Chapter One "Orario"
Shirou Emiya sighed in relief as he took in the fresh air. It was so soothing to feel the air that was not saturated with mana like he had experienced in Tenkai. While Tenkai was a beautiful place and the closest thing to a utopia that Shirou had seen, he still preferred Genkai. The fact that he had been a mortal until not too long ago might have something to do with it.
He looked at the bustling city around him. If he remembered what he had learned in Tenkai properly the name of the city he was looking at should be named Orario, or formally as Labyrinth City Orario. It was this world's capital for politics and commerce.
There was one thing that caught his eye the most. The Tower of Babel… Shirou never thought he would get to see it again after resolving the Tower of Babel Singularity. It looked nearly identical from the one he knew on Earth.
"I need to stop thinking about Chaldea… It's all in the past. I have reincarnated into another world." Shirou muttered.
His attention went elsewhere. The people around him caught his attention. Shirou still had a hard time getting used the sight of so many non-humans. Demi-humans… He despised that word after his time as a Chaldean Master. It turned out that most "Demi-humans" were in fact what should be correctly known as humans. If primates were distant cousins to humans, whose lineage had split off from humanity several millions ago, "Demi-humans" were siblings that had diverged from humanity a few tens of thousands of years ago. Some species of "Demi-humans" differed from humans as little as ten genes. In his mind, the correct term should be humans…
I am getting sidetracked by that topic again… Shirou sighed as he looked at crowd around him.
It was no surprise to him that the most numerous single species was humanity. Humanity was a tenacious species that found itself just about everywhere that could support complex ecosystem. The existence of Alaya, the collective unconsciousness of humanity, was greatest example of humanity's collective power. It was the only collective consciousness that was could compete with the planet's consciousness.
The more numerous races following humanity included dwarves and elves. He wasn't so surprised by that. The other gods during his time in Tenkai had told him about it. What he was surprised was that collectively the Beast People, humans with animalistic traits, outnumbered humans, elves and dwarves.
"It is really bizarre to see some modern appliances in a pre-industrial society when everything else seems to be from the medieval age or earlier…" Shirou muttered as he saw several examples of what out of place such as lamps, stoves and fridges not powered by combustible fuels or electricity. "This must be the influence of magic stones. A convenient and abundant power source that allowed this world to avoid the long and arduous technological development of the Earth's battery."
As Shirou continued to browse around, he became more familiar he became with the culture and society of his newly reincarnated life. It became more evident he might be on a parallel world of Earth, which had seen a much more drastic change in history that any other worlds Shirou had encountered as a Chaldean Master. There was no other reason why just about everything besides a few exception – like different intelligence species (elves, dwarves and Beast People), magically powered equivalents of Earth's modern appliances and the continued existence of the gods – this world couldn't be Earth.
"That is enough exploring for now," said Shirou as he started to make his way to his original destination. "I should be here…"
Before Shirou was a very large building that made with medieval architecture that was so common from what he saw of this world. It was several stories tall and layout contained bright colors to attract attention. Boldened largely on the sign was the name, "Pantheon."
"This is the Guild's HQ. The organization that governs adventurers." Shirou muttered as he made his way into the building. "Let's see what is looks inside."
The inside of the Pantheon was filled with people of all kinds that could represent every physical build, ages and background. What was common amongst them was the combat gear and combat training/experience that everyone possessed. The friendly and lively atmosphere radiated across the room. Shirou was reminded of Chaldea but there were of course several differences such as the lack of people's appearance and their gear that looked from the industrial age and further or combat prowess/experience remotely close to a Servant.
"Welcome!" A beautiful elf greeted. "I haven't seen you before. You must be new here given that you are looking around the place. An adventurer from outside Orario?"
"Something like that," said Shirou as he wasn't too surprised to be identified as an adventurer given his gear and demeanor didn't seem out of place. "I would like to get registered as Adventurer in Orario."
