Chapter 5

I'M BACK!

Q1 and Q4 of each year will be the busiest months, therefore I haven't got the time to continue my stories.

By the way, after this chapter, we will have several months of time skip into the next arc.

I'll be honest, this fic will be a fast-paced one.

Some Spoilers for the next arc in the author's notes!

This chapter might or might not be rewritten in the future.

Consider this the end of the current arc!

Enjoy!

Having helped the mercenaries who were watching our spar set up camp for me. I gained some new acquaintances, including Aiz, who stuck with me even as I left to gather the equipment I needed to stock my camp.

"Um… Aiz?"

"Yes, Shirou? Is there something that I can do to help? Do you need any extra blanket or anything else?"

I gave the girl a wry smile.

"For now, I guess not, but I'll make sure to tell you if I need something."

When I said that, Aiz beamed a smile at me.

She's really adorable when she smiles like that.

My hand had moved toward her head and gently ruffled her hair before I realized it. She pressed her head against my palm as if she wanted more pats.

"Aww, aren't you two just the cutest~" We turned to face Aria-san, the owner of the voice we recognized.

"Aria-san, good evening."

I removed my hand from Aiz's head, and the girl pouted before turning to her mother.

In that regard, I guess she's similar to Miyu. Miyu, after all, enjoys head pats.

"Is it time for dinner already, mama?" Aiz asked as she took my hand in hers and walked toward Aria-san.

Her mother cooed at how close Aiz was to me. She giggled before patting both of our heads.

I'm not really a child…Aria-san…

But it felt good in some ways. I couldn't remember what it was like to have a mother because I had lost my memory in that disaster, but perhaps if I could, this is how it felt to be patted by a mother.

"Yes, today's dinner will be with everyone else at the center of the camp, I had arranged for them to make this one a feast to welcome Shirou into our family!"

"Really? Yay!" Aiz turned to me with a smile. "Isn't this great—Shirou? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Huh?

Aria-san then turned to face me, her face filled with surprise.

Was there something on my face?

I tried to wipe my face with my hand, but it came into contact with something warm on my cheeks. I wiped them away quickly with my sleeve.

"Shirou, why are you crying?"

Aiz inquired, clearly unaware of the situation; however, Aria-san seemed to know why, but she did not respond to her daughter. Instead, she put her hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"Shirou, I don't know how much painful things you've gone through…but please remember…now, we are your new family, every one of us is your family, and you are not alone anymore…"

Huh…come to think of it.

This is the third time I'll have a new family. First was when Kiritsugu adopted me, then… after he passed away, I had to act distant to Miyu to fulfill my old man's wish to save the world… but then one day we truly become siblings and we became real family… several months later, she returned, we defeated Ainsworth…and she left again, peacefully this time with her new family.

Is it wrong for me to have a new family in this different world? I guess not...right?

"Yeah, thanks."

I smiled at Aiz's mother and she nodded in satisfaction at me before pulling me and Aiz into a hug.

"Promise me…whatever happens…the two of you will always be there for each other…"

Aiz energetically answered. "I promise, Mama!"

I nodded in response to her request. After all, I had planned on doing so.

Then Aria let us go and led the way, with me and Aiz walking behind her and holding hands, which was Aiz's request, not mine, mind you.

We soon arrived at a large crowd circling the large bonfire, which was surrounded by smaller bonfires with pots hanging above them. I could hear sizzling from the pots, so whatever was inside was probably going to be our dinner.

"There are really a lot of people here… I didn't really notice it when I sparred with Albert-san…" I gawked as I waved my free hand at the people I met eyes with. They did the same to me kindly as if they had already treated me as part of their group.

"Well, you were quite absorbed with my husband, I can't blame you for that." Aria-san giggled as she led us toward our seats; theirs and I were only sitting with them for today.

At their seats, we spotted Albert-san, Celdia, Evelda, the werewolf man, and the dwarf, Yuri-san, and Galmus-san if I wasn't mistaken.

