DanMachi: The Epic of the Heroic Spirits of Emiya Shirou

"Because Andaris is not a monster that can be defeated by the power of adventurers."

Hermes said softly, "The key to defeating it lies in the weapon of the gods, the Spear of Artemis."

The group left the room and arrived at the high platform of the Tower of Babel.

"So in the end, it was you who pulled out that gun, Shirou?"

Riveria asked softly.

"Yes."

Emiya nodded, and he reached out and lightly grasped the silver-white spear hanging behind him.

Hedin glanced at him: "Andaris needs the power of that gun to kill him, so the battle against it will require you to deliver the final blow."

The dark elf Hegni walked past him: "Warrior bearing the flames of destiny, the chaotic fate has gathered in your palm. We will tear through the dark clouds of nothingness and open for you the eternal gate to the temple!"

Emiya: "...Excuse me, what does this mean?"

Hedin's translation: "What he meant was, 'Young hero, we will open the road to victory for you.'"

"Oh... well, anyway, thank you."

Emiya thanked Hegni, but the dark fairy simply avoided his gaze with a cold expression.

"Don't be nervous, young man."

Freya said, "If you can't control the gun, we'll use our magic to force it out."

She walked behind Emiya and reached out to ruffle the boy's red hair: "Don't treat this as a heavy responsibility, just see it as an ordinary adventurer's request."

However, while speaking in a reliable adult tone, Freya, who was much shorter than Emiya, had to tiptoe to properly ruffle his hair. Ryu, who saw this from behind, couldn't help but smile.

Young and lacking common sense, Liu was unaware of the identity of the "Millennium Holy Staff," nor did she realize the profound magic power of the adult elf that the other party was deliberately controlling. Instead, she mistook the other party for a younger member of her race.

This foreshadowed the intensity of the special training Miss Ryu would receive in the days to come.

Riveria nodded in agreement: "In the end, such a mission should not have been borne by a child like you in the first place. These difficult things should have been the work of us adults."

As she spoke, she gave Hermes a warning look, which made the god of travelers chuckle for a moment.

Emiya: "Speaking of which, how are we going to get to the Great Forest? Why not go to the gates of Orario, but instead come here..."

Hermes: "Because there is a faster mode of transport... Here it comes!"

"I am... Ganesha!"

With a hearty laugh, the male god descended from the sky, landing precisely on the high platform, accompanied by several flying dragons.

"These dragons were raised by the Ganesha Familia from the egg stage until now, and anyone can easily ride them."

Ganesha gave a thumbs-up: "Use it as you please."

Hedin: "Six in total? Not enough for one for each person."

Emiya and the five elves, along with the gods Hermes and Artemis, made a total of eight people traveling together.

Ganesha: "I'm sorry, that's all I can deploy for now. Two of them are very strong, and their speed won't be affected even if two people share the same speed."

Indeed, two of the dragons were noticeably larger than the others, and their saddles were for two people.

"Let me ride with 'Orion'... and 'Emiya-kun'."

"I rode with Shirou."

The goddess and the elven girl spoke at the same time.

"I should be the one to teach Emiya how to use the Goddess Spear."

Artemis said.

"If we ride together on a dragon, I can protect Shirou."

Liu refused to yield an inch.

"My Goddess, when you said that just now, you flinched and subconsciously avoided my gaze... It's a lie, isn't it? The way to use that gun doesn't require any instruction at all."

The useless fairy displayed an astonishing aura.

Clearly, the goddess Artemis was not good at lying; her physical reactions were so strong that even a useless fairy could tell.

"Um...but, I..."

"Alright, stop arguing. The little elf girl is riding with me."

Freya spoke up: "As for the young man... Princess Riveria, you are the strongest among us, you should ride with him."

Riveria, who was watching Ryu argue with the goddess, exclaimed, "Huh? Me?"

136

Chapter 136 Emiya: I'll fight the [Black and White Knights]?

“Is that not possible...? Then, Hedin, you ride with the boy.”

"No, of course."

Riveria said it unconsciously.

At the same time, Hedin stepped forward and said, "No problem, I will protect him."

Whether out of her own will or the goddess's wish, Hedin did not mind having more contact with the boy.

"I'll do it."

Riveria gently moved a step to the left, blocking Hedin's path.

The reason for doing so is simple: maintaining a good relationship with the Sword King Shirou Emiya, who can forge the "Mythical Sword," is a strategic priority for the Loki Familia.

【Swift Wind】wielded the sword he forged and easily killed the veteran Level 1 adventurer 【Man Killer】; 【Garden of Purity】, thanks to the power of a sword, went from a magic swordsman with relatively weak durability to the strongest in defense among the Level 5 members of her clan.

It's hard to imagine what kind of terrifying beings the monsters of Freya's Familia would become if they got their hands on the swords he forged.

"Under no circumstances should we push him toward Freya's Familia."

Yes, that's right, it's all for the Loki Familia—Riviria told herself.

Seeing that he was being stopped by the Elf Princess, Hedin did not insist. He simply looked at Emiya calmly, his gaze deep, as if he were thinking about something.

With the team assigned, Hermes shouted, "Let's go! Destination: The Great Tree Sea!"

"Asphie and the others must be getting impatient. We need to hurry."

