DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

"actually……"

Astraea hesitated for a moment: "Shirou and I have already met."

Ryu: "Huh?"

Before seeing me, Astraea went to see Shirou first? Why?

Liu tilted her head, looking puzzled.

"I want to see first what kind of child changed Ryu."

Astraea gently stroked Ryu's hair, which had recently been dyed green.

"Is that so, Lady Astrea? I'm so touched by your concern for me."

Liu said sincerely.

The goddess Astraea, however, looked away somewhat guiltily.

“Ryu, there’s something I need to explain to you first. Do you still remember the child ‘Sanjou Haruhime’?”

"Sanjono Haruhime?"

"The fox-girl who was with [Reggie] when you, Shirou, and that Loki Familia child were fighting Black Goliath..."

Astraea explained the information about Haruhime Sanjou to Ryu.

"I see."

Ryu sat up straight and said, "If that's how it is, then we were saved back then thanks to Haruhime's power. We must go and save her; we can't stand by and watch the Ishtar Familia do such a forbidden thing!"

"Ryu, I'm glad you understand."

Astrea was relieved: "I devised a plan to save Haruhime."

"Your Majesty, please give your orders. I will do whatever you ask!"

Liu said firmly.

Astraea: "I don't have any other requests for the time being. It's just that my plan requires Shirou to spend the night in the entertainment district. Ryu, I hope you can understand."

Ryu: "...What did you say?!"

The elven girl stared in disbelief at the goddess she trusted, while Astraea could only ruffle her emerald green hair and smile apologetically.

85

Chapter 85 Takemikazuchi's Kinchūriki.

"Are you sure it's alright, Lord Takemikazuchi? This seems to be a very expensive tavern."

At the entrance of the tavern, 【The Abundant Mistress】, a male deity and a female adventurer are hesitating.

This most popular tavern in the labyrinthine city is famous not only for its delicious food, fine wines, and beautiful waiters, but also for its exorbitant prices and its ruthless attitude towards bad customers.

Even a Level 5 adventurer who dares to dine and dash at the "Abundant Mistress" will be stripped naked and thrown into the street. If they dare to flirt with the waiters, they should be prepared to have their legs broken—such urban legends circulate in Orario.

"Don't be shy, it's my treat today."

Standing next to the male deity, Emiya said, "Please come in, Takemikazuchi, and Lady Yamato."

"Yes, senior."

The adventurous girl beside Takemikazuchi answered cautiously, and the god hesitated for a moment before nodding.

Emiya "bumped into" Takemikazuchi in the shopping district. At the time, Takemikazuchi was selling sushi from a small cart, and the adventurer girl named Yamato-no-Mikoto happened to be looking for Takemikazuchi when she met Emiya.

So, Emiya invited the god and his retinue whom he had "coincidentally" encountered to this place, claiming that he wanted to learn about the Far East.

Given that his name is Emiya Shirou—a name with a distinctly Far Eastern flavor—it's logically reasonable for Emiya to be curious about a god from the Far East.

Takemikazuchi seemed somewhat uneasy about this, while Yamato was both surprised and apprehensive. For Yamato, who had just become an adventurer, the title of "Sword King" was undoubtedly a big shot, let alone someone from a top-tier familia like Hephaestus.

"Please trouble you to prepare a private room for us."

Emiya led Takemikazuchi and Yamato no Mikoto into the tavern.

Seele looked at him with a somewhat resentful gaze, but still dutifully led the way.

"Please follow me, guest."

Emiya, Takemikazuchi, and Yamato entered a quiet room.

They sat on opposite sides of a square table, and Emiya subconsciously observed the two guests.

Takemikazuchi is a handsome god whose divine duties are "God of Thunder" and "God of War," but he gives people a gentle and even soft feeling. In just a brief exchange, Emiya felt that Takemikazuchi's personality was the complete opposite of the word "tough." He was very easy to talk to and even a little too kind.