We had the opportunity to talk when they assisted me in building my camp. While Yuri appeared to be a grumpy young man, if I can compare him to someone, perhaps Julian, he was actually very kind, especially to children. Galmus the dwarf, on the other hand, was like any other old man; he liked to drink, laugh, and talk to children, claiming that the next generation is always interesting.

Albert-san noticed us and waved to her wife before noticing my hand in Aiz's. His friends, too, noticed the three of us and quickly made fun of Albert for being an overprotective father, saying he should have given his blessing already.

"I'm sorry if my husband is bothering you," Aria-san said with a sigh at the end of it.

"No, it's fine. In fact, the more I see him like that, the more I can avoid what kind of a man I would be in the future…" I laughed dryly at the woman.

"Papaaaaa!" Aiz giddily waved her hand to her father, instantly brightening his mood. That made me sigh with relief.

"Aiz had always been the best calming solution in the matter of Al." Aria supplied from my side.

"I can see why."

"Ooh? And what did you see?" Aria-san teased me with a playful voice.

"She's adorable and cheerful, and her smile is contagious. If it weren't for Albert-san's glaring, any boy her age would have her as their first love." I chuckled while looking at the black-haired man who was grinning like an idiot.

"Did you hear that, Aiz? Shirou here just called you cute~"

"ehehe…thanks Shirou…I also think that you're cool, even cooler than Papa!"

We were quite close to her father's group at the time Aiz shouted that last part, and they had heard what Aiz said.

"Noooooo!" Albert-san yelled dramatically, his face turning into that painting of a woman screaming.

"Gahahahaha! Tough luck pal! Looks like you are not the coolest anymore in the lad's eyes!"

"Galmus, you're torturing the poor man here…Bwahahahahaha! Oh God! That look is priceless Al!"

"Sorry Al, but it's time for you to step down from the number one position of the coolest man in Aiz-chan's eyes…pfft…"

"Even I can't help you with this, Albert…pfft…it seems little Aiz here prefers the boy to you…" the elf snickered following the dwarf, the werewolf man, and the Amazon.

Aria-san and I both cringed, while Aiz just tilted her head cutesily, confused as to why they were laughing at her father. However, because she believed it was an adult matter, she did not press for an answer.

I am so glad that she's still a kid.

We were soon seated before Albert-san grudgingly delivered the opening speech and introduced me to everyone. He motioned for me to come to the center of the circle for that, and despite the fact that it was only a brief introduction, everyone applauded and welcomed me into their circle with open arms.

After that, the feast began and we started to eat. To my surprise, whatever the dinner was, they were really good. When I asked who made this at Aria-san, she told me that it was the effort of every housewife and female mercenary in their group.

I nodded. I knew I shouldn't have said this, but their culinary culture was really delicious for a world that was far less advanced than mine.

Later, some of the kids around Aiz' and my age started flocking to me. Aiz stayed and talked with the kids instead of leaving.

Since there were other boys in their group using this opportunity to get to know her daughter, I cast a quick glance at the overbearing father.

Yup.

Albert-san is glaring at us as his friends are laughing behind him. Even Aria-san appeared to have given up on scolding her husband as she shook her head.

I turned to Aiz, and around her were boys with several girls wanting to have a talk with the blonde girl. Seems like the boys are really using this chance to get to know her since they couldn't get the chance to do it normally.

"Uhm…Emiya-san?" I turned to the girly voice calling for my name and found two elves girls with orange and green hair reaching their shoulders.

"Ah, Feena and Ryulu, right?"

The two elves nodded with cheery expressions from me having called their names correctly. They were also there when we were building my tent.

"Are you enjoying the feast?" Ryulu asked me. Her cheeks had a slight pink tint to them, but other than that, her face was expressionless and composed. Despite having lived with the group for a considerable amount of time, they must have been anxious to greet someone who was not of their kind.