"My name is Eina Tulle." The elf introduced herself as she presented a stack of papers to Shirou. "Please fill out these forms. If you cannot read or write I can help you fill out the forms free of charge."
"I can fill out the forms by myself," Shirou said with a smile as he took the paper stack.
"That is very rare to see someone that can read and write become an adventurer," said Eina in a surprised tone.
Shirou wasn't too amazed by Eina's response. He was after all in what seemed like the medieval ages. The ability to read or write was a skill normally afforded to the wealthy in the era of the world he found himself in. The rare exception to this rule would be people like Eina, who dealt with paperwork as part of their jobs.
"Let's just say I am a man of many talents," Shirou smiled as he started to fill out the forms. "I prefer to keep my history private, so I am going to fill out my combat training and experience. Is that okay?"
"No problem. There are many who want to keep their past a secret. All the Guild must know is what you are capable of. This is to ensure that adventurers are matched with the teams and issued quests that match their level. Lack of, inaccurate and falsified information can lead to avoidable injuries and death." Eina replied.
"That makes sense." Shirou nodded as he handed the filled out papers to Eina. "Do these meet the Guild's minimum requirements?"
"Let me see…" Eina took Shirou's papers. "This list is quite extensive… Assuming that you are telling the truth. It means that you are either learn very quick or are older than you appear. Which of the two is it?"
"Much older than I look. I am a pure human, but I have taken magic potions and undergone magic to extent my lifespan." Shirou replied. "Do I take my Falna test now?"
"That is correct." Eina nodded.
Shirou watched with interest as Eina took a piece of thick paper. He noticed that it was no ordinary paper. How it was special escaped him. What he did know was that the material, production method and function of the paper was something he didn't know.
"Please drip some of your blood onto the paper. It will allow me to check your Falna." Eina explained.
"Understood." Shirou nodded as he bit his right thumb and let some blood drip down onto the specially prepared paper.
Images and words started to form on the paper. The more of Shirou's blood hit the paper the more distinct the images and words became. It soon reached the point that the paper looked exactly like the Falna that appeared on an adventurers' back. What surprised him the most was the icon where a Familia's crest would appear. He saw the Chaldea logo.
"These…" Eina's hesitated as she looked at the numbers on the paper. "…numbers don't seem right."
"No, they are right. These numbers reflect my Stats correctly. I only received my Falna recently." Shirou nodded. "If you are concerned that information that I filled out was wrong than I am happy to demonstrate my abilities right now."
"This doesn't make any sense. I don't feel as if you're lying to me. My instincts also tell me that skills and experience written on your registration papers. So why do you have such low Stat numbers?" Eina said in confusion.
"Have you read about the time pre-dating the invention of the Falna? If you have then you will have learned that the adventurers encountered the very same problem as me when Falna was first invented." Shirou replied.
"Wait… give a minute…" Eina responded as she closed her eyes to recall something. "You are right! I do remember that historical period that you're talking about." She paused as Eina stared at Shirou incredulously. "Are you saying that all this time you got so strong without the aid of Falna?!"
"That exactly right." Shirou nodded. "You could say that I never needed Falna to grow stronger. It was only because a special circumstance…" He paused to think about his unexpected ascension to become a god. "…Forced me to use Falna."
"If that is the case then you put me in a situation where I don't have many options. The fastest way to resolve this issue would be to have a well-known or respected adventurer based in Orario to vouch for you. The other options would time. You would need book an appointment for a Guild certified tester to assess your abilities but this will take time to arrange or prove yourself with achievements in the dungeon." Eina replied.
Shirou smiled awkwardly. He could get another god to personally vouch for him or have one of their adventurers act as representative but that would mean he would owe someone a favor. Owing someone a favor for something so minor didn't seem a good deal for him.
It seems like that I will have to take the slow approach and prove my worth. Shirou sighed. "I don't have anyone to vouch for me. So, I have little choice in the matter."