Yamato no Mikoto was a beautiful young woman. She had long, lustrous black hair and bluish-purple eyes, and her back was ramrod straight. Her limbs, visible through her purple battle suit, were delicate and beautiful, and her face was so dignified and exquisite that even the gods would marvel at it.

The Takemikazuchi Familia arrived in the Labyrinth City not long ago, around the same time that Emiya was found by Ryu. They are now one of the many exploration-type Familias in Orario.

The so-called exploration-type "familia" is, as the name suggests, a faction that explores dungeons, brings back "magic stones" and "dropped items" and makes a living from them.

Including Yamato, the Takemikazuchi Familia has a total of six members, all of whom are human and are citizens of the Far East Kingdom of Orario who came with Takemikazuchi.

The clan leader, Kashima Sakura, is a Level 2 advanced adventurer, while the other members are Level 1, with Yamato Mikoto being the youngest newcomer.

Although small in number, they are a "backbone" familia in the labyrinth city, with adventurers who have been upgraded. Their chief god is also qualified to participate in the Conference of the Gods, making them one of the more noteworthy familias among the many emerging familias in Orario.

"Hello, Emiya-kun."

Takemikazuchi was quite polite to Emiya, not at all like a god. Emiya's achievements before his upgrade were not made public, but his feat of destroying the Soma Familia single-handedly after his upgrade was quite well-known.

"Hello, Takemikazuchi. I would like to know some things about the Far East. I hope you can answer my questions."

Emiya said.

He didn't mention "Sanjono" right away, but instead asked about other things first, subtly probing while assessing the other person's personality.

Emiya's intuition told him that both Takemikazuchi and Kosei were upright people. But given the gravity of the matter, he remained cautious.

Takemikazuchi had a similar impression of Emiya. As a god, he could sense that Emiya was an upright and determined adventurer, but he was puzzled by Emiya's purpose.

Emiya began to talk with Takemikazuchi, and as their conversation progressed, his understanding of the Far East deepened.

"I know an adventurer named 'Gojou Kaguya'."

Emiya thought of the magnificent iaido sword, "Higanbana": "She also seems to be from the Far East."

"Yes, Lady Kaguya is also a celebrity in the Far East. She is a princess from the Gojo clan, one of the Nine Families."

The entire Gojo family is beautiful, but they have a rather strange custom of covering the upper half of their faces with masks that resemble cherry blossoms.

They are also known for their refinement and manners; the men are elegant and the women are virtuous. The mysterious aura they exude is admired by many who come and go, truly embellishing the cherry blossoms of the Far East.

"【Nine families】...Sanjo, so it's one of the nine families?"

Emiya asked the question as he saw fit.

"Hmm, the Sanjo family is one of the nine families that undertakes the duties of ritual and offering... May I ask, has Senior Sword King ever met anyone from the Sanjo family?"

Yamato seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but ask.

Emiya: "I know a fox-woman named 'Sanjou Haruhime'."

"Where—where did you learn this name!"

Ming was first taken aback, then leaned out and reacted quite strongly.

The adventurer from the Takemikazuchi Familia knows Haruhime Sanjou.

Emiya was taken aback by this sudden development, and he asked calmly:

"If possible... please tell me about your relationship with Miss Haruhime, Miss Tōmei, okay?"

Ming remained silent and motionless for a moment before slowly nodding.

"...My fellow members and I grew up in a shrine where Takemikazuchi and other gods reside. We came to Orario from the Far East because of financial difficulties... The shrine was struggling to make ends meet."

The shrine was taking in more and more orphans, but its income was meager. One day, their impoverished life finally reached its limit.

After consulting with the kind celestial deity who supports the children's livelihood, Mikoto and the others made a decision. Mikoto, who is the eldest in the shrine and also capable of fighting, along with the others, set sail across the sea for Orario under the guidance of the War God.