"Yes, it was very delicious. I'm glad I tried it because I've never eaten anything like that before." The two exhaled in relief when I gave them an honest response.

"We're happy to hear that… I was actually really nervous about whether our food will suit your palate…" Feena said after calming her breath.

"Oh? Did you girls help out too? It's amazing for you to be able to cook like that at a such young age."

The girls giggled at my remark.

"Emiya-san, the way you said that made you look like Galmus-san, you know?"

I facepalmed mentally.

I swear. I always forget that I'm not 17 years old anymore.

"No, really. From where I'm from, it's really impressive when kids our age can cook so well. Do you want to trade recipes, if it is alright with you? I wish to learn more about your race's culinary traditions."

Ryulu and Feena looked at each other briefly before they nodded at me.

"Then, what about tomorrow?" Ryulu suggested. "In the morning we make breakfast for those who have troubles with cooking."

"We'll be preparing ingredients the moment the sunrise, so don't be late Emiya-san." Feena finished after Ryulu.

I nodded at the two.

"Got it. I'll make sure not to be late…oh, and please call me Shirou, that is my given name while Emiya is my family name."

The two elf girls nodded again, and we exchanged a few words before they went to clean up the plates and utensils. I wanted to help, but they said I should leave it to them because I was the main star tonight.

After they left, I spotted some parents urging their daughters to talk to me.

…

While their daughters were a little shy when they greeted me, after some small talk, we became friends. What they mostly wanted to know was how I got so strong despite being the same age as them, and what my hobbies were, to which I replied archery and cooking.

They were surprised that a boy would be interested in cooking, but they didn't chastise me for it; instead, they asked me to cook once in a while. I agreed right away because I didn't intend to stay without doing anything even if my body was that of a child.

Girls and boys who knew one of my hobbies was archery requested my company one day for their wild game hunt, and the adults agreed.

…

I've got a lot planned already, I guess.

As we were talking, I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned and found the suspect was pouting hard at me with an unimpressed complexion.

"Oohhh, looks like Aiz-chan's being jealous here seeing Shirou so popular with the girls~"

"Remind me of her father, isn't he, Aria?"

"Well, girls like strong boys after all. Besides, Shirou seems to have that charm to attract anyone that he had talked with. Unlike Al, who kept saving girls here and there just to break their hearts by choosing me~"

"Gah! D-didn't I say that I didn't do it on purpose?"

"Honestly, I just hope that Shirou isn't like you, dear."

"The kid's better than Albert here, I knew from the moment Yuri and I had a chance to speak with him. He is someone that would do anything for a single person he treasures, even sacrificing the world if he needs to. That's the feeling that I've got from the kid."

"The shortie here's right. That kid's not just some abnormal kid like Albert, perhaps more than that."

"What do you mean by that, Yuri?"

"I'm sure you understand what I meant, Albert. That boy is still hiding his 'real' self, I can smell it. He's a monster in a kid's body. Someone that has killed for only God knows how many, perhaps a lot than us. He is someone that has seen a lot of wars and survived them all."

…

Huh. That's quite an...unexpected observation...

I didn't expect Yuri-san and Galmus-san could draw that much of a conclusion just from talking with me once.

By letting Miyu escape from my own world, I ended up destroying it in the end even though it was because of Pandora's box.

Not that I will ever regret it.

"Shiroooouuu, you're not listening to me, right? I'm quite mad at you right now, you know?"

Aiz pouted once again and I had to give her a pat to calm her down. The kids around us just laughed at her antics before they started small talks with us again.

"Lookit that, I guess Aiz've been watching the two of you for too much."

"I guess like daughter like mother eh?"

"It's your fault, mister. The next time we have a squabble, we must not show it in front of our daughter."

"Got it…"

As the adults' laughter filled the area, I turned to the night sky above.

