Chapter 59. Orario of the Dark Age! The Justice of "Astraea"?
The Dark Age of Orario was an era where even the air tasted of rust. Here, living was a luxury, and "delicious food" was a myth.
The backyard of the abandoned church.
BOOM!
Shirou Emiya was once again slammed into the wall by an invisible wind blade, forming a perfect "star" shape. How many times had this been? The tenth? The twentieth?
"Too slow." Alfia stood where she was, not even a hem of her dress fluttering. She looked at the struggling Shirou, her heterochromatic eyes filled with "boredom." "Your magecraft is interesting, but your reactions are too sluggish. If it were Zard, that gluttonous maniac, you would have been chewed up and swallowed by now."
"Cough... thanks for the... coaching..." Shirou wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, feeling every bone in his body protest. Although she wasn't dealing lethal blows (likely using only Lv. 1 levels of mana output), her absolute control over the flow of mana was a "dimensional strike" in itself.
"I'm done." Alfia suddenly withdrew her hand and turned toward the church interior.
"Boring. And... I'm hungry."
"Hungry?" Shirou blinked. Looking at that solitary, proud back, he suddenly remembered something. In the original lore, although Alfia was absurdly strong, she suffered from an incurable terminal illness (Genos Angelos). This sickness made her extremely frail, making even eating a form of torture.
"Um... if you don't mind." Shirou spoke up, almost as if possessed. "Would you like... to try my cooking?"
Alfia stopped in her tracks. She turned back, looking at Shirou with an expression one might reserve for an alien lifeform.
"You can cook? In this wasteland where even clean water is hard to find?"
"I'm a blacksmith, but I'm also a chef." Shirou gave a confident smile, despite the bruises on his face.
"As long as there are ingredients, I can create miracles. This is also... part of 'Unlimited'."
-
-
-
Half an hour later, a warm bonfire rose in the hall of the abandoned church.
A broken iron pot (repaired via Shirou's [Reinforcement]) sat over the fire, bubbling with steam. A scent—a long-lost aroma of "life" in this era of blood—drifted through the air.
"This is... a hodgepodge porridge?" Alfia sat on a worn bench, staring at the steaming bowl of food in her hands. The ingredients were simple: the leftover apple, a few pieces of dried jerky, and some wild greens found in the backyard. But in Shirou Emiya's hands, these barely edible items had undergone a magical chemical reaction.
"Please, help yourself." Shirou handed her a wooden spoon he had carved on the spot. "For someone whose health isn't great, something easy to digest like this is best."
Alfia remained silent for a moment. She scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.
"..."
There were no special effects of golden light, nor any exaggerated reactions of clothes bursting. But her heterochromatic eyes, usually cold as frost, trembled slightly.
It was warm. Not just her stomach, but even her soul—long since frozen by despair—seemed to feel a long-lost warmth.
"...Not bad." This was the highest praise the strongest mage could give. Then, she increased her eating speed.
"Glad it's to your taste." Shirou sat opposite her, gnawing on the remaining jerky, feeling a sense of relief. As expected, no matter the world, [Emiya's Food] was an EX-rank Noble Phantasm capable of conquering anything.
"You... are very strange." After finishing the porridge, Alfia set down the bowl and elegantly wiped her mouth.
"You possess that strange power, yet you're content to be a cook here. And... your eyes don't look like those of someone struggling in this hell."
"Maybe." Shirou looked at the fire. "I just think that no matter what the world becomes... people still have to eat. Only when you're full do you have the strength to think about tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Alfia let out a cold laugh—a mockery of fate. "In this Orario, there is no tomorrow. Only endless slaughter and tragedies played out for the gods' amusement."
"Then change it," Shirou blurted out.
Alfia froze. She looked at the youth before her—someone pitifully weak, yet daring to speak such chuunibyou lines about "changing the world."
For some reason, she didn't mock him.
Instead, in this boy's shadow, she saw the heroes she once knew... the equally foolish, equally idealistic heroes of the Zeus Familia.
"Change... is it?" Alfia whispered. "Perhaps. If you can live until that time."
RUMBLE!!!
Suddenly, a violent explosion echoed from outside the church. It was followed by chaotic shouts and screams of agony.
"An attack?!" Shirou snapped to his feet, [Mind's Eye] instantly perceiving the situation outside. "Those are... civilians? And... the Evilus?"
On the street outside, a group of black-robed thugs was hunting down several fleeing civilians. Fire consumed the houses, and desperate cries for help rang out.
"This is the daily routine." Alfia remained in her chair, not even lifting an eyelid. "This is Orario in the Dark Age. The strong prey on the weak; survival of the fittest."
"I'm going to go look." Shirou didn't hesitate, grabbing the iron bar beside him (having no time to project weapons) and rushing toward the door.
"Hey, kid." Alfia's voice sounded behind him.
"Do you want to die? Those guys out there are trash, but they're still stronger than you are right now."
"I know." Shirou turned back, flashing that reassuring, foolish smile. "But... if I don't go, I'll have indigestion from dinner."
With that, he dashed into the night.
Alfia stared at the empty doorway for a long time. "...What an idiot." She stood up, her gray dress fluttering without wind.
"However... since I ate your food, I suppose I'll take a post-meal stroll."
-
-
-
On the street, flames soared into the sky.
"Hahaha! Run! Keep running!" a member of the Evilus sneered, his longsword about to cut down a girl who had tripped.
CLANG!
An iron bar enchanted with [Reinforcement] appeared out of nowhere, blocking the sword.
"Who are you?!"
"Just a passing... Ally of Justice." Shirou Emiya stood before the girl. Though his arms were numb from the shock, his gaze was incredibly firm. "Bullying the weak... isn't a very good habit."