"Then I am sorry to say but I cannot certify the part of your registration regarding your abilities as being true despite what I think until I have proof. This would mean I will have to register rookie adventurer until proven otherwise." Eina responded.
"Understood." Shirou nodded. "Thank you for your time."
"Please take this!" Eina shouted as she placed something on the table. "This is your badge to identify you as an adventurer. You will need it to use the Dungeon."
"Thanks," said Shirou as he took the badge. "Oh, I cannot forget this." He grabbed the special Falna displaying paper. "I appreciate your help, Eina. I hope you see you again!"
He left the Pantheon. Shirou quickly found somewhere where he could be alone and looked at the paper with interest.
Name: Shirou Emiya
Level: 1
Strength: D582
Endurance: C631
Dexterity: A775
Agility: C658
Magic: B743
Archer: S999
Skill:
Clairvoyance
Eye of the Mind (True)
Magecraft
His brows twitched when he saw his Stats and Skills. For some reason, Shirou got the feeling EMIYA was playing a joke on him. How else could his first Falna reading displayed a similar reading to EMIYA's Archer-class Servant Parameters? Shirou let out a sigh before forgetting about it.
The Falna reading had been higher than he had expected. After he had descended down onto Genkai nearly of his divinity had been restricted as the rules for all gods wanting to come down to the mortal world. His powers shouldn't be much more than a normal human, or at least that was what he had been told by the other gods.
Something else also caught his interest. As he looked at the Falna reading paper, he saw semi-transparent holographic menu appearing in his vision. It looked something out of a videogame displaying a character's Stats and Skills. This holographic menu had appeared when the Falna reading paper had first started to display his Stats and given that Eina hadn't been able to notice it he thought the menu was something only he saw.
"Why does this menu looks exactly the same as the measurement system that Alexander the Great proposed to assess Chaldea's combat roster after being inspired by the videogames he played?" Shirou wondered in bewilderment. "Well not exactly the same from the system that Chaldea used. It seems to be slightly altered to match the Falna system of this world."
Name: Shirou Emiya
Level: 1
Vitality: C631
Mana: B743
Strength: D582
Agility: C658
Intelligence: D528
Senses: A892
Resistance: D501
Archer: S999
Blacksmith: S999
Cook: S999
Skill:
Clairvoyance
Eye of the Mind (True)
Magecraft
"That is not expected," Shirou muttered in amusement as he saw the very bottom of the Chaldea-like Falna system reported S ratings for his forging and culinary skills. "My divinity after all somehow covers blacksmithing and cooking. Still I don't ever recall any legends being born from abilities as a blacksmith or cook…"
What Shirou Emiya didn't know was before his death and ascension as a god that many considered him a peerless master as a blacksmith and cook but Shirou didn't really know about it as he was thought people were just exaggerating his skills or people didn't talk about his legendary achievements as a blacksmith and cook because they knew he didn't like to hear about it.
"This Chaldea-like Falna system is interesting. I am in no rush to investigate it. So, I put the matter aside for another time." Shirou said as he stored away the Falna-reading paper in one of the many pouches attached to his belt. "I should go visit Hephaestus. She helped me out in Tenkai a lot. The very least I could do is let know that I have come down to Genkai."
Having made up his mind, Shirou started to make his way to the Tower of Babel. He marveled at the sight of seeing more of Orario and Genkai. The more he saw the greater his understanding of the new world he found himself in.
"So here I am," said Shirou as he looked up at the building, he was about to set foot in. "Never would I have thought to be inside the Tower of Babel again…"
He entered the Tower of Babel and what he saw left him stunned. It was not like the home of politics and economy or center of knowledge and culture that he remembered. Shirou felt as if he had left Genkai and returned to Earth. The Tower of Babel looked more like modern shopping mall. The modern objects were the first give away and the layout was the nail on the coffin. No, Shirou shook his head. Like any objects that looked from the modern Earth it looked and functioned the similar manner but used magic stones as a power source instead of electricity.
