Chapter 10
Beta: Worldbringer of Joseun
Cover: LousGndiner
When morning arrived for Illya and the rest, the Emiya family sprung into motion.
And by that, Illya meant that her reliable elder brother had dragged her out of bed and made her take a bath. Even though their bodies didn't show signs of needing to be taken care of at all. Heck, they could probably go for days without eating.
The thought of that honestly horrified her. Why? Because she would never be able to taste her Onii-chan's wondrous cooking ever again! That damnable black paste plagued each and every single one of the family's attempts at making something edible!
None of Shirou's delicacies could be made, none of Sakura's home-cooked lunches, and none of Rin's Chinese dishes!
She hadn't even tried Rin's Chinese dishes yet!
Illya shook the thoughts out of her mind and sighed from her bed. To her side was her dearly beloved brother sitting on a chair. However, his focus was not on her – as it should be – but on the small dagger that he held in his hands.
The only table they had was littered with random items that the four of them had been gathering. There were elemental stones from Rin's experiments, some of which were purposely shattered or via accident, alongside several books that Rin managed to borrow from the Arcadia.
In fact, most of the table had Rin's things on it messily spread about. Illya didn't have any of her own items on the table, seeing as she had an inventory to hold everything for her anyway.
Shirou reached for the table and grabbed a thin slab of leather, with one side coated in what looks to be resin-based glue, and began slowly and carefully wrapping the sword's wooden handle with it.
Illya still didn't understand why he didn't just use the automatic forging that most classes had, but she inevitably chalked it up to Shirou simply being Shirou. He was a little dense when it came to certain things.
Sakura sat on her own bed and studied the mangy wolf pup before her, who was frolicking about on the youngest Tohsaka's bed and barking at who knows what.
"I really need a name for the little one…" Sakura muttered as she rubbed her chin absently. "Nee-san, what would you name him?"
Rin looked up from her bed where she was nose-deep into what looked to be a book about Elder Tale's lore. "Hmm, why don't you name it Koira?"
"That's just dog in Finnish, Rin," Illya pointed out.
"But it's a good name, isn't it?" She argued. "Well, Shirou? Do you think it's a good name?"
"Hmm," Shirou gave an unconvincing hum from where he sat, still wrapping the sword handle. "I don't know. Naming hasn't ever been my forte. What about Hrunting?"
"It's just swords and Noble Phantasms in your head, isn't it?" Rin grimaced. "Well, whatever. Name the mutt whatever you want, Sakura. That thing is your responsibility after all."
Sakura hummed once more. She gave the pup a long and stern glance, even as it rolled its head to the side and barked.
Sakura smacked her palm with an epiphany.
"I got it! Your name is–!"
"Terribly sorry to interrupt, but I assume that you are all awake?"
Illya looked away as Sakura jumped a bit in surprise and focused on the ghost phasing through the door. If he could do that in the first place, then why didn't he do so when they were clearing out cultist lairs?
"It's fine, Krentelfal," Illya replied as Sakura gave a small pout at being interrupted. Illya generally ignored it and focused on the ghost in the room. "So, what did you learn at the meeting?"
At the wince that the ghost gave, Illya knew she wasn't going to like the news.
Not one bit.
"… and that's it," The ghost finished. "I'm afraid that is the situation."
Illya grit her teeth and glared at the table before her, as if it was the cause for the pain and suffering that she had suffered throughout her life.
"That… that can't be right!"
The first one to break was Shirou, jumping from his bed with his finished sword placed away into his inventory.
"I'm afraid it is, sir Shirou," Krentelfal uttered. "While Lady Ferlna and the others beautifully stalled out the meeting and ensured a month-long window, the situation is still very dire."
"But it's–!"
"Stupid? Illogical? Completely insane?" Rin filled in, her book placed away for the last few minutes. "I agree, but that's human nature for you. I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner. You know, with the way that most Landers are treated around here."
Shirou grit his teeth, but couldn't offer anything in retort.
Yes, it was stupid, incredibly so. Everyone in the room was in agreement of that fact… and yet, it was still intrinsically a part of human nature.
"… They were probably angry at us…" Sakura muttered as the puppy whimpered beside her. "Adventurers were making them suffer. Of course, not directly, but…"
"I get what you mean," Rin muttered. She raised her fingers and rubbed her temples. "This is a huge mess."
"Are we sure that there's no other way?" Shirou asked Krentelfal once more. "What if there's something we're overlooking, something that we're missing?"
"True, that meeting didn't sound long," Sakura agreed. "We do have a month. We can think something until the end of the month, right?"
At the break in conversation, Krentelfal turned to the Wolf Fang Guardian, whose gaze was shadowed by the lengthy locks of her hair. "What dost thou suggest, Lady Illya?"