"Miyu will love it…"

That time I didn't notice the blonde girl's ears perked up when I said that until a bit later when she pestered me to tell her about Miyu.

It had been quite some time since the feast, and everything had been cleaned up. Except for those on night watch duty, everyone had returned to their respective tents to end the day.

"I can't sleep at all…"

Not even counting the sheep helped me with it. I opened my eyes, projected a spare coat because my own was still with Aiz, and exited my tent.

The moment I stepped out of my private quarter, I bumped into someone.

"Woah!"

I quickly grabbed whatever the man was carrying before it fell to the ground unless it made loud noises in the middle of the night.

"Nice safe kid! They would have made a lot of noise if they fell down."

"No, it was my fault for bumping into you…"

The man in front of me wore a blue scarf around his neck and had bright red hair. He was dressed in a kimono with a dark blue shirt underneath.

"Hm? Never seen you before… you new here?"

"Ah, yes, I joined this noon sir…"

I looked down at the hammer in my hand.

A blacksmith huh...

"No wonder! This spot is usually empty and now there's a tent protruding on it."

He called out to me after noticing I hadn't responded.

"Hm? Is my smithing hammer caught your interest kid?"

The man grinned and I nodded slightly at him.

"Come with me then, since you're accepted by Al and the others, I don't mind showing you the way I smith!"

The redhead smith turned to me.

"That's right, I didn't catch your name, what did you say your name again?"

"That's because I didn't tell you…" I sighed before answering the man. "I'm Shirou Emiya, just call me Shirou."

"Shirou eh? Good one. My name's Crozzo! Just call me Crozzo since I gave my first name to my kid back in my hometown already. Nice to meetcha kid."

"Got it. Then, Crozzo, do you have a forge or anything besides this anvil, hammer, and some metals?"

I asked him as we walked out of the camp, slightly bowing to the guards who were keeping watch.

"Huh? What are you saying? A real blacksmith can make a weapon even without a forge. As long as there are fire and hammer, it's enough for me to make a weapon!"

"You said fire… but I can't see anything hot enough to help you with your portable forge…"

Crozzo then shook his finger at me, as if reprimanding a child.

"At times like this, you can always rely on this magic sword that I've always kept on my side!"

He then pulled out a small red dagger from his waist pocket.

My eyes quickly feast on it and the copy of it was stored in my Reality Marble.

While not on the same level as Noble Phantasm, I could tell that the flame this dagger produced would not be a normal cooking flame, but one hot enough to melt metals.

There was also something else that interest me greatly.

"A spirit's blessing…?"

Crozzo froze in his place as soon as I said that, then turned to face me with an expression that I couldn't read.

"Kid…where did you hear that?"

His voice was bland as if someone else speaking to me.

"Sorry, but, my eyes are kind of special…and the history of every weapon I've seen will flow into me immediately… including how they were made…"

Crozzo stared at me for a while before sighing exasperatedly.

"Just promise me this…don't ever tell anyone about this matter, since I don't want my family to be hunted down just because we can make magic swords…"

I nodded at the man, promising that I would keep them secret.

"Good, now, this spot will do I guess." Crozzo looked around before putting down the anvil. There was no grass or tree in our surroundings, clearly safe from a forest fire.

I handed him the metal he had previously dropped and he received it before putting the iron on the rock.

"Now kid, listen, this dagger absorbs the magical energy in the air, therefore you only need to swing it hard at the metal."

I took the dagger Crozzo handed to me and nodded at him.

A magic sword huh? This kind of excites me.

"You ready? In one, two, three, go!"

I swing the dagger toward the metal, and true enough, flame sprout out from it.

"Hold it for a while kid!"

I did what he told me to and after quite a while, the iron's color turned red from intense heat. He used his tongs to pick the metal and soon the first sound of a hammer striking metal altered my entire perspective on weapons.

*CLANG!*

I felt something stir inside me as I watched him strike the metal. Although I was aware of the manufacturing process for the weapons in my UBW, this was the first time I had really witnessed it with my own eyes.