The further Shirou traveled and time spent inside the Tower of Babel the more he felt returned to a shopping mall on Earth. It was not just a matter of copying modern Earth shopping mall by architecture and layout. They were subtle signs that were not easily replicable without actually operating a shopping mall for several years. This was the shopping mall staff and customer behaviors and interactions.
"I cannot believe Hephaestus has the entire 4th to 8th floor rented for her Familia." Shirou muttered as he passed by a map and directory of the Tower of Babel.
Shirou soon arrived onto the 6th floor and made his way to where Hephaestus had told him she would be if he wanted to meet her. He passed by stores offering all sorts of merchandise produced by the Hephaestus Familia and crafting rooms for all kinds of specialty crafting.
"Are you in, Hephaestus?" Shirou asked as he knocked on the thick oak doors leading into a forge.
"Yo, Shirou." Hephaestus replied as she opened the door. "You finally came down from Tenkai. I thought you might spend at least a couple of decades up there since you're a new god."
"I might have if it wasn't for the fact that it felt like every god in Tenkai wanted to meet me." Shirou sighed in annoyed tone.
"Well, you're the first person to transcend and become a god in nearly a millennium. That got everyone excited and curious so you cannot blame the gods for wanting to meet you." Hephaestus responded with a smile.
"Meeting gods are fine." Shirou grudgingly conceded. He glared at Hephaestus. "What is not okay is when I am forced to fight back against battle-maniacs. I defeat one battle manic and another just pops out nowhere until there seems to a never-ending tide of them."
"Oh, I heard you fought against my brother, Ares. How was it? My brother had been dying to fight someone that he hadn't fought before." Hephaestus asked curiously.
Shirou sighed when he thought back to fighting Ares. Well the Ares of this world. Ares was vastly different from the one he had befriended on Earth. Earth Ares, not the alien Machine God Ares, but the god born out Greek mythology, had embodied the qualities of a war god – strong, smart, kind or ruthless depending on the circumstance. This world's Ares was strong, easily matching his Earth counterpart in power but severely in using his brains to best bring his powers to bear.
"It ended with a tie," Shirou replied politely.
"Pfftt." Hephaestus laughed. "I have heard about what some of the gods that had fought you said. You might not physically strongest, fastest, agile, durable and etc but you very sharp and deceptive. The worst kind of opponent my brother could fight. That ability of yours to create a weapon for just about every scenario imaginable and use it like a master also makes you even more difficult to fight."
"It ended with a tie," Shirou reaffirmed as he didn't want to embarrass Ares.
"Fine. If you want to keep saying that." Hephaestus sighed. "So, what brings you to my place? I doubt you came to ask me about Genkai. From what I heard despite losing your memories of your mortal life, you basically asked everyone you could or read through entire libraries about Genkai. You might know more about Genkai than me."
"I wanted to say hi before I set out into the Dungeon." Shirou bluntly replied.
"Are you serious? Gods like us cannot go into the Dungeon. It's basically a death sentence." Hephaestus asked as if Shirou was making the most stupid decision in his life.
The newly transcended god didn't dispute Hephaestus's words. Shirou knew the subject about Gods and the Dungeon well. In fact, he likely knew much more on the topic then Hephaestus. He had studied all the known and recorded instances when a god had entered the Dungeon during his time in Tenkai.
"I know." Shirou responded.
"Oh, no you don't!" Hephaestus snapped. She started to harshly berated Shirou. "The Dungeon will create specifically designed monsters to kill us. If the first anti-god monster is killed then another more powerful, which aims to nullify our strength and targets our weaknesses, is created one after another until the perfect unique monster tailored to kill us is created. Many gods have died foolishly believing that their divine powers make them invincible. If you somehow survive all the specially tailored anti-god monsters than you will die from overwhelmed by sheer numbers."