All eyes focused on her, awaiting input. She hadn't really said anything the entire time the explanation of events was given to her, so the silence she was giving was unnerving, to say the least.
"… I think we should leave."
… What?
"What?" Rin blurted out, being the one to offer what they all collectively thought.
Illya felt the frustration pile up from under her as her brow twitched. Her head ached once more, but she pushed it aside.
"We should leave Akihabara," Illya pushed forth once more. "The situation here is dangerous. Once the Landers revolt and the large guilds remain, they'll rule over everyone in the city with an iron fist, including us."
… and if that happened, then there would be no hiding. The skills that they've kept hidden ever since coming to this world would be exposed. They'd be abused for those skills.
Their freedom would be no more.
"Then that's all the more reason to help them out, Illya." Shirou berated. While it pained him to do so, this time, he couldn't simply stand aside. At his side, the Tohsaka sisters nodded in agreement.
For much of the same reason, Illya couldn't back down either.
There was no sense in wasting time to try and save these Landers… No, these NPCs. If they were dumb enough to even suggest attacking other players then they weren't worth the effort, not even the slightest. They were like a hive mind of idiocy, absolutely no worth whatsoever.
Even if they did save them, somehow, then what would they do when the NPCs screw up and do something stupid again? Save them twice? No, Illya wasn't naive enough to that.
She could understand Shirou wanting to, but Rin!? She only knew the Arcadia attendant for a week at most, and even then, wasn't their relationship purely professional?
"I suppose this is about that blacksmith and his daughter? About the Arcadia attendant? About every other Lander that you guys met this month? Of course, you'd want to save them. You'd break every single bone in your body before you'd let anyone else get hurt…" Illya muttered. "… Where did that behavior get you last time, I wonder?"
It was bitter, forcing those words out.
"Illya," Rin warned. "Don't you dare."
Why can't they see it?
Why did Shirou want to save them? Why did Rin want to save them? Didn't the two of them, above all others, know how stupid the idea of saving everyone is?
Shirou had abandoned that childish dream, and Rin knew how horrid it was thanks to the dream cycles from her servant who literally embodied that dream – and look where that got him with his eternal torment – so what gives!?
… Didn't they know what happened last time?
"Oh, that's right!" Illya bitterly forced out once more, only this time she glared nastily at her dearly beloved brother. "You were seconds away from death! Literal moments from it, until I could heal you and piece your soul back together! Not to mention that I'm lucky to even be alive from that! Do you want me, us, to go through that again!? Do you!?"
"Calm yourself, Illyasviel!" Krentelfal interjected in alarm. However, confusion reigned on his face, much more so than any other emotion.
Of course, he would be.
He didn't know their pain.
He didn't know her pain.
"No!" Illya vetoed immediately, blood rushing to her temples, worsening her already aching head and cutting off any possible retort. "You listen to me, Emiya Shirou. You tried to save Sakura by yourself and look where it got you!"
"But we're alive, Illya-chan. That's what matters, right?" Sakura argued, coming to his aide.
Why aren't they listening?
Of course, they were still alive, but that was only through sheer dumb luck. How many times would Shirou have been torn asunder and rend into a pile of flesh from his mentality? On the large scale, his want for heroism may have been abandoned, but on a lesser scale where it concerns the people that he can see…
"Don't ignore it! Shirou still wants to be a hero, I'm not wrong, aren't I!? That's why he wants to save these Landers!" Illya forced out, the frustration in her heart growing with each passing second. "Don't selfishly do things on your own!"
Deep down, he probably still wanted to save people. Now that Sakura was safe, and more importantly not a threat to the world as a whole, he was probably thinking of picking up that dream again to a lesser degree.
He was thinking of taking up the dream that'd hurt himself again…
"Saving these Landers, or even attempting to do so, will put us in danger!"
And that was a fact.
"Just because Sakura is safe and out of danger now doesn't mean she'll always be. You're all going to put her in danger if you keep this up."
The subsequent silence came up. Rin narrowed her eyes dangerously on the albino teen. "Watch it, Einzbern. He's not alone, we're here with him this time. Sakura isn't going to get hurt this time."
We?
Did she think that just because they were all together now, that they would be able to take on any challenge against them? No, once again Illya wasn't naive enough for that.
Why were they so persistent?
"Ah, right. As if you want to save these Landers too. I suppose you want to make it up to Shirou? " Illya turned towards her with irritation in her mind. "'This time' was it? Feeling just a bit regretful for what happened in the war?"
Why?
Why don't they understand!?
No, she wouldn't allow it. Not on her watch…
Illya quivered as all of the pent-up frustration that had built up from within her began to burst from the seams.
… Even if she had to drive salt into their wounds.
"Maybe you should've been there in the first place, instead of trying to kill your little sister!"
