Chapter 108: Finn, You're So Full of Yourself!
Faced with Loki's threat of expelling people from her Familia, no one in the Loki Familia dared to disobey her orders at such a moment.
Even if they had strong feelings of disgust and dissatisfaction toward Shirou, they could only grit their teeth and endure it.
However, while most people fell silent, Finn, as the captain of the Loki Familia, chose this moment to speak out.
"Lady Loki, by appointing Emiya as the acting captain, are you telling me to stay here and not participate in the rescue of Riveria and the others?!" Finn, clearly unwilling to be excluded from the rescue team, forced himself to stand. "I can still fight. Please let me go save Riveria and the others!"
His stubborn act of forcing himself to his feet was painful to watch—not just for Loki, but for the rest of the Familia as well.
Tione, the Amazon warrior, rushed to support him anxiously. "Don't push yourself, Captain! Go get treated by Armid!"
"No! Riveria and the others are still trapped in a desperate situation. As the captain of the Familia, there's no way I can just sit back and do nothing. I must go with everyone to rescue them!"
Finn clenched his teeth, forcing a determined expression.
Yet everyone around could clearly see that Finn was merely pushing himself too far, and they all looked at him with pained expressions.
"He's worse than we thought…"
Shirou took one look and immediately understood the crux of the Loki Familia's current situation.
Captain Finn was severely injured. Vice-captain Riveria was missing.
Right now, the Loki Familia had suddenly lost all their commanding leaders, leaving them in a state of utter disarray. Even if most of the members still had combat ability, they lacked the coordination and command structure that a top-tier Familia needed to function effectively.
Any organization requires a leader to operate properly.
This must have been the exact goal of the dark faction—to heavily wound Finn and trap Riveria.
They had identified Loki Familia's biggest weakness and essentially executed a strategic "decapitation strike."
In such a state, even if Loki Familia regrouped and charged into the dungeon, they would likely be completely wiped out by the dark faction before they could mount an effective counterattack.
To restore their ability to fight, Loki Familia had to regain their cohesion.
And to do that, Shirou could think of only two ways.
One: provide them with a new leader to follow.
This was the strategy Finn had chosen.
Seeing the chaos in the Familia, Finn realized that charging into the dungeon as they were would only lead to their deaths. So, despite his injuries, he insisted on joining the team to inspire and support them.
But this approach was, in essence, Finn sacrificing his life to save others—ultimately becoming a burden on the Familia.
Finn knew the consequences but had no other choice.
Given the choice between a leaderless group and being a burden, he chose the latter—forcing himself to stand, hoping to lead the Familia forward.
Shirou respected this resolve but didn't agree with it.
After all, restoring cohesion didn't require appointing a leader as the only solution.
As the saying goes, the best way to unite people is to give them a common enemy.
And Shirou just so happened to be the ideal target for that role—someone the Loki Familia members could all hate together, someone they could unite against.
"Finn, you're just full of yourself, aren't you?" As Finn and the others were in confrontation, Shirou suddenly spoke. "You're the only one in Orario with the title of Braver, yet you're totally shackled by that fake title. All you care about is showing off your strength and keeping up appearances. You're really that desperate to preserve your image as the great hero, huh?"
"Emiya, you—!"
Shirou's words left Finn speechless and stunned the other Familia members as well.
Everyone instinctively turned to look at Shirou, focusing all attention on him.
Which was exactly what Shirou wanted.
"Finn, you just want to be a great hero.
You want to always be the shining figure in everyone's eyes, and that's why you're so desperate to be a burden now, right?
Even now, you're not thinking about the safety of your comrades, but only about your own pride.
You're putting your own honor before the survival of your Familia.
I don't think you're qualified to be Loki Familia's captain!"
"What did you just say…?"
Finn fell silent under Shirou's harsh accusation. He looked deeply at the man in front of him—not with anger, but with a complicated sense of shock.
Shirou ignored Finn's reaction and pressed on.
"Everyone in Loki Familia, you've all been fooled by Finn, haven't you? A fake hero, a fake savior—it's all just a child's game. Sooner or later, it'll all come crashing down!"
"Stop it, Emiya! That's enough!"
Finn tried to stop Shirou, but not in a way that denied Shirou's words—his tone was more filled with worry.
Shirou, however, didn't stop.
"No, I won't stop—not until you give up the act, stop pretending to be a fake hero and step down as a fake savior. This upcoming battle isn't some playground game.
If you can't even see that, then just go back and grow vegetables!"
"Damn you! SHUT UP!!!"
Shirou's relentless assault finally ignited the rage of the entire Loki Familia.
Tione, the Amazon warrior, lost all restraint and charged forward, throwing a punch at Shirou in her fury.
Though Tione was Level 5, her speed was so slow it barely registered to Shirou.
Yet, he made no effort to dodge.
His goal was to restore Loki Familia's unity.
And for that, he was willing to endure a little sacrifice.
Truthfully, he didn't even consider it much of a sacrifice.
However, what Shirou didn't expect was what happened next—just before Tione's fist landed, a blonde girl stepped in between them.
Ais, with a complicated expression, blocked Tione and grabbed her hand, refusing to let her go further.