Shirou was endeared that Hephaestus cared so much for him despite not knowing him very well or known each other for a long time. Anyone else would have only given one warning before given up on him with the notion that he had a death wish.
"That is if Dungeon detects the divinity of a god. If it detects an adventurer instead of a god there should be no issues." Shirou replied, revealing his reasoning to venture into the Dungeon despite the dangers it had to gods like him.
"Are you suggesting that you figured a way for a god to disguise themselves as adventurer?!" Hephaestus asked in surprise.
Shirou nodded his head. That was exactly what he meant. It made been a very difficult task. He doubted that he would have been able to do it without a mixture of knowledge he had gained from his time as a Chaldean Master. This was high level and sophisticated knowledge that came from all across Earth and transcended eras.
The Falna-reading paper was taken out from his belt pouch and shoved into Hephaestus's hands. He took off his upper clothing to show his back to Hephaestus. Shirou's back shone with light to display the Falna that any adventurer blessed by a god would possess.
"You… How did you do it?" Hephaestus blurted in shock as she stared at the paper and Shirou's back.
What knowledge he had used was pose as a mortal adventurer came from Chaldea's research on divinity and a procedure where gods (Divine Spirits) had willingly converted to human Heroic Spirits so that Chaldea's systems could summon them as Servants. A sacrifice to protect the continuation of the human race on Earth.
He did have the thought about blurting out the answer but stopped himself. Shirou mentally shook his head. Everyone thought that he had lost his memories of his mortal life. An excuse he had thought up to explain why he lacked any knowledge of this world he found himself in. The excuse would unravel if he told the truth and it would cause more problems. So, he kept his mouth shut.
"The process is complicated and would take forever to explain. I highly doubt you would even understand anything about the process." Shirou replied. "Don't get your hopes up. Keep in mind this still a work in process. Everything seems to work so far but I will not know until I enter the Dungeon." Hephaestus looked concerned and was about to speak before he interrupted her. "I plan to test out my hypothesis but I will run the first moment I see that I am in any danger."
"At least you are not drunk on your newfound power as a god that you think you can go into the dungeon and conquer the dungeon…" Hephaestus sighed in relief. She frowned as she recalled. "Now that I think about it… When I first sensed your presence before you knocked on my door I thought you were an adventurer. It was only when I saw you that I knew that a fellow god had come." Staring curiously at Shirou, she asked. "So… How does it feel?"
"I feel so weak and restricted." Shirou replied honestly as he thought about his current state compared his time in Tenkai or his mortal life post Fifth Holy Grail War. "Still I find it worth it that I am not fettered by the rules that restrict a god on Genkai."
"Weak?" Hephaestus repeated incredulously. "I can understand why you feel restricted. No god likes to have told that they cannot use their divine powers or threatened for using what is an extension of us gods. I have never felt weak in Genkai or heard anyone other god feeling that way too."
"This body of mine," Shirou pointed at himself, "doesn't seem to be that of a mortal adventurer. It is a mortal adventurer." Hephaestus just became more confused. "I have forcefully altered my body and soul to that of a mortal human."
"Are you mad?! You want to enter the Dungeon not by hiding your status as a god but as a mortal!" Hephaestus shouted. "Why not just restrain your divine powers until the dungeon cannot tell that you're a god?"
"Many gods that had perished or escaped the dungeon thought the same. No matter what methods used to restraint their Arcanum or divinity they have all failed. So, I thought maybe this idea of mine might work." Shirou replied and he didn't mention that the only reason his abilities were so restrained because he was neither skilled nor experienced enough to completely replicate Chaldea's procedure to transform a Divine Spirit into a human Heroic Spirit.
"Your logic does have some merits." Hephaestus agreed. "I am very concerned now. Your method seems more extreme and radical than any god has tried. Have you lost your Arcanum or divinity? Can you revert yourself back into a god?"
"I could." Shirou nodded. Hephaestus sighed in relief in response.
"Wow… I don't know how you did it but you manage to accomplish one of our greatest desires. To become mortal again… I bet if those fellows that want to a mortal again or never experienced being a mortal would drop everything if they heard about your feat." Hephaestus chuckled.
"Can you the fact that I can turn a god into a mortal a secret?" Shirou asked.
"I will keep your secret." Hephaestus nodded.
"I really appreciate it," said Shirou. "Oh, that reminds me. Another reason I came here wasn't just to tell you I was here in Genkai. I heard from Ares about the blacksmith family, the Crozzo. Ares complained how you, his sister, has the greatest Crozzo currently alive in your Familia. I want to meet this Crozzo if possible."
"Don't tell me you're trying to steal Welf Crozzo from me?" Hephaestus asked as she eyed Shirou suspiciously.
"Maybe I am." Shirou replied cheekily as he wriggled his brow. Before Hephaestus could respond, Shirou spoke up. "No, I am kidding. I have no interest in starting a Familia for now. Maybe in the future. The reason why I am interested in Welf Crozzo is a question I have. I was wondering if this 'Crozzo Blood' Skill I have heard about really does give a Crozzo the ability to create magic swords without any training."
"That is a relief to hear." Hephaestus sighed in relief as despite her friendly act she had really been concerned Shirou would have poached Welf from her. "From what I know that seems to be the case but I never really investigated the rumor myself seriously. There are many other well-known skills passed down through blood lineages in Tenkai and Genkai. So, I don't really doubt the rumor."
"Just humor me." Shirou replied.
"Fine," said Hephaestus. "Follow me. Welf isn't too far away from us."
Shirou didn't even have time to strike up a conversation when they already made it to what looked like Welf Crozzo's workshop. That was how close it was to Hephaestus's personal workshop and what Shirou thought was Hephaestus's high evaluation she had on her "child." This was done to allow him to visit Hephaestus very easily for advice anytime he wanted.
"Lady Hephaestus," said Welf respectfully. "How could I help you?"
"My fellow… Urf!" Hephaestus grunted as Shirou elbowed Hephaestus in the ribs and glared at her. "…Blacksmith has a couple of questions that he wanted to ask you."
"What questions would you have for me, sir…" Welf asked when he didn't know the name of his guest.
"Shirou Emiya," Shirou replied. "I want to ask you about the Crozzo Blood Skill. Of course, I know I am prying into what is considered a fundamental secret regarding your blacksmithing so I have something to trade in exchange for you answering some of my questions."
In Shirou's hand, several long and slender rapiers with blades measuring over one meter and extremely short hilts materialized. Weighing one kilo, they were too thick and oddly-balanced, feeling heavier towards the tip, to use as melee weapons in general, and they seem more like dirks made into swords or arrows even to someone who didn't know of their true nature.
"Are those…?!" Welf shouted in shock.
"Take it," said Shirou as he placed the rapiers on the workbench before Welf. "These are now yours to do whatever you want. Think these as gifts."
"Thank you," Welf said as he grabbed one of the rapiers and inspected it carefully. "There is no doubt about it. These are Magic Swords."
Shirou's brows twitched. This world's definition of magic swords greatly annoyed him. He wanted to punch every blacksmith that had the ability to create what they considered as "magic swords." What kind of blacksmith created a weapon that would often last once after use! The thing that infuriated Shirou even more was that even for a one-time usage weapon they were incredibly expensive to produce due to rare materials and difficult crafting procedures. The "magic swords" didn't provide anyway near the worth of what they were valued. Another thing that annoyed Shirou was why call a one-use weapon a sword when swords were designed to be used for more than one battle!
"Are you okay, Shirou?" Hephaestus asked as she noticed Shirou's subtle twitching brow.
"Nothing… I am fine." Shirou sighed as he calmed himself. "So, what do you think Welf? Do you think what I have to offer is not worth answering some of my questions?"