Pain.
Pain all across her cheek.
It took a moment, but Illya finally realized that Sakura had slapped her.
Idly, she remembered that she had Player-versus-Player combat left on as it was the default setting. How else would she feel that small and mild decrease in her health points?
The moment Illya recognized the pain, she could see the shocked faces spreading across her brother and Sakura's sister. It was also at that moment that the adopted Matou had chosen to walk closer and wrapped her lithe arms around Illya's frozen form.
"Illya-chan, please. Calm down," Sakura muttered, a lone tear streaking down the side of her face. "I know you're worried about all of us, but we can take care of ourselves. This isn't the Holy Grail War anymore."
Sakura's hand rose and wiped a tear from her face.
No, not her face.
When did I start crying?
"… This isn't the war, I know that…" Illya muttered, guilt and regret hitting her hard. Now that she noticed it, the miniature tears began spilling out. "Why do we have to save the Landers? They got themselves into this problem, let them reap what they sow. Isn't it just better for us to leave? Everyone will be safer that way."
All I want… is for everyone to be safe.
"We aren't running, Illya-chan," Sakura pushed with a soft tone. "Melhia-chan, Ferlna-san, and every other person we met… We don't want to abandon our friends. That's all the reason we need."
… Friends?
The Landers?
Illya let out a small yet mirthful scoff.
"… You know, any regular magus would have scoffed at you. Helping the Landers isn't going to help us out. There are benefits to the idea, but it's not worth the effort."
There was no worth.
Sakura nodded.
"It'd put you in danger, Sakura. It's much safer to get out of here and live out our lives, away from the Einzberns and the clock tower…" Illya quivered. "I just got this chance to live with all of you… I don't want to lose it. I don't want any of you to suffer or get hurt…"
We'd draw a target on ourselves needlessly.
Sakura nodded once more.
"I don't want to put any of you in danger. I'm the one with the highest level here, so it's my job to protect you all. If any of you get hurt…" Illya tried one more time to convince them. "I don't want that at all. I don't want any of us to get hurt any more…"
Not even once, or ever again.
One more nod.
"…and even with all that, you still want to save them, even Rin?"
This time, all of her guildmates nodded.
In unison, together.
"There are children here in this city," Shirou muttered. "Call it selfish, but if I ran now, then I wouldn't just be betraying my ideals – I already did that – running now would betray everything that makes me Emiya Shirou."
"I'm a magus, running from my workshop is a horrible idea." Rin supplemented. However, even an idiot could tell that it wasn't her true reason. A certain bespectacled Lander was probably the real one. "Besides, there's still a lot more research I want to conduct here in this city."
"… I don't want us to just survive, to run and hide whenever there's a problem. I did that a long time ago, listening to gr– Zouken's orders just to stay alive," Sakura added, a small smile on her face as she finally let go of Illya. "I'm sorry that we let you hold such a heavy burden alone for so long, but I'm done running…"
She stepped away and gave Illya the biggest smile she could muster.
"I want us to live in this new world without regrets. If we run now, that'd surely be one of our biggest regrets yet."
At those words, Illya let the small trickle of tears flow into a river.
Damn it…
There was nothing but a literal minute of her heart crying out in pain and sadness, frustrations washing away and being replaced by something… something more.
Why did she have such stubborn family members…?
A clenching heart riddled with pain but soothed by the warmth and touch of family, something that she had never had throughout the majority of her life.
… and why was she so damn happy about it?
She called them all selfish for wanting to save the Landers, but in truth, Illya was selfish too.
Because she wanted to protect her family, for they were the only ones she had.
"… Fine. You want to save these idiots, why the hell not," Illya finally muttered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "But we're doing things my way. If things get too out of hand, we're out, understand? That's the guildmaster's orders!"
"Yeah, that works for me," Shirou answered.
Rin smirked. "Whatever you say, midget."
Sakura just nodded, a serene smile ever-present on her face.
As it should be.
"I swear, you're all complete idiots. Did coming to this world change you all that much?" Illya sighed. "Krentelfal!"
The ghost, who had been silent throughout – probably out of respect for the guild's personal matters, which Illya appreciated – jolted and saluted as if on habit. It probably was a habit, seeing as he was probably a knight or a soldier when he was alive.
"Yes, Lady Illyasviel?"
"Listen closely, you're a part of this guild too."
Krentelfal blinked. "I am?"
"If you weren't before, then you are now. The midget is as stubborn as a mule when she wants to be," Rin sighed as she muttered. As much as Illya would like to refute that, she knew she'd be the biggest hypocrite in the world if she did. "Right, guild master, what's the plan?"
Illya huffed.
"I could go on a tangent, but there's only one way to describe what we're going to do," Illya said.