No wonder Gilgamesh called me a faker since I couldn't possibly understand the passion of every smith poured into each of their swings to the metal.

He had been a King and he must have seen his people forging weapons with blood, sweat, and tears. That must be one of the reasons he wouldn't accept my existence as I just counterfeited all of them.

I smirked inwardly.

I guess I have to thank the King of Heroes for one more thing huh?

*CLANG!*

I watched Crozzo hammering the metal, from slow and steady noise like a bell to swift and precise ones. The ringing of metals echoed through the night, it went for hours as I kept swinging the red dagger on it in case the iron got cold.

Both of us sweat like crazy since we were close to the fire, but it didn't seem to faze the smith as his eyes were deeply focused on his steel.

After quite a while, he called for me.

"Kid, use this dagger this time, swing it, but slowly this time!"

He handed me a blue magic dagger and I swung it toward the hot metal.

After sometime later, Crozzo huffed excitedly.

"Not bad, not bad!"

The Smith looked at the sword he just made appreciatively. His eyes gleamed as they focused on the sword.

I opened my mouth at that moment.

"Crozzo, do you think you can teach me how to smith?"

The man turned at me incredulously.

"Look kid, while I'm happy that you want to learn it, I'm not sure you're—"

Before he finished whatever he was about to say, I traced a copy of Albert-san's sword.

His eyes were filled with surprise when he saw me do that

"You can use magic?!" He asked and I nodded. "Moreover… that sword is the one that I made for Al…"

I handed the sword to Crozzo and he inspected it carefully.

After some time, the smith opened his mouth with shaking hands.

"It's…a genuine article…"

"No, it's a fake." I interrupted his thought before he cemented it. "My magic allows me to create a perfect copy of weapons that I've seen."

Swords were beginning to form around us and stabbed down onto the ground.

"I've met someone who called me Faker since all I could do was counterfeiting his treasures, which were the originals of all of these…"

Crozzo's eyes turned toward the swords. They were like kid's finding a new toy to play with.

Crozzo looked left.

Crozzo looked right.

Crozzo grinned.

"Hell yeah!" He raised his fist into the air giddily. "You got yourself a deal kid! I'll teach you how to smith and you'll show me every sword that you've seen!"

Easy peasy.

I grinned in return. "Deal."

-3rd POV-

It was the morning after the night Shirou met Crozzo, the blacksmith of the mercenaries.

"Shirou, you look awful…did you not sleep well?"

"Crozzo, you're back…and you look awful…"

Aiz and Albert asked their person in question respectively.

"Ahaha, I didn't get a wink of sleep since I was teaching the kid over there the basic of smithing…"

The smith spoke passionately even though he looked tired.

"Shirou? I'm surprised you taught someone else than your family to smith…"

"That's because he showed me his collection of weapons!" Crozzo answered cheerfully. "Damn, those weapons were crazy good qualities! I've been stagnating all these years and now I met someone that has a ridiculously large collection of weapons! Where did you find the kid anyway? And why does Aiz-tan over there looks so chummy with him?"

Crozzo ended as he sipped his morning tea.

"In the dungeon, he saved Aiz before the Hell Minotaur got to her."

Albert sighed as he bit into his breakfast.

"Dude… you really need to keep an eye on your daughter…"

"I know, I know… Aria scolded me yesterday and the boy did too, even harsher than Aria…"

"He did?" Crozzo smirked. "Man, I wish I could have seen you being scolded by a kid!"

"Not funny, Crozzo…"

"Yeah, yeah…" the smith turned at the two kids where Aiz was currently wiping the redhead's mouth from the sauce.

"Mou, you're being quite messy today, Shirou."

"Sorry, sorry. It won't happen again, you can finish your breakfast now."

Shirou patted Aiz on the head before the girl smiled and returned to eating her breakfast.