"A Lv. 1? You're asking for death!" the thug roared as his accomplices—nearly a dozen men—surrounded them. Each had the strength of roughly Lv. 2.
"Trace—On." Shirou took a deep breath. His mana was nearly empty, his body overextended. But that was no reason to back down.
Just as Shirou was prepared to fight for his life—
WHOOSH——!!!
A storm of red flames suddenly swept in from the other end of the street. The thugs preparing to attack Shirou were instantly blown away.
"The judgment of justice—descends!"
Accompanying a energetic shout, several figures leaped out from the flames.
At the head was a girl with fiery red hair, wearing light armor and wielding a longsword. She was like a bundle of burning fire, filled with a sense of justice and vitality. Alise Lovell, captain of the Astraea Familia, titled [Scarlet Flower].
Behind her followed a black-haired Far Eastern-style fencer (Kaguya), a Prum holding a large shield (Lyra), and... an elf wearing a green cloak with a cool gaze, holding a wooden sword.
Ryuu Lion. Or rather... the slightly more innocent Ryuu of the Lv. 3 era.
"That's..." Shirou looked at the familiar figure, his heart skipping a beat. The young Ryuu. The Ryuu who had not yet experienced despair, who had not yet lost her companions, and who still believed in absolute justice.
"Are you alright, civilian?!" Alise landed, striking a cool pose and giving Shirou a thumbs-up. "The Astraea Familia has arrived! Leave the bad guys to us!"
"Tch, Alise, stop posing and just finish them off." The black-haired fencer, Gojouno Kaguya, rolled her eyes, her katana already unsheathed.
"These trash bags make me sick just looking at them."
"Kaguya is as cold as ever~" Alise laughed, then turned into a red whirlwind, charging into the enemy lines.
The battle instantly became a one-sided slaughter. The Astraea Familia was one of the primary forces maintaining order in this era, second only to the Ganesha Familia. Their teamwork was seamless, their strength formidable.
Especially Ryuu. She was like a green gale, darting through the crowd. Her wooden sword struck the enemies' vitals with precision; though she didn't kill, she instantly neutralized their combat ability.
"So strong..." Shirou watched Ryuu's back. This was... who she used to be. Not burdened by the infamy of "Gale," not twisted by hatred... a pure, white elf.
"Um..." While Shirou was dazed, the battle ended. Alise walked over and patted his shoulder. "Hey kid, you okay? That block earlier was pretty cool!"
"Ah... I'm fine." Shirou snapped back to reality. "Thank you for saving me."
"Don't mention it! It's our job!" Alise smiled brightly. "I'm Alise, captain of the Astraea Familia. And you? Looking at your outfit... you don't look like a local?"
"I'm Shirou Emiya." Shirou glanced over at Ryuu. "I'm a... lost blacksmith."
"A blacksmith?" Ryuu, who had been silent, walked over. Her sky-blue eyes stared at Shirou as if sensing something. "Your body... smells of blood. And... a very strange mana."
"Ryuu, don't be so serious." Alise pulled Ryuu back. "He protected that child! He's a good person!"
"...I know." Ryuu sheathed her wooden sword and gave Shirou a slight nod.
"My apologies for my rudeness. Thank you for your act of justice."
Looking at this "younger version of Ryuu" bowing to him, Shirou's emotions were complex. In the future (or rather, seven years later), she would be a lonely avenger. But here, she was an Ally of Justice, surrounded by family she could trust.
'I must... protect this place.' Shirou vowed silently. Since he had returned to the past and witnessed this... he would absolutely not let "that tragedy" happen again.
Just then—
"..."
A pressure so terrifying it made the soul shiver suddenly exploded from the shadows of the street. The air instantly solidified. Even the flames seemed to stop burning.
"Wh-What?!" Alise's expression changed instantly. "This aura is...?!"
At the end of the street, the woman in the gray dress with heterochromatic eyes walked out slowly. Her mere presence made her seem like the center of the world—a synonym for despair.
[Silence]—Alfia.
"Is this... what you call 'justice'?" Alfia's voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly. She looked at Alise, then at Ryuu, her eyes full of disdain.
"Too weak.
This house-playing justice... what can it possibly protect in this hell?"
"You are..." Kaguya's hand was trembling; she recognized this woman.
"The Hera Familia's... that monster?!"
"A monster? A fine title." Alfia raised her hand. With just a simple motion, the air began to compress violently, forming a visible storm.
"Perfect. I'm a bit bored after dinner.
Let me test... the weight of you 'Champions of Justice'."
"RUN!!!" Alise let out a heart-wrenching scream. "Everyone, retreat! This isn't an enemy we can face!!!"
But it was too late. The storm had formed. It was a Lv. 7 tier despair magic known as "Genos Angelos."
Just when everyone thought it was a total wipeout—
"Trace—On!"
A red figure stepped in front of Alise and Ryuu. Shirou Emiya. Holding that ordinary iron bar, his mana circuits were once again pushed to overload.
"I don't know if I can block this..." Shirou looked at the woman who had shared an apple with him, a bitter smile on his face.
"But I ate your food, so I can't exactly watch you bully my 'friends' (even if they don't know me yet), can I?
Miss Alfia... is this what you call post-meal exercise?"
"..." Alfia looked at the boy standing in her path. In those heterochromatic eyes, a flash of surprise appeared, which then turned into a certain... playfulness.
"Do you want to dance too, kid?"
"Then... I'll crush you along with them."
BOOM!!!
Orario of the Dark Age. On this desperate night. The "Infinity" of the future and the "Strongest" of the past exploded into their first conflict under the witness of the Goddess of Justice.
Read ahead (40 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting