Chapter 6: A God from Another World?
Among them, probably only the werewolf Bete was not particularly interested in Shirou's arrival. However, he did not express any negative opinion about it; after all, being able to come up from the lower floors alone meant the other party's strength was unfathomable. Although Bete had a short temper, he still possessed enough sense to know better.
The impression that gods are powerful is deeply engraved in the souls of those living in "Orario." Although the gods of "Orario" are not much different from ordinary people in terms of combat power because they have sealed their divine powers, they can all break these seals themselves. It is just that, once they do so, they are constrained by the rules they established themselves and would be sent back to the Upper Realm, unable to remain in "Orario."
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A noisy commotion drifted over. The sounds of metal rubbing against metal and scattered, overlapping conversations mixed together. Many people were coming and going, busy with various tasks. Some were carrying equipment, others were driving iron stakes into the ground, and some were jogging around to relay messages; everyone had something to keep them busy.
Shirou stepped out of his tent and wandered around the camp with interest. At times he observed the dwarf craftsmen hammering weapons; at other times he joined the chefs preparing meals to get a preview (and sneak a bite) of the food; and occasionally, he projected two Noble Phantasms, making the eyes of the combat-ready adventurers shine with desire before he tucked them away again.
"Mr. Orihara, would you like to buy this great sword I just forged?"
"Mr. Orihara, come try this."
"Mr. Orihara, let us take one more look, just one more!"
During this, Shirou suddenly caught sight of the golden-haired girl. While various races were busy with their own affairs, she was carrying her bedding, weaving through the bustling crowd.
The girl spotted Shirou as well, so she offered a polite, slight nod, her voice calm and gentle. "Mr. Orihara, greetings..."
"Are you looking for a tent to sleep in?" Shirou asked, watching the bedding she was carrying.
Ais nodded at his words and parted her lips, but just as she was about to speak, her words were interrupted by another voice that suddenly intruded. "Ai, Ais-san!"
Hearing the voice calling her, Ais turned her head to look. A girl with her long golden hair tied into a single ponytail was trotting toward her. From the pointed ears peeking through the
golden locks framing her cheeks, it was not hard to tell that she belonged to the Elf race, known for their ethereal beauty.
"Thank you for saving me back on the 49th floor!" Lefiya, who had just mustered the courage to say this, suddenly noticed Shirou standing next to them. Feeling a sudden sense of embarrassment, the pretty elf girl's face flushed red at a visible rate. "Ah... so Mr. Orihara is here too, well..."
Seeing Lefiya acting as if her brain was about to short-circuit, stuttering for half a moment without being able to complete a sentence, Ais rescued her from this state. "...How are your injuries, Lefiya?" Ais asked with concern in her voice upon seeing the elf girl. Although she was always expressionless, giving people a cold impression, everyone knew this was just a facade. Deep down, Ais was a gentle girl; she simply lacked emotional expression, which gave people the mistaken impression that she was icy.
"Hey, what are you two doing? Is Lefiya being depressed again, and Ais is comforting her?"
"I, I didn't mean for her to comfort me...!" Hearing Tiona say this, Lefiya's face turned beet red again. Watching the two—one laughing heartily and the other being teased—Ais allowed a smile to touch her lips.
"My, oh my, so Mr. Orihara is here too. It looks like Lefiya is completely smitten," Tiona giggled.
"That's not true at all, don't talk nonsense!" Lefiya quickly waved her hands, her pointed ears and porcelain-white neck dyed in a deep blush.
A teasing look appeared on Tiona's face upon hearing this. "Ara-Ara~" With healthy, wheat-colored skin and a face free of any gloom, the girl named Tiona exuded an optimistic personality. Her outfit was the dancer-style attire unique to Amazons: the upper body was covered by only a thin piece of cloth, a long wrap skirt was tied around her waist, and her navel and graceful physique were displayed without reservation. "What's wrong, has Lefiya fallen for him so quickly~?"
"I said it's not like that—!"
Lefiya, teased like this by Tiona, was about to faint from shyness, with what seemed to be steam rising from her head. Not knowing what else to do, the elf girl rushed up and hugged Tiona's slender waist tightly. However, as a mage, Lefiya could naturally never move Tiona, who excelled in close-quarters combat; her strength was as powerless as a little girl's compared to the other. But since they were companions, she couldn't use force, and Tiona was worried about hurting Lefiya, so she didn't know what to do either.
"Ahhh, it was just a joke!" Tiona shouted hurriedly as Lefiya clung to her for dear life.
After taking it to the limit, Tiona placed her hand on Ais's shoulder. "By the way, Ais, why were you being so reckless during the fight earlier?"
"..." Asked this, Ais lowered her head slightly. She had indeed acted recklessly during the battle on the 49th floor, ignoring orders. Ais had nothing to say, and not wanting to make her worry, she could only apologize in a low voice. "Um... I'm sorry."
"Although I'm not much better, you charged so far ahead, Ais; that was way more dangerous than me." Tiona's grumbling whisper held a hint of a sob, and she tightened her grip.
Ais felt the weight on her shoulder and lowered her eyes. Soon, Tiona pouted and began to complain, "That's why I'm telling you, Ais..." Ais did not resist, letting her hold on tight. As for Lefiya, she felt a bit lonely seeing the intimacy between the two girls and looked at them with a hint of envy.
Just then, a slender hand reached out from the side and pinched Tiona's ear. "Alright, Tiona, stop bothering Ais now." Tione, the elder of the Amazonian sisters, dragged her mischievous sister away by the ear while Tiona let out little cries of pain.
Ais watched the Amazonian sisters leave, then finally withdrew her gaze and looked back at Shirou beside her. The girl's eyes flickered with a hint of curiosity, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she spoke to Shirou. "Mr. Orihara... when did you arrive in this world?"
Shirou pondered for a moment, resting his chin on his hand: "To be precise, I've been in this world for less than a day."
"Were you in the lower levels of the 'Dungeon' from the very beginning?" Ais continued to ask.
"That's right, though I can't remember exactly which floor it was," Shirou replied with a smile.
"Is that so..."
Ais's thoughts drifted somewhere else, and she slowly raised her head to gaze upward. There was no sky, only a dome-like ceiling blocked by rocky walls. Countless columnar protrusions extended from the unreachable cover, with mysterious phosphorescence glimmering sporadically on their surfaces.
——"The Dungeon."
It existed deep beneath the Labyrinth City of "Orario," a vast, boundless underground maze. Currently, the [Loki Familia], including Ais, remained in the deep underground where monsters continuously poured forth. In the [Loki Familia]'s headquarters—the Labyrinth City of Orario—many adventurers aimed for this world's only underground maze every day, walking through the city gates and entering the Dungeon. To expand and strengthen their own factions, most gods chose to run "Familias" that explored the "Dungeon," actively probing and conquering the labyrinth. The [Loki Familia], to which Ais and the others belonged, was one of them.
Now, the [Loki Familia] had encountered an unprecedented situation. A god from another world, or perhaps something god-like—regardless, their return to the surface would undoubtedly cause a massive commotion in "Orario."
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