Orario was, without question, the true center of this world.
Half a month had passed since Shirou arrived here.
During those fifteen days, he did nothing fancy. He recovered from his injuries, took on small jobs when his body allowed it, and quietly gathered information about the world he had been thrown into.
Piece by piece, the outline became clear.
And the moment he heard a hunter mention the words Divine Blessing, Shirou understood exactly where he was.
This was the world of Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
DanMachi.
A world where demi-humans, elves, and gods all existed openly.
Here, gods descended from the heavens, sealed their divine power, formed Familias, and lived side by side with mortals.
Under the guidance of those Divine Blessings, mortals pushed monsters back into the Dungeon, built the city of Orario, and continued to challenge the depths in pursuit of strength, fame, and legend.
This was a world that produced heroes in abundance.
At the same time, it was a world that perfectly matched Shirou's needs.
In the past, the Shirou who defeated seven opponents in a single night during the Holy Grail War had relied on Class Cards. His later duel with the King of Heroes had only been possible because of Miyu's vast supply of magical energy.
Right now, none of that existed.
Without external support, Shirou was nothing more than an ordinary human who had awakened his Magic Circuits earlier than he should have.
In Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya, when he later faced Angelica-Gilgamesh of the Saber class-he couldn't even activate Unlimited Blade Works.
Because he was still just a mortal.
But if he could obtain a Divine Blessing here...
Then everything would change.
With a Falna, he would gain a foundation capable of competing with them.
Perhaps even surpassing them.
That was why Orario mattered.
That was why he had been waiting for this moment.
And now, after half a month of preparation, he had finally arrived.
After passing through the inspection at Orario's main gate, Shirou stepped into the city without incident.
The first thing that entered his vision was not the wide streets, nor the bustling shops filled with voices and noise.
It was the tower.
A massive, white structure that pierced straight into the sky.
In an era like this, a building of such scale could only exist because of gods.
Shirou paused for a moment, quietly taking in the sight.
Then his attention shifted back to the streets around him.
Adventurers moved constantly through the city.
Some wore full plate armor.
Some carried bows and quivers.
Some held long spears.
Others had longswords resting at their waists.
And it wasn't just humans.
Dwarves walked with heavy steps.
Beast-people moved with alert eyes.
Small Pallums weaved through crowds.
Elves passed by with calm, distant expressions.
It was a scene Shirou had never witnessed in either of his lives.
A world that existed only in fantasy.
Maybe he would get used to it eventually.
But for now, simply standing here and watching was enough to stir something inside him.
After a short while, Shirou steadied himself.
There was no reason to linger.
He had a goal.
After making a few inquiries, he headed toward a quieter corner of Orario.
There stood one of the city's two largest Familias.
The Loki Familia.
For Shirou, who possessed knowledge of the future, his options were limited from the start.
There were only a few Familias worth joining.
After eliminating the rest, only two remained.
Hestia Familia.
Loki Familia.
But when it came to Hestia...
He didn't know if it even existed yet.
He didn't know whether the goddess Hestia had descended, or whether her Familia had been established at all.
That information would take time to gather.
Time he didn't have.
Because Shirou was currently facing a very practical problem.
He was broke.
Before arriving here, he had gone through a literal deathmatch. He carried nothing with him except an inexplicable pocket watch.
After coming to this world, he had spent his recovery period working part-time just to save enough money to reach Orario.
If he hadn't done that, he would still be stuck somewhere working himself to exhaustion.
Like Kazuma.
So in the end, there was only one realistic choice left.
The Loki Familia.
As for the concern that large Familias didn't accept ordinary people-
"I, Emiya the Great Hero, have never been inferior to anyone in my life."
That was enough for him.
Passing through the busy streets, Shirou arrived at the Loki Familia's headquarters.
Under the guidance of the guards at the entrance, he was led toward the recruitment area.
"There are a lot of people..."
Looking at the two or three dozen applicants lined up ahead of him, Shirou couldn't help but react.
This kind of scene probably happened every day.
The Loki Familia's influence was obvious.
A commotion behind him drew attention.
A brawny Boaz youth standing at the end of the line turned his head, looked over Shirou's slim build, and laughed.
"Kid, with that body, the Loki Familia won't take you."
"I'm just here to watch the fun," Shirou replied easily, smiling up at the muscular figure who was at least two heads taller than him.
"I'm new to Orario. I heard the Loki Familia and the Freya Familia are strong, so I wanted to see what they're like. After I get rejected here, I'll go check out Freya Familia."
Just kidding.
Shirou had no intention of provoking this guy.
All he wanted was to join the Loki Familia as quickly as possible.
And eat.
His last ration had been finished yesterday at noon.
He was starving.
"I see," the Boaz youth said. "That's not a bad idea. Newcomers should check out the big Familias first."
He patted Shirou on the shoulder.
Damn it.
Can't you be a little gentler?
His shoulder throbbed, but Shirou kept smiling and casually chatted with him about Orario's general situation.
Before long, the line reached the Boaz youth.
Two Loki Familia examiners questioned him carefully.
Then, politely, they shook their heads.
"Sorry. You're not the kind of talent we're looking for."
The youth's expression fell immediately.
He had thought he had a chance.
But he didn't even pass the first screening.
The process was clear enough.
The examiners selected suitable candidates to report to Loki.
Then Loki herself made the final decision.
Most Familias valued internal harmony.
The head god treated their members like children.
So the final authority always rested with them.
"I understand."
The Boaz youth stepped aside, giving up his place.
But he didn't leave.
He stayed, waiting for Shirou.
After their conversation, he found the kid interesting.
Without any agreement, he had already decided that Shirou would owe him a drink later.
"Go for it, kid!" he called out.
"Thank you," Shirou replied. "I'll do my best."
Understanding the process now, Shirou stepped forward.
Before the examiners could speak, he said seriously,
"I have magic."
"...What?"
Both examiners froze.
"Your name is... what did you say?"
"You have magic?"
They stood up immediately.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course," Shirou said calmly. "I don't think anyone in Orario would dare lie to the Loki Familia."
Their eyes lit up.
Without hesitation, one of them gestured.
"Come with me. I'll take you to see Loki-sama."
As Shirou was led into the Loki Familia's headquarters, the Boaz youth stared after him in disbelief.
"...Liars. They're all liars."
"Didn't you say you were just here to watch?"
"How did you walk straight in?"
No one answered him.
-
Inside Twilight Manor's reception room, a goddess sat opposite Shirou.
Her red hair was neatly tied back.
Her figure was unmistakably curvaceous.
She leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowed with interest.
"You said you have magic," she said. "And you haven't joined any Familia yet, right?"
"Yes," Shirou replied. "I haven't joined any Familia."
Magic was an extremely rare ability in this world.
Aside from elves, it was exceedingly difficult for other races to acquire it.
Innate magic was even rarer.
In many ways, magic here was equivalent to a Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm.
A decisive force.
Shirou extended his hands.
Magic flowed.
Twin blades appeared.
Kanshou and Bakuya.
"It's innate magic," Loki said immediately. "What kind?"
"Projection Magic."
"Projection Magic..."
She had never heard of it.
That didn't matter.
"I've decided," Loki said without hesitation. "From today on, you're one of our children."
In this world, magic was divided into two types.
Innate magic.
Magic acquired through Divine Blessings.
Innate magic depended on bloodline and aptitude. Its attributes were fixed, and only magical races could awaken it through training.
But Shirou was human.
Humans could not possess innate magic.
Which meant only one thing.
His aptitude rivaled that of elves.
An existence even rarer.
With someone like that actively seeking to join her Familia-
How could Loki not be excited?
--------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter