[Complete] Ch 9 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

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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"I ain't your friend, prum. Now take your peacemaking bullshit and shove it up your arse."

Shirou kept to his corner, arms folded, observing the exchange. He hadn't planned to be here. Originally, he'd come to the Guild to check on the children he'd asked Ryuu to protect during the soup kitchen attack. Somewhere along the line, Gareth had spotted him and extended an invitation. Before Shirou could politely decline, Rose had materialised at his elbow, and he'd found himself receiving the standard dressing-down from the red-haired werewolf.

He shot Gareth a look that communicated exactly how much he appreciated the dwarf revealing the reason for his invitation within earshot of his Guild adviser turned lover.

Gareth, the bastard, just grinned into his beard.

At least Riveria had interrupted before Rose could really get going. His sentence had been stayed for the time being.

'Maybe I should approach this the same way I handled the sulking jagamarukun enthusiast from Loki Familia,' he thought.

Through the stomach.

Riveria's voice filled the chamber, cutting through the tension. "Your obstinate refusal to listen to others reflects poorly on your mistress."

"You want me to tear your wings off, pixie?" Allen growled back.

His eyes shone with murderous rage. Sweat began to dribble down Royman's cheeks. It didn't look like it would be long before the meeting descended into bloodshed.

Only a few members appeared undisturbed by the commotion. Shakti looked serene, like she'd seen it all before. Ottar never showed much emotion to begin with.

"I want to go home," sighed Asfi, watching the farce play out. "We're about to see first blood, and the meeting hasn't even started yet."

Bad blood between Orario's factions, then. Though to be fair, top Familia members had to share limited resources—Dungeon bosses chief among them. Add competition for supremacy, a healthy dose of deity-level pride, and power that could rival Servants—

Shirou could only sigh.

"Loki Familia and Freya Familia have always been at each other's throats," said Kaguya, seated nearby with a feigned smile. "Just sit back and let it play out."

"What, and watch them kill each other?" Asfi's expression bordered on despair. "Why did Hermes and Lydis send me here by myself anyway? Those two are going to get a piece of my mind when I return!"

"Ooh!" Alise leaned in, eyes bright. "I think I see why you and Ryuu get on so well now! Both of you are so hardworking, you don't know how to say no!"

Rose handed Royman some documents whilst the tension continued to escalate, the arguing executives showing no signs of stopping.

"If you know, then why do you keep doing it?!"

Asfi's pent-up frustration boiled over. She exploded in a fit of rage, causing every head to turn—most of them looking as though they hadn't been paying attention to the meeting at all. Gareth, wisely ignoring this distraction, attempted to move things along.

"Much as I hate to agree with Royman," he said, "the blame for that awful attack rests squarely on me. I cannot excuse my failure."

At the old dwarf's grave admission, the room fell solemn. Every eye gathered on him.

"This was a brazen and sudden attack on our city," said Shakti. "There was no way we could have predicted it, and even if we had, there was little we could do to stop it. Especially when we consider the perpetrator was Arachnia herself. Finn and I had been expecting the attack to come in the form of explosives, so we issued orders to be on the lookout for suspicious packages and the like."

"Explosives?" Alise tilted her head. "Oh yeah, that makes sense. Just like what they did in Rivira."

"Yes," Gareth continued. "The Rivira incident answered a lot of questions about why they'd raided those factories."

"Given the raid on Rivira, we thought they'd do the same with the city," Riveria explained. "An explosive device could be easily detonated by anyone. It would be as simple as turning on a magic-stone torch. You can imagine the threat that would pose."

Around the table, heads nodded in comprehension. It explained why Evilus had been attacking and ransacking factories. It also made it easy to see why Shakti had been so concerned—if more bombs had been detonated today, the damage would have been incalculable.

"Unlike magic swords and magic items," said Shakti, "a bomb of this design could be used even by followers of Evilus with no combat ability whatsoever. It all fit together too perfectly, but it seems we missed the mark."

"Or perhaps they're keeping that plan in their back pocket," Riveria suggested with a sigh.

Kaguya, who had been quietly listening, spoke next. "I see. I believe I understand now. However, I would have preferred you shared this with us sooner."

