming the axe and splitting the cultist, who was level forty, in two.

They didn't explode into EXP like normal animals would, but instead burst into a spray of blood. There were drops too, but Illya didn't bother looking at them.

Was there a difference between humanoid mobs and monsters like slimes and wolves? There probably was.

Too bad that Illya had a headache and didn't care in the slightest.

While the cultist died in one hit, a combination of a critical hit and the Slam damage being boosted with a two-handed weapon, Illya swung at the other cultist, who was too stunned at the sudden attack to do anything.

He was bisected too, horizontally instead of vertically like the previous one.

When Illya finished the action, she awaited for any extra cultists to make an appearance. When none showed, she hefted her axe onto her shoulder with a sigh.

"Well, that was disappointing."

Eisel crawled out from under the bushes with both of his eyes wide. "Is that blood? That's blood, right? How in the world is there blood here!?"

"Bleeding is common for living beings, is it not?"

Eisel chose to ignore Krentelfal and focused on the corpses.

They exploded into EXP orbs moments later, drifting towards Illya and Eisel due to their party status.

"Is there another exit in their lair?" Illya asked. "Most dungeons and keeps usually have two or more entrances."

Krentelfal shrugged, "There might be one on the other side of the hill."

"Eisel," Illya ordered. "Can you make sure none of them run away while me and the old ghost charge in?"

Eisel looked at the bloodstained dirt and stone.

He didn't hesitate to walk towards his horse and circle around the hill.

"Is he weak to blood?" Krentelfal asked with curiosity. "Most warriors back in my day barely flinch at the sight of it."

"He's had a more… normal, upbringing," Illya chose to say.

Illya was raised among heartless magi, so she was used to the sight. Eisel was an average sewing otaku who probably hadn't seen that much blood other than the times when he pricked his finger sewing.

"Come on, these are recent sentries so the rest of the cultists won't expect an attack within the next few minutes."

Krentelfal nodded, "I will most likely be at a disadvantage, so would it be plausible for me to wait outside for stragglers?"

Add that with the fact that they might also have a way to capture him again? Illya could see where he was coming from.

That didn't stop Illya from sending him a look. "You'd leave a lady to fight for her life with a bunch of cultists, who are probably virgin and hormone-addled?"

"A warrior is a warrior, regardless of gender."

Eh, good enough for me.

"You going to be alright without me to supply you mana or something?" Illya asked. At this point, she was far too accepting of these things. She wanted to let loose all her fatigue, annoyance, and frustrations, preferably on the cultists, as lethally as possible.

She just really wanted to gut something.

"I've stocked up on enough mana to last a day or so," he admitted. "You can take as much time as you want."

Terrific.

Illya wasn't worried about handling a dungeon alone, she preferred to play solo anyway so she'd be fine.

It was a small mercy that Illya chose to let him deal with stragglers who'll try to escape from the second exit.

Because there wouldn't be any stragglers.

Illya charged herself up with Fortification, to raise her defense, and Bulwark, to increase her damage, for about a minute or so.

Illya charged in and raised her axe, casting a quick Cross Slash and bisecting the cultist.

It appeared that the majority of them had been getting ready to rest, but the cry of pain from the other now-deceased cultists, roused them from their sleeping bags in a panic. They struggled to get up and grab weapons to defend themselves.

It wouldn't work.

Illya raised Golden Rhapsody… and threw it.

The axe spun in the air as it arced towards a cultist, cutting through him.

A few cultists took the chance to attack her while she was unarmed, but that was a mistake. In the game, she would usually run towards her axe and lessen the time it takes to grab it back.

Here? Where the game obeyed some real-world physics, as shown by her game-breaking guildmates?

She couldn't care less.

She reinforced her gauntlets and simply punched.

The resulting explosion of gore was cathartic as her fist caved through his abdomen. She leaped forward and kicked a cultist who tried shooting a crossbow at her.

Golden Rhapsody returned as her arm moved to catch it automatically.

Illya finally decided to survey her surroundings with the small amount of time that was given to her. She seemed to be in a hall of stone, animal blood painting the walls in the form of symbols in an unnerving fashion, for Eisel.

Illya was fine with it though.

Two cultists launched simple Fire Balls her way, which she charged through. One of them was negated from the automatic use of her passive Iron Bounce, which mitigated the damage by letting it hit her armor, and the other was swatted aside by her axe.

She took a bit of damage so she wanted to replenish.

Thank you for being blood bags!

"Scarlet Thrust."

Her axe shimmered in a coat of red aura as it gutted one cultist. The other cultist beside him was about to try his luck at melee, but it proved futile as Illya simply swung her axe again and killed him.

Wow, those last two mages were weak.

She didn't even use a skill that time.

A simple glance back at her health brought a smile of satisfaction to her face.

Scarlet Thrust didn't really have a long cooldown, a ten-second one was considered to be short. However, it restored HP depending on damage dealt. With the health stealing boost from her amulet and axe, she was able to use it reliably every ten seconds to keep her health to a manageable level.

Ah… breaking the game through the usual game mechanics.

She wasn't going to take credit for the idea though, Krusty from DDD got the credit for that. Illya was just trying to copy him.

Copying like her wonderful elder brother~

Strangely, all players who use the 'Scarlet Knight' build seemed to be a tad bit insane during battles.

Illya pushed forward out of the hallway and found herself in a ritual room with stone pillars surrounding it, similar in make to Greek obelisks. There was a large pit of murky blood and gore, some body parts floating on it like bits in soup.

The funny thing was, that this would've looked alright in the low-resolution textures of a standard MMO.

Glad that Eisel wasn't here. He would've lost his lunch.

Oh yeah, upon the ledges where she couldn't reach were several cultists aiming their spells at her.

Normally, she wouldn't be able to avoid all those spells in a usual game setting. She would have died and come back with a party well equipped to prepare for it.

Not a game anymore though.

Illya simply bolted to the side and took cover. Following game logic, her armor wasn't even slowing her down like it would in real life, which was a pleasant surprise to abuse.

Spells impacted the stone obelisk as Illya counted the cultists above and around her. There were around ten on the ledges, but none on the side she was taking cover from, eliminating the chance of being flanked.

She didn't really have long ranged attacks other than her axe throw, but luckily, she had other options.

Shirou had his tracing as a skill tree but it was specialized and tailored for him. Rin could create a Gandr despite the fact that there wasn't a skill tree that accompanied it, but her spells could be used by others unlike Shirou's.

Since Shirou's was solely unique to him, he gained a skill tree for it. Rin's wasn't, so she didn't.

What did this mean for Illya?

Engel Note: Angel's Poem.

As Illya saw that she lost some mana, strands of her hair lengthened and curled in on itself, forming four blindingly white constructs with the form of birds– Storch Ritters.

It meant that she could use her own magecraft too.

It didn't look like there was any drain on her mana, which was good. She could hold four of them without issue in the real world so if she struggled to maintain them here, she would've been pissed.

She smirked at the looks of confusion on the cultists.

She shouted in childish glee.

"Fire!"

Her Storch Ritters listened. They formed into Zelle and littered the cultists above with blasts of prana.

Each hit took out a third of their health, which was good damage all things considered. It didn't take long before the cultists above died, some of them even falling off the ledge and breaking their neck on the fall.

Illya was certain that there was still more of them, so she didn't dispel her familiars and decided to walk towards one of the doors on the side.

There was a label on it that said 'Ritual Room'. From the murmuring she heard behind it, the cultists were preparing for her.

Convenient.

She allowed her familiars to slip in between the cracks of the door and reform on the other side.

The following screams and cries were soothing to Illya's headache.

She opened the door herself and strutted in, finding the whole room, which looked like a throne room, covered in dead bodies.

There was a pair of gauntlets surrounded by candles, probably the piece of Tulius' armor set to be used to revive Belaphr, so Illya grabbed them and shoved them into her pouch.

She heard whimpering as one of her familiars formed into Degen, a dagger-like form that can pierce even the best defenses magi can conjure, and held itself directly in front of the cultist's neck.

Illya sent her other familiars outside to keep watch but kept one beside her just in case.

