At night, Orario was paradise for normal adventurers.
It was the time to brag in taverns, burn money in the Pleasure Quarter, and vent all the stress that had piled up in the Dungeon.
But for Emiya Shirou, tonight wasn't relaxation—
It was the beginning of a mission titled:
"Mission Impossible."
A Hero of Justice always ends up getting dragged into things like this.
…No, wait.
Ever since he'd started "high-jumping" and somehow capturing a whole lineup of girls, he'd basically developed the constitution of a walking plot-trigger.
"Emiya-sama… my heart is pounding."
Lili gripped her backpack straps, pale-faced.
"Even with that invisibility cloak the skeleton gave us… can we really fool the guards? Those are Loki Familia elite guards!"
"Relax. Just don't make any noise."
Shirou pulled his hood low. In his arms was Wiene, bundled into a tight little lump under the black mantle.
Under the effects of Fels' Hades Mantle, Wiene's form and presence were completely erased. Unless someone physically touched her, they wouldn't even realize there was a living being there.
Shirou couldn't help thinking:
We're basically Schrödinger's infiltrators. If no one observes us, we're invincible.
"Steel is my body… (Silent Mode)."
Just in case, Shirou even cast a modified reinforcement spell on himself and Lili—eliminating footfalls and friction sounds.
Two ghosts slipped through the lively streets and reached the far end of the Northwest district.
A tall spire pierced the night sky—
Twilight Manor, Loki Familia's headquarters, and one of the most heavily guarded locations in all of Orario.
"The front gate is impossible. Finn has a barrier set up there."
Using the terrain he'd memorized over the last half month, Shirou guided Lili around to a back alley.
"We use the kitchen delivery route. At this hour, the cooks should already be asleep."
"Understood!" Lili swallowed hard.
They climbed the wall quietly.
Shirou cleared it with one hand while holding Wiene in the other—and casually lifted Lili over too.
They landed on the backyard lawn.
Everything was going perfectly.
No alarms. No patrols.
It was as if the Goddess of Luck herself was backing this idiot hero trying to bring a dragon girl home.
And then—right as Shirou reached for the kitchen back door—
"Slurp…"
A wildly ill-timed sound of someone sucking in drool came from the darkness.
Shirou froze.
Mind's Eye (True) went full feral—internal sirens screaming at maximum volume.
"Smells good…"
A lazy, hoarse voice followed—teasing enough to make your spine go cold.
"That scent… Dungeon soil… and… a 'beast smell' I've never encountered before?"
In the darkness, a pair of blood-red slit pupils slowly opened.
Sitting cross-legged on the steps by the kitchen door, holding a jug of divine liquor, smiling as if she'd been waiting for this—
Was Loki.
She looked directly at a patch of "air" in front of her.
"Evening, Emiya. And little Lili."
Loki shook the jug lightly.
"Out this late? And… you brought back a 'local specialty'?"
We're done.
The flag got recovered at a speed that should be illegal.
Lili immediately hid behind Shirou, shaking.
Under the gaze of a god—eyes that felt like they could peel your soul open—
Any kind of disguise felt pathetic.
Shirou exhaled and dropped the silence spell.
If they were already caught, there was only one move left:
front-facing hard talk (read: shameless bullshitting).
"Evening, Loki," he said, keeping his voice casual. "What are you doing here? Hungry?"
"Yeah. Starving."
Loki licked her lips, but her gaze stayed locked on the invisible lump in Shirou's arms.
"I came to the kitchen to steal food… and then I smelled something interesting. Emiya, you're not going to introduce your 'new friend'?"
That look wasn't the look of someone staring at an enemy.
It was the look of someone watching a magician about to have his trick exposed.
God-level intuition could be scarier than any detection skill.
Shirou fell silent for two seconds, weighing the options.
Lie?
To Loki—the literal embodiment of deception?
He'd be exposed instantly.
Tell the truth?
The "truth" was: Xenos. Monster. Taboo.
"Ku… u…"
Wiene, sensing the overwhelming divine aura, let out a tiny whimper from inside his arms.
Loki's eyebrow lifted.
"Oh? It's afraid? That's not normal monster behavior."
Shirou inhaled.
Decision made.
"Loki. Let's make a deal."
"A deal?" Loki perked up. "Let's hear it."
"I'll make you a 'premium midnight meal' you've never eaten before," Shirou said, holding up three fingers, deadly serious.
"I'll even grant three cooking requests."
"As payment…"
"Tonight, you saw nothing. You smelled nothing."
