Chapter 22. In Danmachi, Starting by Picking Up a Dragon Girl!
The commotion in the forest gradually subsided, leaving only the rustling of leaves and the sobbing of some small creature.
Under a massive ancient tree, Shirou Emiya maintained that cliché but extremely effective "head-pat" pose. In his arms, the silver dragon girl clung tightly to the lapels of his clothes, as if they were the only straw she could grasp while drowning.
"Um... Emiya-sama?"
Lili, standing nearby, finally couldn't help but speak up. Her expression was as complex as someone seeing their pet cat suddenly bring home a wild tiger as a pet.
"How long do you plan on holding her? Although this scene does have a beautiful 'Beauty and the Beast (Reverse Version)' aesthetic, we are still in the Dungeon! If other adventurers see this, your reputation will definitely flip from 'Strongest Rookie' to 'Perverted Dragon-Lover'!"
"Perverted dragon-lover..."
Shirou's lip twitched. The lethality of this title was practically greater than Unlimited Blade Works.
He looked down at the little thing in his arms. Thanks to the high-grade potion, the wounds on her body had already begun to scab over, and her breathing had stabilized. Those golden vertical pupils were looking at him timidly, reflecting his own image within them.
"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Shirou asked softly.
The dragon girl blinked and nodded hesitantly.
"Do you have a name?"
The dragon girl shook her head, letting out a sound like "Wui... wui..."
"Wiene... Wiene?"
Shirou subconsciously repeated the pronunciation. In the memories of a certain parallel world (actually the original plot), this name seemed destined.
"Wiene! Wiene!"
The dragon girl seemed to love the sound. She happily rubbed against Shirou's palm, the dragon wings on her back fluttering slightly as she let out a joyful purr.
[Congratulations Host for obtaining a pet: Dragon Girl Wiene.]
[Rarity: SSR.]
[Skills: Being Cute (Lv. Max), Dragon Breath (Locked).]
While there wasn't actually such a strange system notification in his head, Lili had already read the message "I'm sticking with you" from the dragon girl's sparkling eyes.
"Is the name really decided that casually?!" Lili sighed, facepalming.
"And it looks like she completely views you as her father!"
"I didn't plan on being a father either..."
Shirou gave a wry smile, then took off his leather armor jacket and wrapped it around Wiene. After all, this child's current level of dress was something that would get a warning from an editor in an all-ages light novel.
"Alright, what should we do next?"
Shirou stood up and looked around. Leaving her here was out of the question; those greedy adventurers could return at any moment.
But if he took her back to the surface... a living monster would absolutely cause a massive uproar.
Just then.
"Human."
A raspy, ethereal voice—as if coming from the depths of hell—abruptly rang out behind the two of them.
"Who?!"
Shirou's reaction was startlingly fast. The moment the voice sounded, he had already shielded Wiene behind him. The [Otherworld · Kanshou] formed instantly in his right hand, the tip of the blade pointing directly at the source of the sound.
There was no presence. [Mind's Eye (True)] had completely failed to detect the opponent's approach! This meant the opponent's "concealment" ability, or rather their "form of existence," had already exceeded the scope of conventional creatures.
In the shadows of the trees, a figure wearing tattered black robes slowly emerged. He wore a hood, and his face lacked any flesh—only a pale skeleton mask (actually a skull) remained, with ghostly blue flames burning deep within the eye sockets.
"Waaaaah! Is it an Undead?!" Lili was so scared she hid directly behind Shirou's back.
This look was practically the classic "Lich King" or "Skeletal Archmage" from an RPG; if he didn't show a health bar, he would absolutely be mistaken for a final boss.
"Do not be nervous, foolish... no, strange human."
The skeleton man—Fels—raised his hands (which were nothing but bone) in a non-hostile gesture. "I am not here to fight."
"You can speak?"
Shirou narrowed his eyes, not relaxing his guard.
"Are you a 'Xenos' as well?"
"No, I am a... fool who was once human."
Fels's voice carried a hint of self-deprecation. He slowly floated (or rather, walked) to a spot five meters away from Shirou and stopped, his eyes burning with ghost-fire staring intently at Wiene behind Shirou.