The dragon soared high in the sky, the wind whistled, and a cool breeze brushed against my face.

Shirou Emiya sat in front of the dragon, his hands gripping the reins, his body leaning slightly forward, feeling each powerful flap of the dragon's wings. Judging from his steady posture, the altitude and speed did not cause him much discomfort.

Rivera sat behind him, her right hand gently resting on the boy's shoulder to prevent him from losing his balance in case the dragon moved suddenly. Her gaze occasionally swept over Emiya's back as she pondered how to begin.

"Are you getting used to riding the Flying Dragon?"

Riveria asked.

Shirou's voice was calm: "It's alright. Although it's my first time, it's not difficult to control."

Riveria nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief.

She was worried that a boy of that age might be afraid of dragons, but Emiya's composure calmed Riveria down considerably.

She gently patted Emiya's shoulder, indicating that he could relax a bit.

"Alysia really likes the sword you forged."

Riveria began to speak.

"I am very honored."

Emiya answered softly, his tone earnest and sincere: "I'm glad I could help my sister Alicia, who fought alongside me."

The dragon soared through the air in a rapid arc, sunlight filtering through the clouds and showering them with light. Riveria felt the wind gently brush past her ear and unconsciously moved closer.

Do you like... elves?

Riveria asked in a low voice.

Emiya answered frankly, "I like it. I have many important friends who are elves."

"Oh, I see. Oh, right—"

Riveria changed the subject, and began to share with Emiya her past adventures and her experiences as an adventurer.

Emiya listened attentively, occasionally asking questions at key points. Before they knew it, the distance between them seemed to naturally shrink during the conversation.

The dragon moves very fast. Although its speed alone cannot surpass that of a Lv.6 adventurer, it can still save a lot of time by flying over various terrains.

Even so, it still takes at least half a month to reach the "Great Forest" that is almost on the other side of the horizon.

On the first night, after a day of flying, the adventurers temporarily settled in a small town in the mountains.

This town belongs to a small, little-known country, and due to its remote location, it has practically become the territory ruled by a few local families.

It is a closed town that is completely different from the labyrinth city of Orario, and has very little contact with gods, familias, blessings, and adventurers.

A minor incident occurred during their landing. In short, a member of a local family coveted their wealth and the beautiful goddess, and after failing to coerce them, colluded with the innkeeper to drug their food that night.

The adventurers' solution to this was remarkably simple—to take action.

At Hedin's command, the Hegni beast was unleashed, sweeping away everything with unstoppable force.

He didn't actually kill many people, but the way they died was shocking. His instantaneous movement and slash from hundreds of meters away were so fast that the black sword in his hand was barely visible.

After swiftly and decisively eliminating the culprits, the mayor quickly stepped forward to apologize to the adventurers. Freya accepted the apology on behalf of everyone, and the matter was resolved satisfactorily.

The experienced adventurers handled these matters with great efficiency; clearly, their long battles had given them more than just the skills to deal with monsters.

However, this caused a conflict between the goddess Artemis and Freya, who held the dominant position among the elves. The goddess believed that the problem could be solved without killing, but Freya had a completely different opinion.

"If we act now, we can solve the problem by killing just a few culprits. The longer we drag it out, the more people will die in the end."

“If you condone this, it will only embolden them. If these people are allowed to incite and coordinate their actions, in the end, I may need to use magic to wipe out the entire town to put an end to the trouble.”

For some reason, Freya was unusually harsh towards the goddess Artemis.

Hermes witnessed this and could only marvel at it inwardly.

This mage, revered as the "Millennium Holy Staff," must have discovered something.

"Kindness without understanding will only lead to painful consequences in the end."

"Life is precious, and for that reason, please don't be so arrogant as to think you can bear the weight of all lives."

The pure goodwill of the gods may, on the contrary, cause profound disasters for the beings in the lower realms.

The 【Millennium Holy Staff】 refuted the goddess until she was speechless, even heartbroken, as if her deepest pain had been touched.

What Artemis found most unacceptable was that no one present stood by her side.

Whether it was the first-level adventurers, Hermes who was also a god, or even the youngest Emiya, they all agreed more with the [Millennium Staff] than with her.

On their first night, the goddess and the adventurers did not get along well.

Emiya watched Artemis's lonely and sorrowful figure, and his heart was stirred. However, at that moment, something happened that quickly left him no time to think about such things.

Freya first looked at her idol: "Lord Hermes, you didn't forget to bring the [Unlocking Potion] and [Renewal Potion], did you?"

Hermes: "Ahem, [Update Potion] is a prohibited item by the guild..."

So, did you bring it?

Hermes: "I brought it!"

"Very good, let's travel during the day and not be idle at night."

Freya said, "Starting tonight, give the boy special training every day when we're not traveling... Hedin, Hegni, I'm leaving this to you. Time is of the essence, so get straight to practical training."

Hedin gently pushed up his glasses: "No problem."

Hegney: "...Yes, sir."

Emiya: "Huh?"

I'm playing against [Black and White Knight], is that for real?

"Don't worry, young man, both Princess Riveria and I possess healing magic."

The Millennium Staff patted Emiya on the shoulder: "Go ahead and increase the intensity. With our magic, we can save you even if you're just a breath away."