She smirked in sadistic pleasure, the first one she made this morning. Despite the harrowing situation just minutes ago, the guild was happy. For that smirk was one that the guild members– no, that the family recognized.
It was a smirk of contentment and determination.
"Rehabilitation."
-0-0-0-
As Ferlna continued to arrange the books on her shelves, she found it increasingly hard to focus on the task at hand.
Idiots, the whole lot of them.
That was the main thought she had carried throughout the night and some time into the morning. She was lucky that there had been a surplus of level-headed Landers yesterday. Otherwise, the whole town might have been razed to the ground.
The mere thought of challenging the adventurers was just asinine, fueled with thoughts of indignation and rage. History had told tales of civil wars that arose through that singular thought alone, yet none of her fellow Landers had even thought of that.
She let out a sigh as she roughly shoved a book back into its rightful place. Hopefully, the poor thing hadn't been damaged from that.
Frustration.
That was the second thought she had that controlled her actions. It was an emotion that perfectly encapsulated the helpless feeling that spread through out her veins.
Oh yes, her fellow Landers had set a month-long period for the adventurers to better themselves and actually act like the adventurers that they were instead of bellowing children, but would they do it?
No. They wouldn't.
Already, Ferlna wondered about the viability of simply taking her valuables, return home to Maihama, and continue her research without the need to care for the city's political state.
However, even she knew that if she simply ran away from this problem, it would escalate. The chances of the adventurers not redeeming themselves in the eyes of the public were astronomically high, and the resulting slaughter that the adventurers would rain down upon them all would end up being noticed by the cities around the country.
The situation that followed from that would be the complete and utter annihilation, or enslavement as a more pleasant option, of the Landers as a whole.
Of course, there was also the off-chance that the Izumo Knights or the Royal Guard would be able to subdue the Akihabara situation, but even Ferlna knew that a single brigade of knights would not be able to defeat a whole city of immortal demigods.
The other scenario that could arise, was the astronomically low chance that the Landers succeed of ridding themselves of the adventurers via the guild hall or the cathedral. It was also a horrid idea. Without their protection, it would leave the local populace as literal confections for the immortal and ever-present monsters that dwell outside their walls and barriers of magic.
It was frankly, a situation where only a loss was possible with absolutely no hope for victory in any shape or form.
As a Lander, there was nothing that Ferlna could do…
However…
The front door behind her opened up, the ever familiar bell rang a soft yet crude chime at the forceful opening, and allowed the familiar sound of hurrying footsteps to enter the Arcadia.
"Ferlna, help me out with this. I actually got ordered around by the midget for once," Rin the Magi said as she carried a bundle of scrolls on her back.
… Perhaps she can.
"This is the first step, are you prepared?" Rin said as she entered the back room, dragging out a spare table that Ferlna had stood against the wall due to lack of use.
"... That depends on what present project we are attempting to venture, Rin," Ferlna replied.
"Always with the fanciful words… You'd fit right in with some of the more academically inclined where I come from," Rin muttered absently.
Ferlna let only a soft smile out, relieved that the adventurer came along to distract her. "I shall take that as a complement."
"That's wonderful, now could you stick these scrolls out on a wall with some thumbtacks or something?"
"I'm not certain what a 'thumbtack' is, but we do have some aged slime gel that could work for what you suggest," Ferlna suggested with an unsure frown. "However, they may be damaged if we try to separate it from the wall."
Rin waved her wrist around in a circular motion. "Sure, go ahead. Those papers aren't going to be leaving this room anyway, not until we finish. Oh, and neither are we."
Ferlna felt her brow twitch.
"And pray tell, why is that?"
A few moments after Tohsaka Rin held out her hands and tapped onto some unseen wall, a soft yet sudden surge of light appeared within her grasp. It wasn't magic, but it was still recognizable to Ferlna nonetheless.
She had seen enough adventurers grab and make items disappear or reappear.
Rin let out a slightly warming and soft smile, the first that Ferlna had seen the sorcerer make. "It's my precious guild master's orders, after all. Her first legitimate one, in fact. I just kind of want to make her proud… but,"
As Rin's face grew increasingly mischievous, she placed a slightly intricately designed and translucent blue bottle onto the table. It was from looking at that bottle alone that Ferlna knew she wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon.
"… It was a very interesting order, you know?"
Emiya Shirou was late.
That was the thought that ran through the Lander with tanned skin as she ran her fingers through her hair, avoiding smirching her face with any more soot as she did.
Melhia knew that he had only started the apprenticeship under her father a little over a week ago, but from how far the sun had moved from when he was supposed to arrive, she was starting to get a little worried.
That meeting yesterday was a little nerve-wracking. It was the first time that she saw her father well and truly infuriated. There were times before when particularly irritating customers went too far, but this was the first time that she noticed something… more, in her father's eyes.