"That depends," said Welf in a serious tone as he placed down the rapier he had been inspecting. "I might not like my family but I will not betray my family by revealing family secrets to an outsider. If your questions regarding my family's blacksmith skills are not something outsiders are supposed to know I can only reveal them if I get something equal in value. This way I can justify myself when my family confronts me about the family secrets I have revealed and bring back something that can benefit my family."
"Totally understood." Shirou nodded. "The fame of your family, the Crozzos, as blacksmiths are they thanks to a skill passed down by blood lineage or because of Crozzo secret training?"
"Oh… What you are asking that is rather common knowledge if you associated with my family. You don't even have to consider exchanging anything for this knowledge. We don't have any 'real' secret training that led to our legendary reputation for creating magic swords. It's got to do purely with our blood lineage skill, Crozzo Blood." Welf replied.
"That is what I had thought too…" Shirou shook his head. "Can I observe you making a magic sword to test out a hypothesis of mine? I will course offer something in return. How about the basics of the Skill I used, Tracing, to create the Black Keys I gifted you? It should be enough as compensation for seeing your Crozzo family blacksmith techniques. If you are worried about revealing top much you just need to show me the most basic blacksmith techniques of your family."
Shirou noticed that Welf didn't have a happy when the Crozzo blacksmith heard his question.
"Come here," said Hephaestus as she pulled Shirou some distance away from Welf. She whispered, "I should have mentioned this but Welf doesn't make magic swords anymore. Why? I will not go into detail as that is Welf's personal matter. What I can say is that he had a traumatic experience with magic swords and doesn't want anything to do with them. So, you should drop the matter for now." Hephaestus glanced at Welf. "In fact, I think you should leave. You seem to have offended him even if it was unintentional."
A quick glance by Shirou allowed him to see for himself that he had indeed greatly offended Welf looking at Welf's grave expression. He could only sigh and stowaway any curiosity he had about the Crozzo Blood Skill for now and hope that he could ask Welf another time.
"Please take these as my apology for making you remember something that should have left forgotten." Shirou said as he produced several more Black Keys, but these ones were not the basic Black Keys that had gifted Welf before. These Black Keys were enchanted with several of the Holy Church's basic Sacraments.
He didn't wait for any response from Welf. Shirou bowed to Welf before leaving the room with Hephaestus.
"So, what are you planning to do next?" Hephaestus asked as she followed Shirou.
"Well I came to say hi to you. That's done so I am thinking about heading to the Dungeon entrance." Shirou replied.
"Isn't it to quick for you to be entering the dungeon? I cannot deny that you're a powerful and skilled fighter. Your reputation in Tenkai is proof of that. The problem is that you're right now a human. I doubt you have been in that form for long enough to have adapted well enough to fight properly." Hephaestus inquired.
Shirou coughed. He wasn't the type to boast but the notion that he was weak didn't fit him. He might be not much stronger than most adventurers right now but physical prowess wasn't everything. If that was the case than every Heroic Spirit he had ever met wouldn't have been able to exist. While humans were not the most physically capable race that didn't mean powerless. Methods to overcome their inherent physical weakness existed for a reason. Tools, skills and tactics were all examples of humans compensating for lacking physical abilities compared to other species.
"You don't have to worry about that." Shirou chuckled.
"Fine. I will not worry about it anymore." Hephaestus sighed. "You're not a child and the fact that you likely transcended by surpassing Level 10 is proof as your abilities as an adventurer in the past. The memories of the past might no longer be with you but your skills and experience haven't disappeared."
"You are right about that," said Shirou as he stopped walking and turned to Hephaestus. "There is no need to escort me anymore We are at the main entrance of your shop."
"Okay." Hephaestus nodded. She started to wave as Shirou started to walk away. "It was good seeing you. I hope you the best of luck with your pursuit of being an adventurer again!"
"Thanks! I will see you again!" Shirou waved back as he made his way for the dungeon entrance.
