For Haruhime, everything still felt like a dream she might wake up from at any moment.
No damp mold.
No nauseating perfume.
No customers with greedy eyes.
Just clean air… and the steady thock-thock-thock of chopping coming from the kitchen.
"Achoo!"
Wrapped in a thick blanket, Haruhime let out an adorable sneeze. Her golden fox ears trembled—pitifully cute.
Instinctively, she tried to shrink back under the covers.
It was a habit drilled into her under the Ikelos Familia:
reduce your presence as much as possible, so you don't get punished.
"Awake? Here—drink some hot ginger soup."
Shirou walked over with a steaming bowl in his hands. He was wearing his signature apron and a gentle smile.
As a certified "mom-friend protagonist," taking care of the sick (or traumatized) was basically his passive skill—max rank.
"Th-thank you… Lord Emiya…"
Haruhime accepted the bowl with both hands, head lowered, face red as a ripe apple. Her fingers were turning pale from tension.
"Um… should I… should I leave?"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Someone like me… unclean… doesn't deserve to stay in the sacred place of heroes…"
"Unclean?"
Shirou stopped what he was doing, pulled a chair up, and sat across from her.
No disgust in his eyes.
Just calm, clear sincerity.
"Haruhime… why do you think you're unclean?"
"Because… because I stayed in the Pleasure Quarter for so long…"
Tears pooled in her wide eyes.
"Even if… even if nothing truly happened…"
"I was seen by so many men… treated like merchandise…"
Inside that cage called Amethyst House, she'd been force-fed the same message over and over:
"You're a toy."
That psychological conditioning was harder to heal than bruises.
"Listen carefully, Haruhime."
Shirou raised a hand—not touching her, just hovering above her head, like he was passing on something invisible and steady.
"In this world, there is only one thing that is truly unclean."
"That is—malice that tramples on another person's dignity."
"You are the victim."
"You endured hell and still didn't abandon hope. You didn't become like them."
"In my eyes… you're ten thousand times cleaner than those nobles who dress well but rot inside."
"And besides…"
He gestured at the window.
"This is the Loki Familia."
"We've got a goddess who drinks all day, a werewolf who swears like breathing, and Amazons who solve everything by punching it."
"If we're talking 'impurity'… we're basically a disaster zone."
"Pff—!"
Haruhime actually laughed—so hard she almost blew a snot bubble, then panicked and wiped her face.
But the stone crushing her chest…
really did feel lighter.
"Thank you…"
"…Shirou."
This time she didn't call him "Lord Emiya."
It was a closer name.
Breakfast — The Twilight Manor's Living Room
At breakfast, the room was packed with Orario's top-tier lineup:
Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Bete…
A circle of Level 5 and Level 6 monsters sitting around, staring at the trembling little fox like she was a rare beast.
"So this is… the 'Key'?"
Tiona leaned in, eyes sparkling, hand reaching for Haruhime's big fluffy tail.
"Looks so soft! Bet it feels amazing!"
"Stop, idiot Tiona."
Riveria bonked her head with her staff.
"Don't frighten the guest."
"And Bete—take your feet off the table."
"Tch."
Bete clicked his tongue but obeyed, then pointed at Haruhime.
"Hey, fox-girl. I hear you've got 'witch tricks.' Show us."
"And if it's just some sleazy charm spell for seducing men, don't bother."
His words were harsh, but it was his weird, tsundere way of checking whether she had any self-defense value.
Haruhime inhaled.
She understood she had to prove herself.
She didn't want to be a helpless charity case.
And—more than anything—
she wanted to stay here, near that red-haired boy…
even if it was only as a "tool."
"My… my magic is called Uchide no Kozuchi—the 'Lucky Mallet.'"
Haruhime stood.
Her legs were still shaking, but her eyes were unexpectedly firm.
She began to chant—an old, Eastern incantation with a strange rhythm.
"Grow up."
Golden radiance spilled from the borrowed staff in her hands, turning into warm light-rain—
and it fell on the closest target:
Ais.
"W—!"
Ais's body jolted.
Golden aura erupted—mana and physical capability being forcibly lifted, made visible.
"This feeling…"
Ais clenched her fist, and for once those calm golden eyes widened.
"Power… is surging."
"It's like… I crossed a boundary."
"I want to try too."
Finn's eyes sharpened instantly.
He had Haruhime cast it on him.
Moments later, the pallum's thumb began trembling violently—
not danger sense.
Sheer excitement.
"Breaking the limits of the gods' blessing… forcibly raising the 'rank'…"
Finn's voice shook.
"This is… Level Boost?!"
"Yes."
Haruhime sagged, exhausted—chanting drained her mental strength heavily.
"It temporarily raises the target's Level by one."
"There is a time limit…"
"But… it's the only thing I can do."
Silence.
The living room fell into a graveyard stillness.
Then—
an explosion of shouting that could've lifted the roof.
"Level up?! Just like that?!"
