DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

With Ryu's help, Emiya, who had recovered somewhat and could barely walk, returned to the tent.

"Shirou, are you hungry now? I'll go get you some food."

As Liu spoke, she rushed out of the tent.

After Ryu left, a figure quietly appeared at the entrance of the tent where Emiya was. Just as she was about to enter, she saw Ryu rushing back.

"Your Highness Riveria, what are you doing here?"

Liu, holding a plate in each hand, asked in confusion.

The training in the tavern wasn't meaningless; at least now Ryu can pick up plates steadily and quickly.

Riveria, caught red-handed by Ryu at the tent entrance, gave an awkward laugh: "It's nothing, I just came to check on you."

"Really? Thank you for your concern, Your Highness Riveria!"

Ryu said with great honor and gratitude.

Riveria: "...You're welcome."

Actually, she came here because she suddenly remembered the [Elf King's Ring] she had lent to Emiya.

It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with the ring or worried that Emiya would try to keep it for himself; it was just that a strange sense of unease suddenly welled up in her heart.

Of course, in addition to that, wanting to see how Emiya's physical condition was also part of the reason.

“Princess Riveria, please come in. You haven’t eaten either, have you? I’ve brought a lot of things.”

Liu said.

The food at the camp consisted mostly of simple foods such as dry bread, plus some roasted meat from the hunted animals.

Although the taste was so-so and didn't quite suit the elves' palates, it was enough to fill their stomachs and replenish their energy.

Upon entering the tent, Riveria saw Emiya sitting in a hammock.

Her gaze unconsciously fell on the boy's lips.

Because of the urgency of the situation and her intense emotions, she acted impulsively and did that.

What did it feel like back then...? Riveria tried hard to recall, but her mind went completely blank.

Ryu asked in confusion, "Princess Riveria?"

"Ah? Oh..."

Riveria snapped out of her daze: "I'm fine."

"Shirou, how are you feeling?"

she asked.

"I feel much better after the treatment, and I've taken the panacea. I should be fine tomorrow." Emiya said, "Thank you for your concern, Riveria-neechan."

Ryu: "Rivieria...sister?"

Something feels off... Does Shirou not know Princess Riveria's age? Ryu wondered.

Ryu thought to herself, "No, I need to remind Shirou later that it's not appropriate to address Princess Riveria like that!"

"Oh, right, Sister Riveria, your ring."

As he spoke, Emiya raised his left hand and tried to remove the ring from his middle finger.

However, it couldn't be picked.

154

Chapter 154 Immortal Blessing.

Emiya gripped the ring on his hand, trying to remove it, but no matter how hard he tried, the ring wouldn't budge.

At first, he thought the ring was stuck too tightly and that's why he couldn't take it off, but as time went on, he gradually felt that something was wrong.

There was no feeling of the fingers being tightly pressed down, and even when applying force, there was no sense of "getting stuck" or "not being able to push" resistance.

If one had to describe it, the ring seems more like it's spatially fixed to one's finger than physically secured.

Noticing Emiya's shift from initial calm to confusion, and finally to silence, Riveria and Ryu also sensed something was amiss.

"Shirou, what's wrong?"

Riveria asked.

"I can't take the ring off."

Emiya looked up and said helplessly, "No matter how we try, we can't remove this ring."

"Is it because it's being clamped too tightly?"

Riveria's expression also became uneasy, and her tone was filled with doubt.

In fact, she already had a vague answer in her heart, but she was unwilling to believe it.

"Why don't you give it a try, Sister Riveria?"

Emiya reluctantly raised his hand.

Riveria hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently took Emiya's left hand in hers.

"...Something feels off."

Watching this scene, Ryu murmured to himself.

No way, this is Princess Rivera, not that infatuated elf Alicia. There shouldn't be any problems...

Yes, right?

Riveria pinched the ring in her hand, tried it for a moment, and then let go.

She shook her head: "Indeed, it can't be taken off."

Ryu also stepped forward to try it, and the result was exactly the same; the ring remained as solid as a rock.

"Cursed equipment?"

They all had the same thought.

Cursed equipment, as the name suggests, is equipment with a curse effect. This curse is usually not applied to the enemy, but rather to the user.

They are usually set in exchange for great power, or as traps specifically designed to harm others.

The feature of "unable to remove equipment" is a curse.

However, a curse is also a form of magic, and if it were truly a curse, Riveria could not possibly have been completely unaware of it.