Loki rubbed her chin, eyes sparkling.
"Oh? That's it? Do you think your goddess is the kind of god who can be bought with food?"
"…Plus a bottle of top-tier Soma Familia divine wine."
(Conveniently "borrowed" from Zanis.)
"DEAL!"
Loki sprang up so fast it looked like teleportation.
"Quick, quick, come inside! It's windy out here—don't let the kid catch cold!"
Lili: "..."
So this is the dignity of a god. It's… alarmingly affordable.
Kitchen — Lights On
Wiene's invisibility cloak came off.
Silver hair. Dragon wings. Dragon tail. And those pure golden eyes—still scared, but unmistakably intelligent.
"Hoh…"
Loki leaned in to inspect her—then even pinched Wiene's cheeks. (Wiene nearly cried, until Shirou calmed her down.)
"So this is a Xenos…? The Guild's been hiding this like some dirty secret, and you just picked one up."
Loki clicked her tongue, fascinated.
"This structure… it's fully sapient. Besides looking like a dragon, she's basically not that different from a human."
As an ancient god, Loki's tolerance for "the abnormal" was terrifyingly high.
If something was interesting, "taboo" was just a flavor label.
"Y-you're not going to kill her…?" Lili asked carefully.
"Kill? Why would I kill her?" Loki rolled her eyes.
"She's a cute little baby. What a waste."
"And if I did try, Emiya here would probably defect on the spot, wouldn't he?"
She glanced at Shirou—busy at the stove, but his entire body coiled like a bowstring.
If Loki showed even a sliver of killing intent, that red magic sword would be out in an instant.
"Tch. Such a protective idiot," Loki muttered.
Then she casually handed Wiene a cookie.
"Here, kid. Yeah, you're a monster—but if you've stepped into my house, then as long as you don't cause trouble…"
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
"Th… thank you…" Wiene said softly, taking the cookie.
Loki's eyes widened.
"She can talk?! Hah—this is fun! If Finn sees this, his thumb's going to shake itself off."
"Please keep it secret from Captain Finn," Shirou said as he approached with a massive clay pot. "At least for now."
"Smells amazing!"
Loki's attention snapped to the pot instantly.
The lid lifted.
No literal golden light burst out… but the aroma flooded the entire kitchen in one hit.
Herbs from the Great Tree Labyrinth. High-grade monster meat. Shirou's custom sauce.
Today's Emiya Meal.
"This is a special nutrition meal for Wiene. And you get a share too."
Shirou filled Loki a huge bowl.
"Your hush money."
"Mm—! Delicious!"
Loki ate immediately, eyes glazing in bliss.
"This meat texture! This broth! Emiya, you're a god-tier chef trapped in an adventurer's body!"
"For this meal, forget one dragon girl—if you bring a Minotaur home next time, I'll still pretend I didn't see it!"
Shirou finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
The process had been life-threateningly stupid.
But the outcome was good.
With Loki's tacit approval, Wiene's safety inside the Familia had a temporary foundation.
"Here, Wiene. You eat too."
Shirou served her a bowl, carefully blowing it cool.
"Careful—it's hot."
"Mm!"
Wiene ate like she was imitating Loki.
"Tasty! Shirou's food—tasty!"
Watching a god and a dragon girl fighting over meat at the same table…
Lili covered her face.
"What even is this timeline…?"
"Loki Familia's vibe has officially gone off the rails."
Late Night — After the Feast
Full and satisfied, Loki went back to sleep.
(And of course, she "confiscated" the divine wine on her way out.)
Shirou brought Wiene into a hidden room in the underground storage.
It used to be a dump for broken equipment—
But after Shirou's Projection remodeling, it had become a warm little bedroom.
"For tonight, you'll have to stay here," Shirou said, laying out bedding.
"Once things calm down, we'll figure out the next steps."
"It's okay."
Wiene hugged the pillow Shirou gave her, smiling with innocent happiness.
"As long as I'm with Shirou… anywhere is fine."
"…Get some sleep."
Shirou patted her head and extinguished the magic-stone lamp.
He stepped out and closed the door behind him.
In the dark hallway, he leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.
"What? Already tired?" Lili stood nearby, arms crossed, teasing.
"Raising a kid is harder than killing monsters, right?"
"Yeah," Shirou said with a bitter smile, but his eyes deepened.
"But it feels like… this is only the beginning."
Xenos. The Evilus remnants. The artificial labyrinth…
And that mysterious Fels…
The storm wasn't coming.
It had already started.
....
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