He knew when he reached the place when without using his eyes the strength and concentration of divinity he detected matched that of a small gathering of gods, which had been a common sight for Shirou in his time in Tenkai. As Shirou came to the entrance of the dungeon Shirou couldn't help but wonder about a little mystery that had recent caught his interest.
The gods of this world didn't promote religion worshipping them like Earth's had. Worship was a kind of food supplement for gods. Gods had their abilities enhanced or even gifted with new abilities thanks to being worshipped. No sane god at least that on Earth would resist the urge set up and propagate just to enhance their powers. So, by logic the gods of this world should have spread religion in their names if the Earth ones had. Clearly that hadn't happened.
Since the gods of this world hadn't done that it meant there had to be a reason to explain this behavior as while the gods of this world were more human than their Earth counterparts that couldn't explain the lack of religions. The gods of this world were for the most part had the same core personality – minus arrogance of a megalomaniac – as their Earth counterparts so there had to be a good reason for the lack of religion and abundance of Familia that took the place of deity worshipping.
Shirou thought that the lack of religion had likely to do with the creations and development of Falna. Falna was after all the act of gods parting with some of their divine essence to bless their children the ability to become superhumans. No god should part with as precious as their divinity as it was their lifeblood without reaping something significant in return. The common saying gods blessed their children in return in exchange for favors or tithes didn't make sense match the worth of the divinity given to their children as what mortals had to offer rarely ever caught the eyes of gods. At least that was what his cynical side told him.
What are the gods getting that is worth that sacrificed divinity? Shirou wondered.
He was snapped out of his pondering when Shirou realized he had been thinking for a while. A quick glance around gave him a good sense of his surroundings. What caught Shirou's attention the most was the cute, petite girl that was wearing worn and dirty clothes while carrying a number of huge bags. She looked so pitiful especially with the wooden sign saying, "I am a free supporter available to any solo adventurer or party. Willingly to take the smallest cut of any supporter. I am hard-working and experienced."
"Hey!" Shirou shouted as he made his way to the pitiful girl. "I want to hire you today."
"Really?!" The pitiful girl asked enthusiastically. She found that she was lifted off the ground when Shirou grabbed her bags. "Eh! What are you doing?!"
"Offering a down payment." Shirou replied as he started to work his magic.
The girl was about to shout out for help when she noticed something unusual. Her various large bags she carried started to weigh much less. It was really minor at first and only noticeable thanks to her nearly fifteen years of constant use of such heavy bags. She stopped doubting herself that the bags getting lighter when she felt as if she was carrying nothing on her back.
"What did you do?" The girl asked as Shirou placed her onto the ground.
"I lightened the load you have to carry by altering the materials of your bags." Shirou replied.
"Altered my bags?" The girl asked with gleeful eyes as if she had picked up a diamond.
Shirou nodded with a smile. He had a good idea why the girl was so happy. The girl probably thought she had struck a goldmine. If what he knew about this world was right than he was a very valuable customer as while magic users were much more abundant here than on Earth, it still took a lot of money to get a good magical education. His value was also greater thanks to magical skills that he had demonstrated.
"If your service is good," said Shirou as he undid the knots to one of his belted pouches and threw it at the girl, "then you can have this."
The girl caught the thrown pouch. She frowned in confusion as she didn't notice anything unusual about the pouch. That didn't seem right as Shirou's words suggested otherwise.
"What so special about this pouch?" She asked.
"Open it up." Shirou replied.
She did so as Shirou had suggested and her eyes shone. The pouch was not much bigger than her small hands balled up into a fist. What she saw inside defied common sense. The pouch could hold up volume five liters of water and had inside nearly ten kilograms of food inside. Something that defied common sense. If she had pouches like these she could…
"I can offer more pouches depending on your service." Shirou added as if reading the girl's mind.
"You got a deal!" The girl shouted eagerly. "My name is Lilius Arde. What is your name?"
"Shirou Emiya," He introduced himself as he offered a hand. "I will be honored to work with you. Please take care of me."