A small trickle of fear.
She knew why. Melhia wasn't stupid, her father was worried for her as any father would and she couldn't really fault him for that…
Once more she winced as Meltraus slammed his hammer down on a semi-heated blade, bending the metal at an irregular angle. Her father huffed in mild irritation before straightening it out as if nothing ever happened to it.
She knew that the particular sword he was working on at the moment would be substantially weaker, but looking into his eyes she could see that he didn't really care at the moment… and she knew exactly why.
That sword was going to break in a few hits against an adventurer anyway.
As ordered by the city's collective leaders, Meltraus and a whole slew of other blacksmiths were to work on weaponry for the Landers when the time came.
Even now Melhia felt irritation building up from within her. She was lucky that her main job was to reforge used equipment into reusable ingots. She could work out her frustrations by hitting things this way. She didn't even need to be methodical about it, just hammer it into a slab and that was it.
The store bell rang, but no one called. Instead, a familiar face made his way into the forge.
"Late aren't you, boy?" Meltraus called as he hammered onto the sword methodically. "If I was anyone else, I'd think you were taking this apprenticeship for granted."
Melhia swallowed some spit and grimaced.
Her father wasn't happy. The frustrations of last night and today were piling on without end. If he wasn't a blacksmith with a tempered mind, then he'd be on a rage-filled tantrum for a while.
Shirou bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry for being late. Are there any orders I can help out with?"
Straight to business, isn't he?
Of course, there were always orders to help out with. Outfit a whole damned city with weaponry to fight off your kind should the need arise, but of course, Melhia knew she shouldn't tell him about it, or even allude to it.
A quick glance to her father prompted her to speak up.
He was never really a speaker. It was mostly her job to deal with customers, even though she wasn't very used to it. Her father was often blunt and lacked any sort of tact…
… Which was why it was now also her job to ensure Shirou knew nothing.
Damn it.
"Not really," Melhia said, the lie coming out surprisingly smooth. "I suppose we have a whole bunch of donkey shoes that need to be refitted. The specifications are on the table over there if you want to get started."
Merchant mules were a hardy bunch, always capable of pulling an entire caravan when the need arose. It was a killer on their shoes though, so refitting them was actually a blacksmith's main source of income. Hell, even she made several dozen not that long ago.
"Are you sure?" Shirou asked, pointing towards Meltraus, or more specifically the pile of swords beside him. "Those are a lot of swords being made."
Suddenly, Melhia could feel the unease in the air. It wasn't the heat of the forge, she had gotten used to that a long time ago, but the look in Shirou's eyes–
He knew.
Of course, Melhia didn't really believe in that passing thought, but she just chuckled a bit to try to ease the tension. Most of it was coming from her father, who looked just a tad bit worried yet aggressive in his own unique kind of way.
"We're replenishing the stock weaponry!" Melhia forced out quickly. "There were quite a few purchases yesterday while you were gone. They sold like hotcakes."
Shirou narrowed his eyes, and Meltraus' own narrowed further.
Damn it, dad! Learn a little tact!
"I came back early yesterday and the shop was closed," He said as Melhia felt her stomach turn. "Even then, why would swords sell like that? There are only two scenarios where that'd be true. The first one is out because I'm certain that no adventurer would buy them unless they were a custom order…"
He turned to face them, his own fingers gripped tightly into fists.
There it was, her lie coming apart in shambles.
"… The second scenario would be during wartime, where supplying weaponry to soldiers is a blacksmith's priority."
"Boy, don't say any more."
The thundering tone in his voice, which would normally silence any old blacksmith without issue, only gave Shirou a moment to pause before he resumed his narrowed gaze… wait, was that a bit of sadness in there too?
"I should've known that we couldn't hide it from you," Meltraus muttered. "Well, I'm assuming you already know. You came in here and the first thing you actually looked at were the weapons."
"I admit, that's a habit I haven't gotten rid of yet," Shirou admitted sheepishly. Although Melhia was slightly confused as to why that'd be a habit in the first place. "But yes, I do know about what happened last night. That meeting."
Shit.
Melhia felt herself panic.
None of the weaponry was ready. If Shirou decided to go outside and spread the news to the other adventurers–
Slaughter.
That was what was going to happen, just like meat to a blood-thirsty butcher.
She gripped the hammer in her hands and tried to calm her breathing.
At this rate–
"Don't worry, Meltraus. You too, Melhia."
The soothing tone in that voice abruptly cut off her panicked thoughts. Her eyes tracked the adventurer as he walked off into his corner of the forge and grabbed an ingot. He immediately began work on it as if nothing wrong had occurred.
… What?
"Don't worry. We know what the meeting was about and what the final ruling was. We're going to help you out," He said as he hammered the ingot, the thunderous sound snapping Melhia out of her reverie. It was only after a few seconds that Melhia recognized what he was making.