This is to earn money in the labyrinthine city where gold and silver treasures lie dormant, and to send living expenses to the shrine that raised me.

This is why, despite being a core family of adventurers with Lv.2 advanced level, Takemikazuchi is so poor and strapped for cash – most of their income is sent back to their hometown.

"I met Lady Haruhime long before I came to Orario... It was about five or six years ago from now."

Miss Ming's gaze lingered on the floor as she recounted her encounter with Miss Haruhime.

"Our shrine is on the mountain, while Haruhime's mansion is at the foot of the mountain. She is of noble birth and cannot leave her mansion. She grew up in an environment different from ours... but Takemikazuchi felt pity for her."

—Go and bring that girl out.

Takemikazuchi seemed to be speaking to them with a very serious expression, coupled with a childlike smile.

Miss Ming said that she had been learning martial arts under the tutelage of the God of War since she was a child. Having received training, she and her companions, like ninjas, sneaked into the mansion, bypassed the guards, and took Miss Chunji to play in the back mountain.

"So, Miss Haruhime and Miss Mikoto, you were childhood friends?"

“We visited Lady Haruhime several times, running through the mountains and fields, walking along the ridges of the fields, and playing by the river... but suddenly it all came to an end.”

"……what happened?"

"Because life at the shrine became difficult, everyone went out to work to earn their daily living expenses and no longer had time to go to the mansion... After a long time, when we went there that day, we learned that Lady Haruhime had been severed from her father."

The girl was kicked out of her home. They were ordered to search for her everywhere, but they ultimately failed to find out a single clue.

"Compared to the time I spent with Sakura-sama and the others, I spent very little time with that lady... However, Haruhime-sama and I were indeed once friends and confidantes."

Miss Ming kept her head down throughout as she finished recounting the whole story.

Her words revealed her feelings for Miss Chunji and her remorse.

"I met Miss Haruhime by chance during a previous adventure. Because she was a rare fox-person and had a unique name, I was deeply impressed by her."

Emiya was silent for a moment before explaining, "I didn't expect that Haruhime and Mikoto were friends... I'll keep an eye out for news about her for you later."

"Grateful!"

Yamato bowed deeply to Emiya, and Takemikazuchi also bowed in thanks.

The waitress, Lunova, brought out the dishes, and at Takemikazuchi and Komikazuchi's insistence, they ended up only ordering the cheapest chicken risotto.

After finishing their meal, Takemikazuchi and Yamato thanked Emiya again, saying things like, "This is the best food I've ever had in Orario."

After they left the tavern, Emiya remained sitting in the room.

The side door opened, and several women walked out.

Goddess Astraea, [Lijie] Aisha, and [Little Giant] Mia.

"Lady Astraea, the one who sold Haruhime to the Ishtar Familia was..."

Aisha paused for a moment, then uttered the name of a human male.

Thanks to Aisha's deliberate actions, her sisters in the Ishtar Familia believed she was pursuing a handsome young man from the Hephaestus Familia. Therefore, Aisha's visit to the tavern aroused no suspicion; instead, she received encouragement and support from her sisters.

This caused Lijie great inner turmoil, but having already made the decision, she would not regret it or back down.

“This name…I know him.”

Runova, who was tidying up the table, spoke up. As a former "Black Fist" who had dominated the underworld of Orario, her connections had a remarkable effect.

"Mama Mia, may I borrow the children from your tavern for a while?"

Astraea looked at Mia.

"Sigh...this is a real problem..."

Mia sighed, but then she muttered to herself:

"However, my tavern is indeed short-staffed, and if I could have a rare fox-person waiter, business would probably improve considerably..."

Lunova couldn't help but laugh.

Mia: "What are you laughing at, you idiot girl? Since you know that human trafficker, you go and break his limbs and bring him back!"

"Yes, Mia's mother."

Lunova slammed her fist into her palm, grinning maliciously: "Mission accomplished!"

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