"That child... is our kin. Can you hand her over to me?"
"Kin?"
Wiene poked her head out and looked at the terrifying skeleton. Scared, she shrank her neck back and gripped Shirou's pant leg even tighter.
Clearly, compared to this "kin," she trusted the warm human in front of her more.
"It seems she isn't very willing."
Shirou shrugged, his sword still pointing steadily at Fels.
"Besides, how do I know you don't want to take her away for experiments or to sell her?"
"If I had malice, you would have been dead just now while you were fighting the adventurers."
Fels spoke calmly. This wasn't a threat, but a statement of fact.
As a grand mage who had lived for eight hundred years, though his combat power was a mystery (because he was always blowing up his items), he was more than capable of pulling off an ambush.
"Moreover... human, do you really intend to take her with you?"
Fels's tone became serious.
"She is a monster. In Orario, monsters and humans can never coexist. Taking her back to the surface will only bring destruction to her, and to yourself."
"Coexistence, huh..."
Shirou lowered his sword, but his magic circuits remained on standby.
"I haven't thought that far ahead." He looked at Fels, his amber eyes devoid of any hesitation. "I only know that if I let go now, this child—who can cry, laugh, and call for help—might die.
A so-called 'Ally of Justice' is someone who absolutely will not let go at a time like this."
Fels froze. The ghost-fire in his eye sockets flickered violently.
Eight hundred years. He had seen countless greedy humans and countless crazed monsters.
But a human like this youth, who knew it was a taboo yet could still speak such lines—reminiscent of a "Hero"—was a first for him.
"...What an irredeemable fool."
After a long silence, Fels let out a long sigh.
"Just like I was back then."
He reached out a skeletal hand and gripped the void. A black cloak appeared out of thin air and was tossed toward Shirou.
"This is the 'Hades Mantle.' Although it cannot completely eliminate one's presence, it can hide one's form and mask the magic stone fluctuations unique to monsters."
Shirou caught the cloak, somewhat surprised. "Are you... helping me?"
"No, I simply want to see."
Fels's voice gradually became ethereal, and his body began to merge back into the shadows. "I want to see how long you, this 'fool,' can protect that 'dream' in this cruel world.
If you encounter danger you cannot resolve... go to the 'Great Hollow' on the 20th floor. There, you might find the answers you seek."
With that, the skeleton man's figure vanished completely, like an NPC being forced offline.
"Did... did he leave?"
Lili poked her head out and patted her chest with lingering fear.
"That skeleton... felt so strong and mysterious. Emiya-sama, are we really going to..."
She glanced at Wiene, who was curiously clutching the black cloak.
"Yeah."
Shirou draped the magic-infused cloak over Wiene, wrapping her up tightly until only a pair of golden eyes were visible.
"Let's go. Home."
Shirou picked Wiene up (princess-style).
"Lili, can you still carry the backpack?"
"No problem!" Lili clenched her fist.
"Then it's! Full! Speed! Ahead!!"
Shirou activated [Structural Reinforcement], maxing out his agility once again. He needed to avoid everyone's eyes and ears before nightfall to bring this "bomb" named Wiene back to the Twilight Manor.
"By the way, Emiya-sama." While running, Lili suddenly thought of a very serious problem.
"What is it?"
"Where do you plan to hide her? The Loki Familia forbids keeping monsters! If Lord Loki finds out..."
"Uh..."
Shirou's footsteps faltered. As a man skilled in "acting first and asking for forgiveness later," he truly hadn't figured out how to explain to his own Goddess the fact that "I picked up a daughter and brought her home."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Shirou gave a somewhat stiff smile.
"At worst... I'll cook her another Feast to make amends?"
"I think this time you might have to add a 'Dogeza') to that..." Lili roasted him heartlessly.
The sun set in the west. A red-haired youth carrying a dragon girl, leading a Prum girl, sprinted through the passages of the Dungeon. This journey of "running away with a child," full of déjà vu, was destined to stir up a new storm in Orario.
Of course, before that, he had to figure out how to pass the hurdles of "Ais" and "Loki." That would probably be slightly harder than defeating a Floor Boss.
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