Moreover, she has used this ring for many years, from when she ran away from home until now, and she has never encountered a situation where she couldn't take it off.

To put it another way, the fact that the elven royal family's heirloom is cursed equipment is simply too outrageous.

"Sister Riveria, what should we do?"

Emiya asked, his expression helpless.

"First of all, Shirou, have you felt anything unusual about your body, such as your life force or spiritual energy being absorbed by the ring?"

Riveria asked earnestly.

"I don't feel that way,"

Emiya replied, "On the contrary, this ring seems to have accelerated the recovery of my mental energy."

"It seems we need to consult our seniors."

Riveria said helplessly.

“Your Highness Riveria, you don’t know? This is a royal heirloom.”

Freya spoke with a clear smile of pleasure on her lips.

"...Senior, please enlighten me."

Riveria sighed.

Indeed, this is a royal heirloom. However, the Elven Royal Court possesses countless heirlooms; how could she possibly memorize every single one?

When she ran away from home, she only picked out a few things that were easy to carry. She only knew that this ring was called the "Elven King's Ring"—it did sound like a very powerful name, but at the time it was just an object gathering dust in a corner of the royal treasury.

Moreover, wearing the ring didn't have any special effect.

The slight increase in the recovery speed of magic and mental energy was barely noticeable to Riveria.

It was Freya who told her that if she lent the "Elf King Ring" to Emiya, it might also allow Riveria's [Fairy King's Mark] to work on him.

That's why Riveria decided to give the ring to Emiya.

Riveria looked at Freya and asked, "What secret does this ring hold?"

Freya's lips curled up slightly: "This involves some royal secrets."

She spoke casually, her gaze sweeping over Liu beside her.

Riveria understood immediately: "Let's go outside to talk! Ryu, you stay here for now."

Ryu was taken aback. Although her intuition told her that something was wrong, she nodded slightly out of trust for the princess and obeyed Riveria's request.

After leaving the tent, Freya smiled and said in a meaningful tone, "This ring carries the blessings of the fairies."

"bless?"

Riveria frowned slightly.

"Yes, the blessing of the fairy—in a sense, it is two sides of the same coin as the curse."

"It can bring protection, or it can bind the user like a curse."

Riveria's mood grew heavier: "Please continue."

Freya seemed to be enjoying herself, and she began to recount: "A thousand years ago, a high-ranking elven prince fell in love with a human woman. At that time, the elves were extremely xenophobic—even more so than they are now, and the people were very dissatisfied with this relationship."

"However, the queen, who possessed all virtues—kindness, courage, and strength—received the blessings of the fairies. She thus gained the same magical talents as the elves, and that ring was a relic of that queen."

"So, although it's called the 'Elven King's Ring,' it's actually a ring specifically for human use."

Rivera's expression turned extremely grim: "You mean, I gave Shirou such a ring with special significance?!"

"Obviously, yes."

Freya nodded.

Riveria: "...Senior, you already knew about this, didn't you?"

Freya said innocently, "Yes, but I always thought you knew that you were royalty."

Riveria was speechless; she couldn't refute Freyanna's statement.

She couldn't help but clench her fists and take a deep breath: "So now, whatever the fairy's blessing may be, how do I remove it?"

"First, the blessing must be removed, but that's not easy."

Freya said:

"You'll probably have to take Emiya back to Alfred Forest to find those fairies. They might have a way, but..."

Freya didn't continue speaking, and Riveria fell silent upon hearing this approach.

The scene involuntarily surfaced in her mind: the elven princess, who had been away from High Alfson for a long time, returned to the holy land of the elves decades later, arm in arm with a human man.

Moreover, the other party was wearing a ring that had once belonged to the king of the elves. That scene... she really didn't dare to think about what the consequences would be.

Finally, she sighed and said helplessly, "Never mind... I'll just give the ring to Shirou."

Riveria made a silent vow—she would never return to the Elf Forest again.

Because if her father, the current ruler of Alfonso, Raphael, asked her where the ring was... Riveria really didn't know how to answer appropriately.

155

Chapter 155 Rest and Recuperation Trip.

The next morning, after a night's rest, all the first-level adventurers, except for Emiya, had almost fully recovered.

High-level adventurers are all extremely strong. Hedin, who was ashen-faced yesterday and seemed unable to even stand, has become as normal as ever today after a little healing magic and a panacea, plus a night's rest.