A sword.
"We have a plan too," Shirou uttered. "A plan to help everyone."
Once more, the hammer hit the ingot–
"No one is going to die."
–and the sparks flew off it like embers.
"You can count on it."
"Another round."
The blunt order came from the putrid adventurer before him. Stinky, covered in dirt, it was a wonder that the fool didn't even bother changing his armor out for something cleaner.
But of course, the twat didn't. The adventurer didn't even give him a single glance as he grabbed a beer mug and brought it onto his face. None of the adventurers in his inn did, actually.
His inn was wide and open. Apart from that, there wasn't much difference, if any, to the other typical inns you could find in the city, but his location at the heart of the city was very much a contributor as to why his inn was one of the most profitable in town, evident by the fact that nearly every table he had was filled with adventurers.
Granted, these were tables suited for six persons and there was only one adventurer at each table at the moment, but it was a testament to his success that even on off-days, there were patrons to be had.
… Shame they weren't good patrons.
Ashe Eve-marrow sighed and dusted his apron. Normally it'd be rude to do in front of customers, but the daft adventurer didn't even bother to look at him. Instead, the bugger downed the mug and focused on getting buzzed.
Childish tantrum they called it… That Ferlna lass was right, it was oversimplifying things.
Ashe ruffled his long hair, having been shaped into a ponytail to avoid getting in the way of his job and let out an irritated sigh.
These were wastes of space.
They did nothing, like always. They sat and stared in boredom, like always. They talked to one another rarely, as if they didn't have the slightest trust in one another, like always.
It was at this point that Ashe was beginning to see that they were too hopeful during the meeting yesterday. These idiots would probably be better suited to be feces. At least cow shit helped out their crops.
He watched an adventurer grab a mug of beer and tossed a gold coin his way. Ashe didn't even have a single moment to fill the thing with beer before the idiot muttered something about an NPC and annoyed at having to do it himself.
How in the bloody hell was he going to do it for him if the accursed hobgoblin of a man didn't even fucking let him!? Daft cunt!
Feeling frustrated, the Lander looked out to the nearest window, gauging it to be near midday. More adventurers would pour in seeing as his Inn was the biggest in the district, which meant he'd have to deal with more unruly fools like him.
Terrific.
At this rate, it'd take a miracle to fix up these bums.
The doorbell rang as the door itself swung open. Ashe turned and felt dispirited at the notion of another one of these blokes making their way in.
Those thoughts died when he saw the happy and serene smile of the Foxtail with royally violet hair making her way into the Inn. She greeted those who she passed by with a smile, which seemed to surprise the majority of the adventurers as she walked up to the front desk where Ashe stood rigid.
"Good morning!"
By the gods, an adventurer actually greeted good morning?
"My name is Sakura. I'm not really here to make a purchase, but there is something I want to do," She explained as she kept her head high and shoulders straight… in a respectable manner? What devilry was this? "If it's alright with you, can I work here for today?"
Just like that, Ashe heard one of his beer mugs fall, bounce, and roll away.
He blinked.
What?
"You see, I heard from a friend that this inn has a lot of customers and that they'd be a little trouble to deal with," the Foxtail explained. It was then that Ashe realized he had spoken out loud earlier. "So, I thought helping out would be a great idea!"
By the gods, the woman was respectful too!?
It took a moment for Ashe to register what she had said, but by the time he did, his mouth spread open like a whore in a whorehouse.
This was… new, to say the least.
"Excuse me, miss adventurer," the innkeeper said, choosing his words carefully. "But I, er…"
Words failed him, but that was only due to the sheer confusion he felt gnawing at his heels.
"It's fine if you don't pay me," Sakura added on. "I just wanted to help out."
"Okay, weird," muttered one of the adventurers slumped over a chair. "Hey lady! What're you trying to do?"
Brutish and rude, a stellar difference to the young woman before him. Hell, if he didn't have a wife, Ashe would've propositioned, adventurer status be damned. Actually, calling her an adventurer would be an insult. She was a damned saint compared to these shit stains.
The young woman, Sakura if he recalled correctly, simply smiled his way and replied. "I want to do something at least. The bigger guilds took over most of the good farming spots, right? All the good lower level areas have all been taken too, so I'm left without much to do."
She then gestured to the Inn in general and outside of it, towards the whole city. It caught the attention of the numerous other adventurers in the inn.
"Then I remembered, there are a lot more things that I can do in this city!" She pulled back her sleeves and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm not afraid to do a little hard work to stave off some boredom! I may not look like it, but I'm a hard worker!"
"But isn't that pointless?" A bespectacled adventurer asked, leaning his head on a table as if he just awoke from a nap. "They're just NPCs, it's not like that's going to do anything."