"Ais, what are you doing?!"
"Stop. Emiya was appointed acting captain by Goddess Loki herself. If you attack him, are you planning to be expelled from the Familia?"
"…"
Tione was left speechless by Ais's argument.
Her unspent anger turned into tears, streaming down her cheeks.
"Tione…?"
"I hate anyone who insults the Captain! Even if it's Goddess Loki, I won't stand for it! I will never accept someone like him as our acting captain!"
Tione turned away in fury.
Her words, in a way, reflected the collective will of the entire Familia.
Finn, who had led them for so long, meant something irreplaceable to all of them.
Anyone who insulted Finn in front of them—no matter who—would immediately become their common enemy.
As those hateful glares burned into him, Shirou's expression remained calm.
Everything he had said was carefully chosen.
Because what he said was all true, neither Finn nor the others could deny him—they could only get angry.
And that suppressed, inescapable anger was exactly what would unite them.
Even without Finn, they would fight with everything they had to protect his honor and dignity.
That was all Shirou needed.
He was more than satisfied with the result.
But not everyone was.
Finn, in particular, was not pleased.
"Shirou Emiya… Now I understand why Lady Loki has always placed such importance on you." Finn looked at him with penetrating eyes. "But I also understand something else. You and I are fundamentally different people. Our paths will never cross."
"Heh, like I'd ever walk the same path as the great hero."
Shirou waved it off with indifference.
"Hero… That title, I never once accepted it myself," Finn sighed. "But compared to everything that just happened, you're more deserving of the title hero than I am.
I could never destroy my own honor just to gain something else—that's something I'll never have the courage to do."
"Courage, huh? I don't think it counts as courage," Shirou shook his head. "It's just that I never had anything to begin with. That's why it's so easy to give up things I was never meant to have."
As the conversation between Shirou and Finn ended, Ais, the Sword Princess, stepped forward.
She stared sharply at Shirou. Though she didn't fully understand his actions, her instincts told her one thing:
Shirou didn't say all that because he hated Finn.
Because of this, Ais couldn't understand why Shirou was doing what he did. She softly asked, "Why…?"
Shirou gave no response to Ais's murmur.
He simply waved his hand, signaling her to return to the rest of the Familia and to avoid interacting with him—now branded as a public enemy—to prevent any negative consequences.
After that, Shirou sought out Loki.
As the god of trickery, Loki immediately saw through Shirou's intentions. With a wry smile, she said, "You know, just for a moment there, I actually regretted asking you for help. Even I didn't expect you to go that far."
"To gain something, one must first lose something."
"…I see. So that's your way of thinking? No wonder you're capable of doing things others couldn't even imagine. Then I leave everything to you, Emiya. Because if it's you, I believe you can save Riveria and the others!"
"Leave it to me."
Shirou nodded, then departed under Loki's watchful gaze, leading the members of the Loki Familia toward Daedalus Street.
Although he had now become the sworn enemy of the entire Loki Familia, Loki had issued an absolute order: anyone who refused to follow Shirou's command was to be expelled from the Familia.
Because of this, even if the members harbored resentment, they had no choice but to accept Shirou as their commander—at least on the surface.
Shirou, meanwhile, paid no mind to the others' displeasure and anger. With a calm expression, he said, "Alright, who can tell me the details of Riveria's squad?"
"I will, I will!"
A pair of hands shot up high amidst the sullen group.
Shirou had expected Ais to be the one to report, but surprisingly, it wasn't her—it was a short-haired Amazonian girl.
Shirou remembered her name. She was Tiona, the twin sister of Tione. Both were Level 5 adventurers.
"You're Tiona, right? Are you willing to share the situation with me?"
"Yeah! While everyone else seems to hate you, I actually think you're pretty alright!"
"…"
Shirou was honestly surprised by her response.
He quickly realized how different the twin sisters were in personality. With a sigh, he said, "You're mistaken. I'm definitely not a good person. It'd be better if you disliked me like the others."
"Heh heh, someone who says that can't be all that bad."
Tiona patted Shirou's shoulder with a sunny, easygoing demeanor.
Thanks to her cooperation, Shirou quickly learned the details of Riveria's squad.
Simply put, Riveria's team was arguably the strongest among the three teams the Loki Familia had dispatched.
The squad didn't just include Riveria, a Level 6 mage, but also Gareth, a Level 6 dwarf warrior.
With two Level 6s at its core, the team was also supported by numerous mid- and lower-level adventurers, whose role was to give Riveria the time and space to cast her high-powered magic.
Another member, Lefiya, was also a powerful mage, and her strongest spells could reach the firepower of a Level 5 adventurer.
In terms of personnel and elite strength, Riveria's team should have been the least likely to fall into danger.
Yet ironically, they were the ones who ended up trapped in the dungeon.
This outcome was difficult to comprehend. What could've possibly happened for such a powerful squad to end up in such a situation?
Because their strongest team went missing, the Loki Familia suffered a devastating blow—so much so that even their collective confidence was shattered.
Upon learning the team's circumstances, Shirou felt an even greater sense of urgency regarding the labyrinth.