"Hello~," Illya said, taking the tone she first used on her beloved elder brother in the first days of the war. "You really shouldn't have destroyed that fountain. Now I have a nuisance always following me around."

"H-How did you manage to find us!? It should have at least taken three days until someone could crack that crystal!" He cried out. "By that time we would have Belaphr-sama reborn and grant us power! Damn it!"

Ah, cringe-worthy MMO dialogue, how I despise you.

There was probably some way or indicator that told regular players how to break the crystal trapping Krentelfal. This also meant that he should've died and faded into oblivion.

Fortunately, she was a Magus. This meant that she bypassed some quest to get rid of the crystal. Unfortunately, she was a Magus. This meant that Krentelfal was stuck with her for an untold amount of time.

Frustrating.

At least she liked the old codger. If it was an old harpy that constantly cawed about killing Emiya's spawn– oh wait, that was Jubstacheit.

Great… her headache got worse.

"So you were going to summon Belaphr before we got to you," Illya mused. "Good plan. Unfortunately, it was easy enough for me to get past."

She liked the look of fear he had from her gloating.

"Is this the only piece of Tulius' armor you have?" Illya asked. "Tell me the truth and I'll let you live~"

His eyes widened in hope.

"R-Really?" He muttered, to which Illya nodded. "… No, it isn't the only one we have. There are other pieces in other lairs, we have a map in the living quarters!"

She passed that room when she killed everyone there, didn't she?

Illya nodded at the information, "Thank you for your cooperation."

Degen formed back into a bird and flew beside Illya. "You may go."

His eyes opened and a smile broke out on his face as he ran outside.

Her other two familiars gunned the idiot down painlessly.

Mercy didn't suit her.

She opened up her menu as soon as the last body turned into experience orbs, sending Eisel a quick message that the coast was clear and he could come in.

Just because she needed it, Illya went back and grabbed the gold bags that the cultists dropped.

Also, she sealed the pit of blood and gore with a giant slab of rock she found, just in case Eisel got a bit too queasy.

Eisel made his way down and came in from one of the side doors. Krentelfal came from where she had entered with an appraising gaze. "Well, that didn't take long."

"Remind me why I'm here again?" Eisel muttered. "I feel like you could have done this quest line yourself."

"There are always boss monsters that you'll be useful against, Eisel," Illya said.

"I guess so…" He muttered as he took in the room. "That ledge looks like enemies would have been there, how did you take them out?"

Illya shrugged. "Who knows, maybe I threw my axe at them?"

"Haha, very funny," Eisel said. "Did we beat the quest? Or are there still people we need to beat?"

"There are more lairs that have his armor pieces, so we'll have to travel to each and deal with the cultists there," Illya answered. "The deadline is three days, otherwise they'll revive him."

Krentelfal frowned, "We cannot afford to waste any time then. First thing in the morning we set out… do we know where their other lairs are?"

"They have a map in the living quarters," Illya said. "You passed it along your way here."

"Hmm… then while you two get ready to rest, I shall search for the map."

Illya had no complaints and stretched her body. "Get the sleeping bags ready Eisel. We have a long night here."

"We're sleeping in this place, aren't we?"

"There'll be no monsters here that can sneak up on us so keeping watch is pointless," Illya added. "We'll be able to get more rest here."

Eisel simply nodded and set a sleeping bag…

… On top of the thick slab of rock that covered the pool of gore.

Illya shrugged.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.


Sakura waved Henrietta and Marielle a farewell and made her way back to the guild room.

They chatted with each other, which was very pleasant. Marielle was without a doubt, a kind-hearted individual. Henrietta was the same but she was more respectful of Sakura's personal space.

She didn't know what it was like to be smothered in mammaries before today. She could now relate to Illya.

When Sakura reached the guild room, she found that Rin and Shirou were already inside. Shirou was laying on his bed while Rin was reading a book about history.

After Sakura took a seat, they told each other of what they've been doing. Shirou forging, Rin researching, and herself exploring.

They had an eventful day, but the empty bed beside them reminded them of who was missing.

"Any word from the midget?" Rin asked.

"She sent me a message," Shirou replied. "She's camping out with two others in a lair. She cleared out all the enemies inside and made it habitable for the night."