Tiona grabbed her head and screamed.
"Then Ais is Level 7 right now?! Finn too?!"
"That's cheating!"
Bete's eyes were huge.
"That's absolutely cheating!"
In Orario, one Level difference is a cliff.
This magic could mass-produce top-tier combat power.
This wasn't just "strong."
This was strategic deterrence—a walking, talking nuclear asset.
"Emiya."
Finn snapped his head toward Shirou, who was quietly cleaning up dishes.
"You really did bring back something unbelievable."
"If enemies got their hands on this child's power…"
"The consequences would be catastrophic."
"As long as we don't send her to fight."
Shirou smiled, walked over, and caught Haruhime as she swayed.
"She's not a tool."
"She's family."
"That, of course."
Riveria's gaze softened.
"Welcome, Haruhime."
"From today onward… nobody will ever hurt you again."
Haruhime leaned into Shirou's chest, staring at these fanged monsters—these terrifying strong people—baring their teeth for her.
Tears slid down again.
But this time—
they were happy tears.
And Then Loki Drops Another Bomb
"Alright, enough wholesome emotions."
Loki suddenly popped out from behind the sofa—because gods doing gods-things—holding a freshly copied parchment, grinning like she'd just won a lottery.
"Haruhime joining is huge, sure—but today there's another BIG announcement!"
She slapped the parchment down on the table.
"Emiya!"
"Are you even human?!"
"Huh?"
Shirou blinked.
"Look for yourself!"
He picked it up.
His latest status update.
Name: Emiya Shirou
Level: 2
Abilities (Before Update):
Strength: SSS (1412)
Endurance: SSS (1558)
Dexterity: SSS (1386)
Agility: SSS (1421)
Magic: SSS (1459)
"…It's maxed?"
Shirou stared at the rows of SSS, stunned.
Level 2 stats—fully capped in just a few days?
"It's not 'science,' but it is magic."
Loki jabbed at the sheet.
"Normally this can't happen."
"But you—what did you do these past days?"
"Solo'd a Level 5."
"Cut down three boss-grade targets in the arena."
"And that last 'nuke'? You forced your 'container' bigger."
She pointed at the Magic number.
"1459."
"Almost breaking the system ceiling."
"That means under extreme load your magic circuits went through a full restructure—rebirth."
"And there's more."
Loki's grin sharpened, eyes turning serious.
"The Guild accepted your feat."
"Even though Dix escaped at the end, the overall judgment is that you won."
Shirou swallowed.
"…So?"
"So, congratulations."
Loki bared her fangs.
"You can level up."
"Level 3."
The room froze again.
Even Finn and Riveria went blank.
Level 1 → 2 took half a month.
Level 2 → 3…
only a few days?!
"Monster…"
Bete muttered, staring at Shirou like reality had betrayed him.
"That's not reasonable."
"Come on, Emiya."
Loki beckoned.
"Everyone's here—so we're doing it on the spot."
"Let's witness Orario's fastest leveling legend!"
Shirou took a deep breath, removed his shirt, exposing a toned back layered with scars—proof of a fighter's life.
Loki bit her finger.
Divine blood fell.
"Rank Up."
VMMMM—!!!
This light was brighter than any before—soul-level metamorphosis.
Shirou felt his circuits roaring with joy.
The flow of mana, once slightly sticky, now surged like a great river.
His vision sharpened—he could almost see the thin magical dust drifting in the air.
[Level Up Complete]
Level: 2 → 3
Development Ability Selection:
A) Mage (already acquired; rank rises to H)
B) Blacksmithing (new at Lv.3: greatly improves forging success and quality; unlocks "magic sword" potential)
C) Abnormal Resistance (new at Lv.3: awakened to counter Dix's poison)
D) Mystery (rare option: boosts "extraordinary" magic effects)
"Four options?!"
Loki yelped.
"Most people get two at most!"
"How greedy ARE you?!"
Shirou thought.
Blacksmithing was core to "Senji Muramasa."
Mystery sounded like a direct amplifier for Unlimited Blade Works and Broken Phantasm-type output.
"Adults don't choose…"
He sighed.
"Sadly, I can only pick one."
"Loki—choose Mystery."
"My magecraft needs it."
"Roger!"
Loki slammed it in.
"Mystery confirmed!"
With the final seep of divine blood into his skin—
Emiya Shirou officially became Level 3.
And even as just a Level 3…
with SSS stacked stats, his real combat performance was already edging into Level 4—maybe even Level 5 territory for normal adventurers.
Add Unlimited Blade Works and Haruhime's Uchide no Kozuchi?
Finn's mental calculator started screaming.
"Lv.3 Emiya + Level Boost…"
"That's Lv.4."
"And with that absurd burst output…"
"Our tactical doctrine needs a rewrite."
Finn looked at Shirou after he dressed, said nothing extravagant—just a small nod.
Trust, fully granted.
"Good work, Emiya."
"Rest properly."
....
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