Her condemning tone was barely hidden. Finn, who had concocted this hypothesis a few days prior, laid all his cards on the table.

"Half of that is that it was only a hunch," he said. "The other half is that we didn't want to make security too tight, or it would tip off the enemy."

It was common knowledge by now that Valletta's and Vito's attack on the soup kitchen had been a mere diversion—and that Finn had predicted and forestalled the true attack elsewhere in the city. However, Kaguya's disdain remained palpable, even behind her polite veneer.

"So in your mind," she said, "this terrible tragedy was all part of the plan? All those women and children nothing more than beads on your abacus to be tallied and weighed?"

"I didn't predict just how devastating the attack would be." Finn's voice carried genuine regret. "But I suppose we're well beyond excuses now. Still, we scored a decisive blow against Evilus. Make no mistake about that."

"Man, what would we do without heroes like you?" Allen's sarcasm dripped like venom.

"You're right," said Finn. "Ideally, we wouldn't have to make these decisions. We need to find an answer that gets us out of this mess, but I can't."

He cast his eyes downward. Kaguya, Allen, and the other adventurers who had doubted his decision found they could say nothing in response to his contemplative silence. Even Royman's constant bluster was nowhere to be heard. A hush fell over the room as everyone considered what a dire predicament they were in.

Heroes.

Shirou couldn't help it. A snort escaped him.

Allen Fromel—the cat person who apparently served as second-in-command of the Freya Familia—rounded on him instantly.

Aside from Heith, Shirou hadn't really interacted with anyone from the Familia considered strongest in Orario. Though Rose had mentioned inquiries about him from their ranks. Probably Heith's doing.

"And what do you even have to contribute here, small fry?!" Allen's ears swivelled fully towards Shirou. "What's a nobody like this one doing here anyway?"

Shirou raised an eyebrow at the question, which only made the cat person bristle further at his dismissal.

"Shirou Emiya—I invited him," Gareth declared. "He held off Vito during the attack. If it wasn't for him, there'd have been even more casualties whilst I was preoccupied with Valletta."

Shirou nodded and turned to face the prum in question, ignoring Allen entirely.

He could sympathise with both positions. That was its own kind of curse.

The old Shirou—the boy who'd stumbled into the Fifth Holy Grail War with nothing but borrowed ideals and a death wish dressed up as heroism—would have sided with Kaguya without a heartbeat's hesitation. Would have condemned Finn's arithmetic as callousness wearing a commander's face. People weren't numbers. Every life saved mattered. Every life spent was a failure. Full stop.

That Shirou had died somewhere between the hundredth loop and the thousandth impossible choice.

Finn wasn't wrong. Neither was Kaguya. That was the hell of it. The only people who believed there was a clean answer were the ones who'd never had to give one.

"Don't you fucking ignore me—"

A large hand settled on Allen's shoulder. Ottar. The cat person clicked his tongue but subsided.

Shirou continued as if the interruption hadn't occurred. "I'd assume people were tasked to locate any hidden bombs?"

"Yes—but our initial investigation didn't bear fruit." Finn leaned forward slightly. "We even searched the canal system. It looks like they haven't set up their grand plan yet, and we have time. As long as we stay vigilant."

"That, or because you kept this secret, you couldn't cover enough ground. There were several explosions today."

"All right, all right, enough of this!" A bright, sunny voice cut through the tension, completely lacking in tact. "All this gloomy talk is making me want to stress-eat!"

It was the captain of Astraea Familia, standing from her seat.

"Why are you always like this, Alise Lovell?" Asfi sighed. "Can't you see we're trying to be serious here?"

"But it's true! Everyone here is doing their best to protect Orario. Why do we have to sit around pointing fingers?"

Eyes shot wide open around the table. Allen, Kaguya, Riveria, Finn. Even Shakti and the other adventurers watched with the same look of shock.

"Learn from your mistakes, and give people credit when they get things right! That's how you talk things through! Even kids know that much, right?"

Her proclamation silenced the table. Several seconds passed until, at last, a boisterous laugh rang out.

Shirou's mind drifted to the beginning of the Holy Grail War. His idealism back then had been different from the bright optimism Alise displayed—his had been fatalistic. A conviction that he should sacrifice himself, not because the world was worth saving, but because saving it was simply what he did.