"Two others? Didn't she only leave with one other?" Sakura asked, her brow creasing in concern.

"She says that an NPC ghost is following along," he answered.

"A ghost…?" Rin muttered. "There are such things in this world? Interesting…"

"No experimenting on beings of the afterlife, Nee-san."

"It was just a thought," Rin grumbled.

"In any case," Shirou said. "Illya won't be back for a few days. She said to prepare for a few days of grinding when she gets back."

"Fine with me," Rin said. "I want to be able to gain a few more levels. The more access to spells I have, the better."

"What did Illya say about my subclass?" Sakura asked.

Shirou checked his menu and replied. "She's okay with the apprentice subclass. She says to raise it by doing random things like writing, smithing, cleaning… Actually, anything you do can raise that subclass."

"Convenient," Rin muttered. "You'll have a wide selection to choose from later, Sakura."

"All in all," Shirou concluded. "We've had a productive day. That's good."

"... Too bad that the food still tastes like shit though," Rin muttered.

The trio collectively winced.

"... Maybe the Landers have a way to circumvent it?" Sakura suggested. "I can check with a few taverns tomorrow and see what they do for food."

Shirou nodded. "I'll check with Melhia then. Meltraus doesn't strike me as the type to cook."

"Then I'll see if Ferlna knows anything," Rin mused. "… But more importantly, we should be sleeping. There's a lot to do tomorrow."

"I guess you're right," Shirou said. "I need to be up early otherwise Meltraus will be mad."

"Illya will be alright where she is, right?" Sakura muttered.

"Based on what she's telling me," Shirou said as he read the paragraph-long message. "She'll be fine. The ghost NPC can't sleep anyway so he should be keeping watch."

"What if the other player does something to Illya?" Sakura worriedly asked.

"If some run-of-the-mill player gets the drop on the midget and does something like that, then I'll eat my shoes," Rin claimed. "Don't worry. The midget should be fine, she's a pretty high level, right?" Rin's eyes drifted away. "More importantly… Illya isn't here right now."

"I believe that was already established, Rin," Shirou muttered in faint amusement.

"Which means that no one will be able to interrupt us."

Shirou squinted as he attempted to figure out what Rin was going on about.

"We can finally check his 'third leg' now, right Sakura?"

Oh dear.

Shirou gazed at the younger sister but admittedly felt himself shiver once he noticed that she wasn't denying it.

Oh dear.

"Can we save this for a later date?" Shirou tried to compromise. "I have to wake up early and–"

"No complaints! Get him, Sakura!"

"Wait, wait!"

"Sorry, but I'm also a bit curious."

From the halls of the guild, not a single sound could be heard throughout the night.


A/N:

LATE! LATE! LATE! BURN THE HERETIC!

In all seriousness, I'm sorry this had to come out so late. A combination of both college deadlines, exams, and some mild sickness pushed this chapter to this state. It's longer than previous chapters though, so I hope that appeases the annoyance that must've been had during the wait.

Mr. Beta did some good work here in making sure that I don't flub on the story here, which is pretty much made on the fly. Completely different to how I handle my other story, which means retcons might be a thing to keep an eye out for. All for the sake of a better story I suppose.

The FGO Accel Order rerun event is here, good for you guys who want your King or Saber Diarmuid. I knew a guy who waited two years for this rerun, so he's happy that he got him. I'm keeping my quartz for my precious Ereshkigal so you won't see me rolling any time soon... unless that 'soon' is the next event or summon banner with Ereshkigal.

Double Credit weekend in Warframe too, so now I'm farming both the FGO event, (re)writing my other story's chapter, some college work, exam studying, alongside the Warframe farming.

I'm killing myself, aren't I?

Not much else to say other than sorry for the wait. Please point out any grammatical errors I missed or something, those are always appreciated, especially if these errors could end up breaking some world rules.

Kappa.

A/N 2: Minor edits.


Illya widened her eyes from her sleeping bag and surveyed her surroundings in confusion.

Krentelfal noticed her awakening and raised a brow. "Is something the matter?"

"My Onii-chan senses are tingling…"

"… Pardon?"