Ashe fought back the urge to throw a whole barrel of beer at the bastard.
"True… it might be," Sakura muttered as she rubbed her chin in consideration. "But I don't think it matters, does it? As long as I have something to do, isn't it fine? Anything is better than being bored after all!"
Just like that, a small spark was lit in the eyes of the adventurers around them.
It was… odd, seeing adventurers give each other odd and strange looks, but one by one they rose from their seats and began leaving the inn.
"… Well, I'm bored anyway. Where do you wanna go?"
"Dunno, wanna check out the guild hall?"
"Nah, I think the merchants probably need some help."
"Might as well, nothing better to do anyway."
What? What in the name all that is holy…?
Right before his eyes, a miracle had occurred.
"Hmm… It looks like it isn't as crowded as I thought it'd be," Sakura muttered, not even mentioning what had just occurred. "Well, I'm still waiting for your reply, mister innkeeper. Can I work here for today?"
Ashe gave her a long and hard stare of consideration.
"… Do you know how to clean mugs?"
"Yes! I'm also good at a lot of housework!"
Once more he gave a look on consideration.
… Well, he wasn't going to say no to a miracle worker.
"I'm paying you gold for this. No ifs, ands, or buts. Help me prepare more of the mugs," He said as he pointed behind him towards the back room. "In an hour or two, there'll be a lot more of them. I'll have to prepare the beer barrels too, so could you help me out with that?"
The serene smile she gave and subsequent nod was like a breath of fresh air.
"Yes, just leave it to me!"
Illya's feet stopped atop the grass, gazing out at the ruined buildings.
The second that her family left the guild hall, Illya dragged Krentelfal with her to the outskirts of town. It was still within the safe zone, but the Landers hadn't built anything there, mostly due to the reason that there were no walls to protect them should the magic barrier around the city fail.
Yes, the magic barrier, if following the in-game lore, should need maintenance every summer or so. Illya had no idea when Akihabara needed to fix it up now, seeing as she never really participated in those endeavors, but such a time existed. Adventurers would have to protect the town while the Kunie clan refueled the barrier.
Or at least, that's what Illya thought, no further knowledge on the subject. If the Villain-in-glasses were here then he'd probably, no, definitely know the answer.
But too bad, he wasn't here but instead off somewhere in the city doing who knows what, so Illya was just going with guesswork.
"Illya, what is it that we are doing here?" Krentelfal asked, floating beside her even though he could simply make his legs corporeal and stand alongside her. "Your guildmates are hard at work following your orders. I hope we aren't simply letting them do all the dirty work."
"No, we're doing some work too," although that'd be a fun thing to do, Illya would later admit. "We're working on phase three while everyone works on phase one and two."
"Phase three?" Krentelfal muttered. "I wasn't aware there was a phase three? I had thought that the plan was to ensure that all the adventurers acted like people. In your words, rehabilitation?"
"No, that's not all," Illya informed, walking into an abandoned building. "Do you realize why the town looks like what it is right now?"
The ghost nodded. It was hard to not know when she explained it to her guild with him present.
The adventurers of Akihabara were bored, incredibly so. At the current rate, they'd resort to drastic measures to do something about their situation, which was something that Shirou would prefer to prevent.
Hence phase one, where Sakura and Shirou would place themselves in the limelight. One of them working on the adventurers and ensuring that they start helping out others as a way to alleviate their boredom, and the other working with Landers and try to quell anti-adventurer sentiments.
Both of which will end up raising morale and the view of adventurers significantly. Illya was relying on the curiosity of the adventurers to attempt the idea for shits and giggles.
By the end of the month, the adventurers would end up looking better in the eyes of the locals. Hopefully enough so that it'd eliminate most of the dissent.
However, it wasn't a permanent fix. Sooner or later, the adventurers would get bored and the Landers would instead see them as uncommitted whelps. What phase one was doing, was buying them some time.
Illya wasn't a fool, so that was why phase two had begun immediately with Rin and that Arcadia attendant, Ferlna. Adventurers, or rather people in general, need a reason to keep doing a task, no matter how boring or repetitive it is.
Killing monsters gave levels, gold returns goods, and negotiations lead to profit. No matter what world you were in, people only thought of self-gain. Illya had enough of a clear mind to see that.
So that was where Rin's project would come in.
The reproduction of the EXP potion.
Illya thought of it as the most devious thing she had ever concocted. While everyone sans Rin felt uneasy with the idea, Illya knew the potential of it.
To survive in this world, you'd need power, a lot of it. With the large guilds pushing around the smaller ones, it was an obvious conclusion. However, what if there existed a way to ensure you, and everyone you cared about, would never be touched again?