At least he wasn't like his Counter Guardian counterpart. Though to be fair, whatever mutated mess his psyche had become after Chaldea—after divine spirits, heroes, villains, after watching every possible version of humanity's end and fighting to prevent it—

Shirou shivered and shook his head.

'That's hell you're walking towards,' EMIYA had said.

He'd been right. Just not in the way either of them had expected.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Gareth's laugh boomed through the chamber. "You certainly aren't afraid to tell us what's on your mind, missy! And yet, you're absolutely right!"

"Tch. Self-righteous brat," Allen muttered.

"If you have an objection, let's hear it," said Riveria with a smile. "That self-righteous brat just offered the most sensible suggestion we've heard all day."

Alise's voice was like a ray of sunlight breathing new life into the barren discussion.

"Look at that!" She puffed out her chest. "My beautiful pearls of wisdom just stunned all these first-tier adventurers into complete silence! Ahem! I'm so great!"

"Please don't push it, Captain," said Kaguya with a despondent frown. "You were doing so well, too..."

Finn looked across the table at the two girls and cracked a gentle smile.

"Heh. Well, unfortunately, I haven't any good news to share, but perhaps I can point us in the right direction. One priority shall be patrols with subtle investigations into whether they've started planting bombs around the city." He paused. "But before that, let's start by going over the reports from Shakti's crackdown on the black market the other day..."

Finn took the lead as each Familia reported what they'd learned about Evilus. The meeting covered information from a wide variety of sources—Orario itself, the depths of the Dungeon, even towns and cities farther afield. The participants listened to reports, then discussed and debated the implications. Meticulous, time-consuming work, but nobody complained. They all realised that knowledge was their most potent weapon right now. Only by leaving no stone unturned could they protect their own lives, as well as those of their Familias. Everyone shared their opinions and wanted to hear what others thought.

Shirou sat in his corner, ignoring every annoyed look Allen shot his way.

"I suppose that covers everything up until today," said Finn, after the minute hand of the large clock had completed three full revolutions. "Is there anything else anyone wanted to bring up?"

Rose coughed into her hand and tapped her finger on the document in front of Royman.

"Ah, yes. We've had reports of cloaked individuals burying things in the Dungeon." Royman wiped his sweating temple.

Shirou gave a subtle shake of his head at Rose, but the werewolf only returned a resigned sigh as copies of his report from weeks ago were distributed to everyone present.

"Oh—it appears Mr Emiya here submitted this report."

Every eye turned to Shirou.

"I usually delve into the Dungeon in the early mornings, because I open my stall around the morning adventurer rush," Shirou explained. "I've observed several cloaked individuals burying things around the mid floors and near Amphisbaena."

His head throbbed with phantom pain from the lecture Rose had given him when he'd first reported it.

"You delve as far as Amphisbaena's lair?" Shakti asked.

Shirou shrugged. "It was just once. I wanted to take a peek. Something to look forward to when I level up."

Shakti, Ardee, and Rose fixed him with identical deadpan stares. They knew he was talking nonsense.

Kaguya raised an eyebrow whilst Alise gave him a quizzical look.

"Who exactly is your deity?" Allen demanded, slamming his palm on the table.

"Ah, my goddess prefers to remain anonymous," Shirou said.

More deadpan stares. More raised eyebrows. Alise's quizzical expression deepened.

He was sticking to that story.

"And did the Guild discover what they buried? Were they explosives?" Finn asked.

Royman flipped through the report, everyone else doing the same. "According to the adventurers we tasked to investigate, they only found empty boxes."

"Did the cloaked figures see you, lad?" Gareth asked Shirou. "Maybe that's why they removed whatever was inside."

"I don't think so. I was at the higher levels, looking down towards the boss's lair. The boss had been recently defeated at that time."

"Yes, and if they were going to remove what they'd buried, why leave the boxes?" Alise asked.

Finn leaned forward, both elbows on the table, hands clasped and covering his mouth.

"What if it was a test? Or rather, what if it was an experiment?"

