[1/3] Ch 9.1 Is it Wrong for a Sword to Remain Sheathed Against Injustice? (Patreon)

Is it Wrong for a Sword to Remain 

Sheathed Against Injustice?

Story Starts

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Chapter 9.1

One Sunny Day

On Northwest Main Street, the road known as Adventurers Way, stood an impressive building. Grand columns rose towards a domed ceiling in deliberate imitation of the Pantheon, and most residents of Orario considered it one of the city centre's primary landmarks.

This was the headquarters of the Labyrinth City's top administrative authority, the Guild. Several of Orario's most capable adventurers had gathered there, in a chamber large enough to house hundreds.

Riveria surveyed the room. Finn stood to her left, arms crossed, his expression carefully neutral. Gareth anchored her right, one hand resting on the butt of his axe, his presence solid and reassuring. The three of them represented Loki Familia today—their goddess had declined to attend, citing "boring meetings" and "that stuffy elf's face" as sufficient reason to remain at home.

Shakti and Ardee from Ganesha Familia occupied the far corner, the elder sister's posture rigid whilst Ardee's eyes swept the room with professional alertness. Alise and Kaguya from Astraea Familia stood near the centre, Alise bouncing slightly on her heels whilst Kaguya maintained her usual elegant stillness. Rienne and Maren from Dionysus Familia had claimed positions near the windows, their elven features catching the afternoon light. The representatives from Freya Familia had not yet arrived, though Riveria expected Ottar and Allen would appear shortly.

It was a veritable assembly of Orario's finest.

"—!"

"You faced a Level 4 by yourself!"

"I'm sorry! I had no choice—there were children involved."

Riveria felt it before she heard the voice. That particular sensation, like standing at the edge of the Alf's Royal Forest, silver blossoms on the wind and the whisper of spirits through ancient boughs.

"Argh!!"

"Now, now, Rose—it's pointless arguing about things that already happened. Let's just set another date and drain him dry as punishment later."

Riveria turned towards the commotion near the door.

The red-haired adventurer stood there, one arm raised defensively whilst a werewolf woman—Rose Fannet, if Riveria recalled correctly—jabbed a finger at his chest. An elf with silver hair stood beside them, her expression caught between amusement and exasperation.

Everyone in the chamber had turned to observe the disturbance. Riveria noted, with some curiosity, that Alise and Kaguya had both gone distinctly pink. Young Ardee Varma's cheeks held a similar flush, and she appeared to be studying the ceiling with sudden and intense fascination.

"Sophie, don't say that out loud," Rose hissed.

"Oh, I invited him—you must be wondering who that is?" Gareth said from Riveria's side.

From her peripheral vision, she caught Finn turning to Gareth with interest.

But before the dwarf could answer, Riveria spoke. "Shirou Emiya. I told both of you and Loki about him after the Rivira incident."

"The archer?" Finn asked.

Riveria nodded, watching as the famously stoic Guild adviser continued berating the redhead whilst Sophie attempted to mediate.

"Hmmm." Gareth stroked his beard, elbow propped against his axe. "Didn't you say he was Level 2?" A pause. "Huh. That makes a lot more sense."

Both Riveria and Finn turned to him.

"What makes a lot more sense?" Finn asked.

"Well, he did seem a fair bit slower than I'd expect from someone who could match Vito blow for blow. And he worked to divert every one of Vito's attacks—when locking blades in certain exchanges would have served him far better, given his dual-wielding style."

"He faced Vito?" Riveria asked.

"The Level 4 who attacked Rivira?" Finn's tone sharpened.

"The very same." Gareth nodded. "He held his own. Was already engaged with the man by the time I squared up against Valletta Grede. Maybe earlier."

Riveria considered this. "He did mention he was familiar with the sword. But to contend with someone two levels above him..."

"And with bow skills that earned Riveria's praise," Finn added. "That is certainly something."

Riveria stepped towards the bickering trio.

"Oh, Lady Riveria." Shirou acknowledged her as she approached, his posture shifting to something more formal.