"…Oi, aren't those two being too close?"

"I know right? But Aria told me to let them be…"

Crozzo gave him a pitiful look but decided to tease him anyway.

"Maan, I'm glad that my kid is a boy… I don't have to worry about women getting close to him."

Albert clicked his tongue before moving on with the topic.

"Speaking of your kid, did you tell them? Your family, I mean."

Crozzo fell silent before nodding solemnly to Albert.

"Yeah, my parents gave me their consent. My son too understands the current situation."

"…I'm sorry about this Crozzo, my friend."

The smith then gave his friend a hearty chuckle.

"Don't worry, after all, if I backed away from your request, how would I face my wife later on when we meet again?"

"She would beat you up and call you a coward, definitely."

The two men laughed heartily, surprising the others, including Shirou, who had overheard their conversation.

His face turned sour as a result of it, but he forced himself not to show it.

"Do you have any plans after this Shirou? Papa said that he wanted to begin our training today."

"Oh?" that took the redhead out of his musing. "Your father is going to train us?"

Aiz nodded.

Shirou blinked.

"Wait, wait, wait." The redhead pinched the bridge of his nose and asked again. "You're actually saying that your Papa, the one who cares a lot about you wants to train you to use a sword?"

His question earned another nod from the girl with a slight pout adorning her face.

"Even if I look like this, I can lift a sword you know, Shirou?"

Shirou pulled away a bit from the glaring girl.

"That wasn't what I mean…I just never thought that Albert-san would allow you to learn how to use a sword… I thought he would teach you when it was on your birthday?"

"I know right? Papa told me that the sooner the better since you are here now, Shirou."

Aiz returned to her breakfast after saying that, leaving Shirou with his own thought again.

Then, he shrugged. If he was going to earn tutelage from the strongest man in the world, he would gladly accept it.

"Hey, Shirou!" a voice called for him.

Both the redhead and blonde girl turned around and saw Yuri the werewolf man along with several boys and girls and some adults behind him.

"You done yet? We're about to begin the hunt now."

Shirou nodded before he quickly finished his breakfast, surprisingly Aiz too quickly finished hers, then the two cleaned up the plate.

When Shirou noticed that Aiz was still following close behind him, he stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Err…you're not planning to come with me right?"

Aiz tilted her head to the side.

"Mama told me that it's fine for me to go everywhere as long as I stay close to you, Shirou."

"But…"

Aiz then gave him the biggest sad puppy eyes she could make.

"I-I can't…?"

Shirou faltered a bit when he saw that look Aiz gave him when a voice suddenly cut in.

"Aiz-tan! No!"

"Aiz-tan! Yes!

The blonde girl snapped back at her father with ferocity in her voice.

Albert blanched.

Everyone who saw that was dumbfounded at how the blonde girl was snapping back at her father since it had never happened before.

"Go for it, Aiz-chan! Mommy's rooting for you!" voiced Aria cheerfully.

Albert felt his shoulders slump down when a hand reached for his back.

"…even my wife…"

"Tough luck dude…" Crozzo stood up from his seat. "I want to see how the kid performs since I missed your spar with him yesterday, I'll make sure to keep an eye on Aiz-tan too."

"Thanks, Crozzo, I owe you a lot."

"Don't mind it, that's what's friends for."

The two adults bumped fists before they approached the kids.

"Yo, kid! I'm coming with you too!"

"Crozzo…" Shirou looked at him before sighing. "Fine then, but stay close okay?"

He said to Aiz, earning a bright smile from the girl before the three went to Yuri's group.

"A-Aiz-chan is coming too!?"

"Alright! Time to show her how cool I can be!"

"Let's see who can score the most! I'll do my best to impress Aiz-chan!"

"Boys…"

"They're just hairless monkeys like mom says…"

"Hey, this is our chance to get close to Shirou too! They can distract Aiz and we can get close to him!"