With the guild room and death being a figment of their imagination now, there would be little to no chance of being assassinated. Kidnapping would be dangerous, but persuasion magecraft proved to be an easy way to escape most situations.
So why was all that important?
Well, if you became one of the primary exporters of EXP potions, then even the big boys would invest to keep you protected. With that one fact, the Emiya Family would become literally untouchable, protected from every feasible harm, and able to live out their lives in this world as free as they could be…
… of course, that was if they were the only supplier.
Illya peered over the top of the abandoned building and down towards the dirt below. A player wearing a sleazy pirate hat and a trench coat handed over a box of blue potions to another player wearing sharp looking armor from head to toe.
One of them belonged to the Black Sword Knights guild, the second largest but arguably most powerful guild in Akihabara.
The other belonged to the object of Illya's ire, Hamelin.
Oh… yes, Illya remembered when Sakura detailed her meeting with those freaks. Luckily that harem-lord Soujiro managed to get her out of there in time. It took a lot of convincing from Sakura's part to stop the rest of the family from storming their way in and gutting as many members of Hamelin that they could.
Not that it was possible anyway, guild room protection and all that.
But the resentment still remained, and Illya was going to work on it and milk them dry with phase three.
The second that Rin was finished with reproducing the potion, then phase two will begin and they start selling the potions for a profit. Illya had complete faith that the Tohsaka magus would be able to make it in time, and even if she couldn't then Illya could always help out herself seeing as they were both magi from prestigious backgrounds.
Of course, Hamelin would notice and try to sabotage them in some way, but that was where Illya's phase three would begin, the phase that she didn't tell the group due to the morally ambiguous nature of it.
Systematically displacing members of Hamelin until none of them remained.
Bounded fields were a monstrous thing. If one didn't know about them and about being in them, then they would never, ever be able to escape. From what she could gather, and still was gathering even now, Hamelin always did their transactions at this location.
An amateur mistake. All magi knew that when committing more… criminally inclined acts, they'd need to be untraceable. Reusing a single location was an easy way to be tracked.
It wasn't even a hard idea to consider, seeing as the bastards were probably keeping low-level players and harvesting EXP pots from them that way. Primitive and barbaric, unlike a magi's far more refined methods.
Still, Illya couldn't fault for them for jumping at the opportunity. The leader of the guild might be a smart fellow… or a push-over, whichever works.
Did it warrant trapping them in a prison forever? Probably not…
… But they tried to lay a hand on Sakura, a member of her dearly beloved family.
They weren't coming out unscathed.
She could hit two birds with one stone, getting rid of Hamelin and probably liberating the lower level players there, if they existed. It could always just be some of Hamelin's own members providing it…
Ha! Yeah, Illya wasn't stupid enough to believe that. Hamelin was just a simple guild, one filled with mid-level players that did what they wanted. Even with their guild having no clear direction, they only accepted members with a high enough level. The only time they'd allow players under thirty to join would've been when the transition between worlds occurred.
Meh, whichever.
The Black Sword Knight player bowed and left. Respectful, yes, but towards a pretty sleazy dude, it just looked out of place. Illya supposed it was also time that she left.
She got what she needed.
If they end up changing their patterns, then she could send Krentelfal to learn when, and more importantly where, they would be making their future transactions.
Illya let a small yet childish hum. Musing to herself in childish glee, which was now very unfitting to her much more mature frame. She couldn't really help it though, seeing as it was a habit ingrained in her.
Hamelin would get their due, and her family would be protected forever.
She was a magus, after all.
They didn't play nice.
Not one bit.
Teehee~
A/N: So here's the chapter, coming out on the exact last day of the month (where I am). Whoopsie.
Le drama lmao.
So, I feel like I need to explain Illya's mindset just a bit. She was focusing heavily on protecting her family. You'd do a lot just to protect those you cherish, and Illya is no exception to it. In fact, she embodies it now, more than ever. That was basically the whole driving force that I was thinking of for her characterization in this fic, but she's still the same sadistic girl we all know and love. Hence why she was so panicked and dismissive of everyone else. After all, only her family mattered.
A whole lot is going to be happening in the coming chapters now that the preparation arc is somewhat dealt with, so prepare for that.
In other news, Pokemon Direct came out the literal second I was about to post this so now I have generation 8 looming over the corner, which is absolutely wonderful. Kingprotea was released on JP on the same day (the second ascension is best one, fight me) and her sprite is larger than life itself.
As always, leave a review when you notice something wrong with the chapter or have a minor or major peeve as usual. I learn from feedback and criticism, as everyone should.
Until next time,
Kappa.
A/N 2: A guest pointed out that the way I described Hamelin was not consistent. Looking back, it definitely wasn't. The Hamelin I described in this chapter wasn't accurate and was made in a rush. I edited it to remain consistent with the following chapter.