At everyone's questioning stare, the prum continued. "What if they were testing whether the Dungeon would do anything with the buried boxes?"

Alise looked back and forth between everyone, confused.

"They were checking if the Dungeon would absorb or destroy the foreign object," Kaguya explained to her captain.

Alise's face lit up with understanding, then scrunched, then returned to confusion.

"I'll explain it to you later."

"Right. We should ask some of the other Familias to investigate those areas again," Finn said. "Because if they've actually managed to plant bombs where the bosses spawn, Orario could lose a significant portion of its powerhouses—Familias challenging Amphisbaena or Goliath, killed by explosives mid-fight."

Royman turned to Rose, who nodded and addressed the room.

"Shall I post a Guild quest for this?"

"Perhaps hire those from Rivira," Finn suggested. "They can be escorted by the Familia scheduled to challenge the boss."

"Who's next on the schedule?" Riveria asked.

"The Vidar Familia, in two weeks," Rose explained.

Finn surveyed the table. "Again, before we conclude—is there anything else anyone wanted to bring up?"

At that point, Ottar, who had remained largely silent throughout the entire proceedings, finally opened his mouth.

"Evilus has at least one powerful warrior on their side. A true-born fighter, from what I can tell."

"Ah, the person who tore a hole through that adamantite wall," said Alise. "Nobody's run into anyone like that, have they?"

Alise didn't seem even slightly intimidated by conversing with the most powerful adventurer in the city. It was Allen, who had also seen the hole himself, who answered her.

"Still, there's gotta be someone. No one we know coulda done it, not even Evilus's top brass."

"Hmm. I know we don't have a lot to work with," said Finn, "but Ottar, how would you estimate this individual's combat ability?"

Ottar dropped his voice even lower than usual. "Level Six. No lower."

The entire conference room began to buzz.

"What?!" Asfi couldn't conceal her surprise. "That's the same as the Warlord himself!"

Level 6 was a lofty feat indeed. So lofty that Ottar was the only adventurer currently in all of Orario known to have attained it. The idea that Evilus might have a warrior of his calibre on their side was almost too distressing to consider.

"We also ran into a mysterious foe whilst securing the black market storehouse," Shakti added, as if one earth-shattering revelation hadn't been enough. "A woman of unknown origin. A mage, or perhaps a magic swordswoman. She didn't target us directly, but she defeated a force of around thirty trained warriors, including me."

"She fought off Ganesha Familia by herself?" Riveria furrowed her brow. "I've never even heard of a mage that strong..."

"It wouldn't be the first time a powerful adventurer went unannounced," said Gareth. "We suspect that years ago, Osiris Familia had access to multiple first-tier adventurers they never told anybody about."

Back when Zeus and Hera were around, many other Familias had vied with them for supremacy. Among them were those who harboured Level 6, or even Level 7, captains without reporting it to the Guild. All had fought to be the best, but in the end, Zeus and Hera came out on top.

At least, that was what Shirou had gathered since arriving here. Rose had been helpful with that, even if she hadn't yet joined the Guild during Zeus and Hera Familia's reign.

The other gods and goddesses, their Familias gutted, had often had no choice but to leave Orario entirely. Some stayed behind. Sebek Familia was one such example, though by now it was a mere shadow of its former self.

For this reason, it was hard to dismiss the possibility of a secret Level 6.

"Well, I can't speak to the allegiances of the mage," said Finn, "but it seems clear to me that this Level Six is on Evilus's side. We all ought to stick together for the time being. Nobody wants to run into them alone."

"Having to face someone a level higher than you is a pain," Alise complained.

Shirou tried very hard to look inconspicuous. Riveria, Finn, and Gareth glanced at him in his peripheral vision. At least nobody seemed to think the topic of a man fighting someone two levels above him was important right now.

Everyone's faces grew grave. The room fell silent. After an adequate pause, Finn continued.

"Now then, on to the last business of the day—and perhaps the most important." What he was about to bring up would make the entire three-hour meeting look like a child's tea party. "We've received word from Hermes Familia. They've managed to locate several new Evilus bases."

Alise's and Kaguya's eyes went wide, as did those of every other adventurer in the room. Asfi stood and delivered her report, collated from information brought back by Hermes Familia's scouting parties over the past few weeks.

