Returning the bag to the owner and taking a large red apple as a reward, Ritsuka quickly slipped away amidst the woman's thanks.
The gods of this world had very bad tastes; Ritsuka had heard the old man next door grumble about this many times, and she had felt it herself because of the Goddess Freya who lived atop the Tower of Babel.
Although defeating the 'the king' Ottar had made that Familia quiet down, every time she passed the plaza, that burning gaze would start to fall upon her.
It was mentally annoying, but she couldn't exactly rush up the Tower of Babel and hang the Goddess Freya up for a beating, could she?
In the end, she could only suck it up and accept it. At most, she would try her best not to pass through there, and everything would be OK.
In the hearts of most ordinary people in Orario, gods were beings to be revered. They brought the power of 'favor', allowing ordinary species to have the strength to resist monsters. They were symbols of holiness, majesty, and other various words of praise.
In Ritsuka's estimation, perhaps some gods still felt more like gods, like giving off a refreshing aura or something.
Freya was truly different from others; her gaze was as if she wanted to swallow her whole, so hot it felt like she was trying to roast her through her eyes.
Those who didn't know might even think Freya was the Goddess of Barbecue... "Boss, is this thing spicy?"
Ritsuka walked through the bustling market, the sounds of hawkers calling out filling her ears. She stopped in front of a chili pepper stall.
The fiery red color was refreshing. Since it was a type of chili pepper never seen before in this other world, and might not even be called a chili pepper, Ritsuka could only ask a roundabout question.
"It's not spicy. If you add a little when cooking, the flavor is quite good."
The middle-aged man smiled slightly. On his somewhat fierce face was a diagonal scar—the standard image of an uncle selling things on the street in an other world.
Perhaps he even had an incredible past?
Ritsuka had no interest in that. She immediately composed her expression. "Not spicy, huh? Then never mind."
With that, Emiya-chan turned and left, leaving behind the confused shopkeeper, who sat on his chair, staring at the sky and questioning his life.
This was a bit different from what he had imagined.
...
Wandering through the bustling market with a purpose, noon arrived in the blink of an eye.
Carrying a bag containing three different types of chili peppers she had bought—all of them extremely spicy, at a level Ritsuka had never dared to try before.
Ever since some time ago, she had suddenly become interested in these. Spice was one of the few taste sensations that allowed her, having lost most of her senses, to feel that she was still alive.
No, scientifically speaking, spiciness is a sensation of pain.
Father Mapo was a joyful bastard. Ritsuka had despised his personality more than once, yet she still respected him.
Not only did he save her and bring her into the world of the Holy Grail War, but he also helped her discover something called mapo tofu ramen.
For a while, she had been like one possessed. Even though eating a single bowl left her drenched in sweat, she couldn't control herself at all.
So much so that she had mapo ramen for all three meals.
Being able to guarantee she never had to go to the hospital to see a proctologist could be considered quite an achievement.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm..."
Humming a little tune, Ritsuka returned to the 'Emiya Family's Dessert Shop' and lightly pushed the door open to enter.
However, what she didn't notice was that a figure had quietly followed her. Emerald hair fluttered in the wind, and the person was covered in magic that was quite different from that of the Type-Moon world.
"Old Man Matsuzaki, I'm back. Thanks for your help."
"Well, I'll be heading back then. Just come find me if you need anything; I'm very free every day."
The old man, craving Ritsuka's sake, left happily.
Tossing the chili peppers onto the table, Ritsuka's fingertips glowed slightly. The crystal dice flashed, revealing a large bag from which she took out separately packaged meat and vegetables.
The crystal dice only had twenty slots; its capacity was truly limited.
While in the Dungeon, Ritsuka had been in a difficult spot, as her half-day there happened to correspond to nighttime in the outside world, and novice Adventurers had basically all returned to their respective Familias to rest.
Therefore, by coincidence, Ritsuka hadn't seen any humanoid creatures for a long time.
All her time had been spent surveying the terrain and hunting the minotaur monsters born from the walls. As a result, she couldn't carry the large amount of dropped crystals, so Ritsuka finally thought of a great method that just happened to bypass the storage limit of the crystal dice.
Packing them into bags, filling them as much as possible—this way it would count as one unit, occupying only one slot of the crystal dice.
One has to say, it was quite a clever thought.
Ding—!
"Welcome."
The wind chime hanging on the door made a crisp sound. Ritsuka looked up at the entrance, a professional smile naturally appearing on her face.
Immediately after, the emerald-haired elf girl (?) walked into the shop.
"It's you. What a coincidence."
"Yes, it really is a coincidence. My name is Riveria, please take care of me."
Riveria introduced herself, then bowed slightly in greeting. A pair of beautiful eyes, filled with wisdom, examined Ritsuka, who had just put on an apron.
Even though she was still a very young Little girl, Emiya Ritsuka was full of the aura of a married woman.
"Riveria... That's a lovely name. My name is Emiya Ritsuka, just call me Ritsuka." Ritsuka pointed to the menu above while eyeing Riveria's hair—or more accurately, the pointed ears with a strong presence amidst her hair. "Are you an elf?"
Riveria nodded. As a member of the elven royalty, she was indeed of the elf race.
"I am curious about you."
Riveria sat down in a corner. After casually ordering some things, she looked earnestly at the confused Ritsuka.
Ritsuka started making a fresh strawberry cake while placing the fragrant sweet tea and sesame crackers that Riveria had ordered onto her table.
"I'm just an ordinary human. What is there to be curious about for an elf?"
"The elf race, for the most part, has outstanding appearances and possesses extremely high self-esteem... Moreover, all elves have a condition akin to a physiological reaction: they only allow those they acknowledge to touch them."
Riveria said softly. As an elven royal, this condition was perhaps even more severe for her than for ordinary elves.
Yet the girl before her, whom she was meeting for the first time, had directly touched her without being repelled by a reflexive magical counterattack.
There was not a single feeling of repulsion in her heart, which suggested a few things.
"Even if you say that, I don't understand. I've only been in Orario for four days."
Ritsuka touched her nose awkwardly.
Riveria's words had been very clear, and she wasn't an idiot; she couldn't be so dense as not to understand that.
Recalling carefully, she shouldn't have touched anywhere she shouldn't have; it was just an emergency where she had lightly pushed the other person away... Probably.
"I see. So you are an outsider."
Riveria narrowed her beautiful eyes, a glimmer of realization in her emerald gaze.
In Orario, the magical talent of the elf race is recognized as powerful. Basically, as long as they receive the power of a 'favor', they can grow up in a short period, so no one dares to offend them lightly.
There was a reason she hadn't dodged the incoming short blade at that time; the robe she wore had the ability to repel others.
And the most critical point was that the girl named Emiya Ritsuka hadn't triggered the spell on her robe...
Or perhaps it had been triggered, but because there wasn't much power, it was canceled out?
Ritsuka, who possessed the passive defensive Noble Phantasm 'Twelve Labors' and hadn't felt any danger at all, tilted her head in confusion.
She looked blankly at the pondering Riveria, and with a well-behaved expression, placed the strawberry cake in front of her.