The two Guild staff immediately ceased their argument and turned.

"Lady Riveria," they acknowledged in unison. Then, belatedly: "Braver. Elgarm."

"I thank you for accommodating our ward," Riveria said.

Shirou's expression flickered—a subtle thing, barely perceptible, but Riveria caught it nonetheless. A look that suggested he understood precisely the sort of frustrating hardship she endured with Ais. The look of a man who had weathered similar trials and emerged with his sanity mostly intact.

He had not come the day after the duel—Sophie had sent a letter explaining that Shirou was indisposed—but two days later, he had prepared quite the spread for Ais. An indulgent affair: jagamarukun stuffed with various fillings, served with an array of dipping sauces.

Ais had become particularly obsessed with the one stuffed with minced meat, paired with a curry dipping sauce.

Unfortunately, the one she truly favoured was extraordinarily spicy. The heat was cumulative, building with each bite, and by the end Shirou had been forced to cut her off. Ais had sat there sweating, sniffling, teary-eyed, and drooling from the accumulated burn.

Riveria's own eyes had watered merely from the smell of that particular sauce. Ais had requested eight orders of the thing.

"I do hope she was all right," Shirou said. "I apologise for not cutting her off earlier."

"HAHAHAHA!" Gareth's laugh boomed through the chamber. "So you were the culprit! Yesterday and today are the only times Ais hasn't gone to the Dungeon in months."

"Well, I do hope she is—" Shirou's reply cut short as Allen Fromel shouldered past him, hands shoved in his pockets.

Ottar, tall and imposing as ever, followed behind. The Warlord steadied Shirou with a hand on his shoulder, gave the redhead a brief nod, then continued past without breaking stride.

Shirou watched them go, his expression unreadable.

With all representatives present, the doors closed. The murmur of conversation faded as attention turned to the front of the chamber.

"Representatives of all Familias are here, I see. We are ready to begin our regular meeting to discuss measures in the face of the threat posed by Evilus..."

The man who addressed the congregation was a rather portly elf by the name of Royman Mardeel. He opened proceedings in a calm, measured tone, his hands clasped before him.

"...But before that—" His eyes flared wide. "How do you intend to explain the state of our fair city? I've forgotten the last time we went any amount of time without seeing some kind of attack, not to mention that despicable business on North Main Street just the other day!"

Evilus's activities had ramped up considerably in recent days. They had started as arson attempts on factories—horrible, certainly, but resulting in minimal civilian casualties. The soup kitchen massacre and the assault on Rivira were different. The beginning of a much nastier trend.

As one of Orario's highest authorities, these constant attacks caused Royman considerable embarrassment. His generous frame quivered as he gave everyone present a thorough dressing-down, jowls wobbling with each emphatic gesture.

"Well, maybe if you let us go after the bastards instead of orderin' us on expeditions like it's a damn picnic, we could actually do something about it, you fat pig!"

Allen's voice cut through the chamber, sharp with fury. "You got us tryin' to balance clearing the Dungeon with runnin' all over town lookin' for those arseholes! Is your head full of swill or somethin'?!"

"B-but you don't understand!" Royman protested, holding his ground rather better than his quivering jowls suggested he might. "Without Zeus and Hera, we must make efforts to maintain our legitimacy, or else order could collapse and give rise to a second Evilus! That's why it is vital we break new ground in the Dungeon and demonstrate our strength on the world stage!"

"Just admit that all you care about is keepin' your greasy backside glued to that seat," Allen spat back.

As Royman cowered, Finn stepped forward.

"Bickering will get us nowhere, my friend," he said to Allen, his voice calm but carrying. "We came here to end fights, not start them."

Riveria observed the exchange without comment. Allen's frustration was understandable—they were all stretched thin, responding to attacks whilst maintaining their Dungeon responsibilities. But antagonising the Guild's administration would accomplish nothing.

Her gaze drifted back to where Shirou Emiya stood near the chamber's edge, positioned between Rose and Sophie. He watched the proceedings with an expression she couldn't quite read.

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To be continued…

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