"Ooohh, I like that idea~"

From the corner of Shirou's eyes, he could see Albert glaring at the boys while Crozzo just gave them a hearty laugh.

The overprotective father then approached Shirou and held his shoulders tightly.

"Okay listen here brat... if I find a single tear on her cloth-"

"Daddy, no!" Aiz protested.

"Daddy, yes~"

Shirou deadpanned at the father before he felt the grip on his shoulders tightening again.

"I get it already, I'll make sure nothing touches her."

"Swear it!"

"Alright! I get it! Geez!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Albert let go of Shirou before turning to his daughter.

"Now, Aiz-tan-"

Before he could continue though, Aria came up beside Albert and pulled him away by yanking his ear.

"Ow-ow-ow! Aria! that hurts!"

The group sweatdropped at the black-haired man with that.

Shirou turned around and found Crozzo brought a magic sword strapped on his belt while the other hunters were equipped with bows and arrows, save for Yuri who didn't bring anything with him.

"What?" the werewolf man asked Shirou.

"You're not taking any weapons with you?"

"No need to." Yuri snorted. "I'm confident with my speed, deer or anything alike won't get away from me if I went at them, besides I do well with my fists and legs. I'll use a weapon when the time comes."

The werewolf man finished with determined eyes as if anticipating what was coming in the near future.

"what about you—"

Before Yuri finished his question, Shirou projected his modified black metal bow.

"Right, I forget that you can summon any kinds of weapon…"

Yuri grinned before turning to the others. After making sure they were all prepared, he ordered the group to go.

Though most of the kids were around Shirou and Aiz's age, they were clearly better than the latter since each one of them easily climbed on a tree and moved from one branch to another with ease.

"…damn…" Shirou muttered with awe.

"Okay, Aiz-tan! Here, get on my—" Crozzo crouched in front of the girl.

"Shirou! Carry me!"

"Eh?/Huh?"

Both redheads gaped at Aiz. Even Albert who had joined his wife, Celdia, and Evelda was shocked by what his daughter asked of the boy. The latter three, however, were enjoying their antics as they sipped their morning tea.

"Now, now, Aiz-tan, you do know Shirou is still a kid right? Even if he's older than you, he can't possibly carry you while traveling through the branches, not to say that they will break."

Aiz then smiled at the redhead Smith.

Shirou decided to be smart and slowly back away from the two.

"Crozzo-jii-san, are you saying that I'm fat?"

"H-hey hey, I didn't mean that…" Crozzo then turned to his pupil. "Oi, kid, help me here—"

"Eh, nope, you dig your own grave."

With that, Shirou reinforced his legs and jumped to climb the trees, following the group and leaving behind the red-haired smith with an angry little princess cracking her knuckles.

"TRAITORRRRRR!"

Author Notes.

Yuri, Feena, Ryulu, Galmus, Crozzo.

They're based on the Argonaut story in Danmemo event. I'm just borrowing their names and their look.

Feena and Ryulu are the same age as Shirou.

Okay, now, these are some spoilers for the upcoming arcs.

- The next arc will be the moment when our Heroes faced the Black Dragon including Aiz being separated from Shirou.

- Shirou will meet Alfia and Zard, as to how this will happen, it will be revealed later.

- There will be a lot of changes in the canon timeline after the next arc is concluded.

- Aiz is still with Loki Familia.

- Aiz's demeanor is pretty much the same as the canon one except she's not that hellbent on monsters.

- Bell will make his appearance in the future and he knows Aiz as both of them are high-level adventurers. (this is one of the major changes)

- Bell admires Aiz similar to canon but he doesn't have girls flocking to him.

- Bell is not with Hestia Familia and he doesn't have Liaris Freese.

- Bell's just skillful and very well-trained.

- Hestia still comes down from Heaven and has her own Familia.

I guess that's all that I can reveal.

I'll see you in the next arc when I got the time!

Ciao!