He had been wary of the Dark Faction from the beginning, but now that the strongest Familia in Orario had suffered a crushing defeat, he had no choice but to raise his guard even further.
Now, with Finn out of commission due to severe injuries, the only remaining Level 6 in the Familia was the Sword Princess, Ais.
Bete, Tiona, and Tione were all only Level 5s.
The others were Level 3s or 4s—not worth mentioning in a high-level operation.
If the full-strength Loki Familia couldn't overcome the dungeon, then this weakened version probably couldn't even make it past the first obstacle.
They risked being annihilated by the Dark Faction.
Even so, Shirou had not given up.
Rather, he still had confidence in this operation to rescue Riveria and the others.
This wasn't arrogance—it was a logical conclusion drawn from analyzing the current situation.
After organizing all the intel from the Loki Familia, Shirou had gained a decent understanding of the Dark Faction's methods and had identified ways to counter their traps.
With that, Shirou and the Loki Familia returned to the underground sewers beneath Daedalus Street, where they located the entrance to the artificial dungeon.
At the sight of the pitch-black cave, the Familia members showed visible signs of panic.
Without Finn and Riveria to lead them, they were like a pile of loose sand, lacking a guiding light to lead them forward.
At this critical moment, Shirou said nothing.
He wasn't their moral compass. In fact, to them, he was more like a villain or rival.
So, he calmly stepped into the dungeon.
Seeing this, the members of the Familia were stunned—but then clenched their teeth and followed, unwilling to appear cowardly in front of Shirou.
Yes—this had been Shirou's intention all along when he angered them earlier.
If someone as detestable as Shirou could show more resolve than them, then they must not surrender.
Otherwise, their admiration for Finn would be meaningless.
Fueled by this antagonistic determination, Shirou managed to unite the Loki Familia and led them down to the second level of the dungeon.
"This is the fork in the path where you split up, right?"
Shirou observed the three paths ahead. He realized that the Familia had divided into three teams here—and were defeated one by one.
In hindsight, dividing up hadn't been the best idea.
But before the battle, the Loki Familia must have had great confidence, which led to that decision.
They hadn't expected the enemy to be so powerful and so well-prepared.
That's when Shirou felt a strange sense of discomfort.
It was almost as if the enemy had anticipated the Loki Familia's movements.
This couldn't just be explained by patience and ambushes.
It felt more like the enemy had inside information.
Shirou didn't immediately start a "spy hunt" or anything dramatic.
But he would proceed with the mindset that there might be a mole within the team.
With that in mind, Shirou casually pointed to the three paths and asked, "Which path did Riveria's team take?"
"The middle one," Ais replied quietly, her tone filled with urgency to rescue them.
"I see. Then we'll take one of the other two paths," Shirou said coolly. "Forget about Riveria's team for now—let's focus on clearing the dungeon."
"What?!"
His words shocked not just the other members, but even Ais wore a visibly confused and upset expression.
She didn't understand Shirou's choice and was clearly skeptical.
But Shirou gave them no chance to argue.
With a nearly ruthless demeanor, he randomly selected one of the other two paths and led the group in.
He had picked the same path Finn had taken earlier.
Forcibly, he brought the entire team into the labyrinth.
As they advanced, Shirou silently observed everyone in the group, trying to read their expressions and uncover any suspicious behavior.
But if there really was a mole, they wouldn't be so foolish as to expose themselves now. Shirou would have to rely on the process of elimination.
First of all, Ais could not be the mole. Her strength and status were too high.
If she was a traitor, she could have caused far more damage—perhaps even wiped out her entire squad.
Likewise, Finn couldn't be the mole either.
As for the Level 5s—Bete, Tiona, and Tione—they were less likely to be spies, but it wasn't entirely impossible.
Especially since they had Level 6s above them.
For the lower-level members, there were simply too many to judge all at once. Shirou would need to approach and evaluate them individually.
That's right—Shirou didn't see the Loki Familia as a monolith.
He held no sentimental attachment to them and approached each person with ruthless logic—suspecting even that they might be spies planted by the Dark Faction.
If it were Finn or Riveria, they would never do something like that.
They would never doubt their own comrades.
But Shirou could.
He would question everyone.
That, perhaps, was the real reason Loki had asked Shirou to help.
Though Loki wouldn't admit it aloud, deep down she must've sensed that there was a mole in the group.
And if they didn't find and eliminate the spy, this operation against the Dark Faction would end in total failure.
Holding on to this cold suspicion, Shirou made contact with every member of the Loki Familia.
Although they all showed signs of disgust toward him, due to Loki's order, none could reject or exclude him openly. They had to answer his questions seriously.
After finishing his round of inquiries, Shirou had a general idea in mind.
If he wasn't mistaken, the mole was probably that person.
Of course, for the sake of the plan, Shirou wouldn't expose the spy immediately.
Instead, he would use the mole—turning the tables, and using the enemy's own asset to achieve his own ends.
This wasn't some noble battle.
It was war. A battle of deception and betrayal.
To win this, Shirou had to use every underhanded trick available to him—to pursue the faint glimmer of justice still buried deep in his heart.
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