"There seem to be three in total," she said. "All previously abandoned facilities, and quite large compared to those we've seen in the past. We don't know anything about what happens inside, but judging by the number of lookouts, it must be something quite important. These could even comprise Evilus's main base of operations."

"Based on these reports," said Finn, taking over, "the Guild has also voiced its opinion that these are important Evilus facilities. They've recommended we try to strike all three at—"

"Astraea Familia will take one!" Alise leapt to her feet so fast she startled Asfi beside her.

"I haven't said anything yet," Finn said, wearing a defeated smile.

"You're going to ask for volunteers to carry out the attack, aren't you? Of course you're going to pick Freya and Loki Familias, but you'll need one more! Well, I nominate us! We're the fastest Familia around!"

Alise placed one hand on the table and leaned forward, almost as though she wanted to crawl across it and shout her answer in Finn's face. Shakti looked at this girl—a girl who showed no fear, who knew when bravery crossed into recklessness, who more than anyone else expressed a heartfelt desire to do the right thing—and opened her mouth.

"Finn. I propose the Ganesha and Astraea Familias join forces. That should make up the numbers."

"Understood," Finn answered. "Then, as you say, we of Loki Familia shall make up the second group, and... Ottar, can we count on you for this?"

"Very well," the boaz man responded with a nod.

"The Dionysus Familia, perhaps alongside other Familias, could help ease the burden with patrolling the streets and checking for bombs," Rienne suggested.

"That would be very helpful," Shakti said, facing the elven captain before turning towards the Guild representatives. "Perhaps ask Goibniu Familia and the other Familias involved with carpentry and masonry to assist as well. They're more familiar with their own work. Prioritise key locations first—establishments that would cripple Orario if they were suddenly targeted, like potion shops."

Finn nodded. "Before we end—is there anything else?"

"How about Shirou?" It was Alise who asked, a slight blush colouring her cheeks.

Shirou stopped himself from groaning. Rose did it for him from across the room.

Riveria and Rienne were both about to speak, but Shakti beat them to it.

"We and the Astraea Familia are already familiar with Shirou. He'll probably synergise better with us."

"But—" Shirou tried to protest.

The Astraea Familia representatives, Ardee, and even Asfi suddenly couldn't meet his eye.

Shakti raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure your goddess wouldn't mind. Right?"

Shirou noted the word she'd emphasised and wisely shut up, nodding.

'To be fair, it's better than being interrogated by the Loki Familia. Though patrolling with the Dionysus Familia would have been far preferable.'

Now that it was clear Orario's two main forces would be taking part in the operation, morale around the table began to rise. Kaguya narrowed her eyes and spoke.

"I'm terribly sorry to interrupt the good cheer, but are we not considering the possibility that this is all a trap?"

Finn's answer was immediate, as though he'd already factored it in. "We must take that into consideration and not spread our forces too thinly. For that, we will need the cooperation of other strong Familias: Hephaestus, Ishtar, and Apollo, to name a few. Royman, can you handle this?"

"Well, if Orario's safety hangs in the balance, I'll bleeding well have to, won't I?"

Finn turned to Asfi. "Post your scouts all over the city. If they witness anything out of the ordinary, I would very much like to hear it."

"Yes," she replied. "I'll get the whole Familia on it."

A bristling energy filled the room—unlike the previous silences. Direction and purpose.

"Now, as I'm sure you've surmised, this will be a search-and-destroy operation," Finn stated. "Now that we know where these bases are, we cannot leave them be. We must take the initiative and wipe them out."

His sea-blue eyes surveyed each participant around the table in turn.

"The operation will begin three days from now."

In their laps, beneath the table, people tightened their fists.

"This operation requires the utmost secrecy," he went on. "We cannot allow our enemy to figure out what we're up to. It could be a matter of life and death."

"Just leave it to me! They won't know what hit 'em!"

It hardly needed saying who that sunny voice belonged to. Several others got caught up in Alise's infectious enthusiasm, but Finn's face remained serious.

"In that case, meeting adjourned."

However, that wasn't the end of the story.

Shirou had a bad feeling about this.

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End

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