Chapter Thirty:Riveria’s Trust

Shirou's basic abilities had already reached the threshold for leveling up. Now he just needed to continuously hone his abilities, and start considering how to accumulate and accomplish more [achievements.]

"In reality, with my current abilities, the Minotaur would have been a tough opponent to defeat. The only reason I won so easily was because I had to protect 'Riveria,' so I ended up using an unconventional method," Shirou thought to himself.

The Minotaur's overall strength far exceeded a Level 1 Shirou. Even though Shirou had confidence in winning with his swordsmanship, it would have required a long, drawn-out fight. 

However, once he held the [Sword of Theseus] and entered that unique state, the Minotaur no longer posed any threat to him. As a result, the battle lost its challenge.

To accumulate achievements faster, Shirou realized he needed to engage in more difficult battles—and without relying on shortcuts.

"Not just 'achievements,' I should also start intentionally training my weaker basic abilities," Shirou thought as he looked over his current status.

Despite being primarily a swordsman, Shirou's basic stats were the opposite of what was expected from a front-line warrior. His weakest stats were strength and agility, while his dexterity and magic were unusually high. 

Dexterity was essential for forging, while his magic stat reflected his heavy use of [Unlimited Blade Works]. Following the advice of Hephaestus and Captain Tsubaki, Shirou focused on improving these two as his core basic abilities.

This was also how Heroic Spirit Emiya(Archer) fought. Compared to heroes from ancient or divine myths, Emiya had no physical advantage in terms of strength, endurance, or agility. His strength came from having countless "options." 

No matter the opponent, he could always find a way to counter them. This was why Emiya, with his unimpressive stats, could still achieve glorious victory.

However, Shirou understood clearly that if his base stats was too weak, even having endless "options" would eventually lead him to hit a wall he couldn't overcome. Moreover, many of those options required a certain amount of stats to be effective.

It was like comparing Heroic Spirit Emiya (Archer) to Heroic Spirit Heracles (Archer). If Shirou in his previous life had reached the level of the latter, perhaps he wouldn't have been so powerless when his sister was taken away.

Now that he had been blessed with this miraculous power known as "Falna," Shirou was determined to seize this opportunity.

"It's time to start training my weaker stats. I need to raise my strength, endurance, and agility to at least C, and ideally B rank."

"Shirou's resolve seems stronger than ever," Hephaestus thought as she watched the boy. The goddess sighed, "Could this be the power of love?" 

She found herself respecting and supporting him even more. But speaking of which, the brave and determined young man paired with the graceful and noble elven princess…the more she thought about it, the more it seemed… quite charming?

....

At the Twilight Manor, the headquarter of the Loki Familia, the captain, Finn, was in the conference room dealing with the pile of paperwork that had accumulated during the Familia's expedition. Riveria, on the other hand, was reading while waiting for Ais, who had not yet returned.

"Achoo! Achoo!" Riveria sneezed twice in quick succession.

"What's wrong, Riveria? Did you catch a cold?" Finn asked with concern.

"My nose is just a little itchy. At our level, we stopped getting sick a long time ago… Achoo!" Riveria replied, only to sneeze again.

She raised her hand to cover her nose and mouth from the side, trying to stifle the sound. As expected of an elven royalty, even her sneezes were graceful and elegant.

"You're worried about Ais, aren't you?" Finn remarked, shaking his head knowingly.

"No, that troublesome child—what's there to worry about?" Riveria replied firmly.

Finn glanced at her. "That book you've been holding for the entire day—you haven't turned a single page."

Hearing this, Riveria finally realized her blunder. She sighed deeply. "Alright, I admit it. I'm worried about Ais."

Her long, slender elven ears drooped on either side, reflecting her gloomy mood. Riveria gently twirled her emerald green hair, wrapping the strands around her delicate fingers.

A trace of sorrow appeared on the elven beauty's face, a face so beautiful that even many goddesses would feel envy.

"That child is still as stubborn as ever, and her obsession hasn't lessened at all."

Both Finn and Riveria knew that Ais harbored an intense and overwhelming hatred for the One Eyed Black Dragon, to the point where it had become an obsession, or perhaps more accurately, a vengeful vow. 

This hatred was so profound that it manifested in her skill—[Avenger (Avenger Princess)].

[Avenger] greatly enhanced Ais's attack power against all monsters, and against dragon-type monsters, her attack power was boosted even further. The effect of the skill increased based on the intensity of her hatred—the stronger her hatred, the greater the power.

This unique skill was the key to Ais's immense strength and the reason why she could level up so quickly. A Level 1 Ais could killed almost any Level 1 monsters with a basic attack, blasting their body to smithereens.

When facing monsters, especially dragon-type monsters, Ais could unleash power far beyond her current level. 

[Avenger] had even been praised by the goddess Loki as one of the most powerful offensive abilities in the history of the lower world. However, Riveria and the others were well aware that this skill also reflected Ais's unstable mental state.

During their last expedition, Ais lost her mind when she saw a strengthen dragon monster. She abandoned the squad and chased the monster alone, leading to the failure of the entire expedition. 

Riveria had been very furious at the time, but to be honest, she was more worried about Ais than angry.

Riveria didn't want Ais to become a monster driven by hatred, nor did she want her to break herself in the process of pushing herself too hard.

"It may sound ungrateful, but sometimes I wish Ais was just a normal girl, without such terrifying talent, and without [Avenger]," Riveria said her true feelings.

To Riveria, Ais was like her daughter. More than fame or success, Riveria just wanted Ais to grow up healthy and safe.

"Ais is special, and you know that as well…" Finn said, pausing his sentence. "By the way, did Ais go to the dungeon today?"

"I guess, she finished her apology letter and copied the Familia's code of conduct ten times." Recalling this, Riveria's eyes narrowed slightly, and she clenched her fists.

Earlier this morning, Ais had rushed off to the dungeon. However, when Riveria later checked her written apology, she found that the second half was complete gibberish, as if Ais had been writing while daydreaming. 

Some lines even included comments like, "Riveria has gained more wrinkles because of me," which did not sit very well with Riveria.

Her feelings of affection for her "daughter" faded somewhat, replaced by the urge to pick up a belt and spank her.

"Is it really okay to let Ais go on her own without anyone watching her?" Finn propped his chin on his hand. "Aren't you worried she might sneak into the lower floors?"

"Ais promised she would listen to me this time," Riveria closed her book and said with a determined look. "I trust Ais!"

———-

(TN: Unironically, Archer Emiya had a counter against almost every servant in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Against Saber, Clarent Blood Arther (Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father), against Lancer, Caladbolg (Rainbow Sword)(a guarantee win if wielded by someone who is Ulster-born), against Rider, Harpe (Immortal Slaying Scythe), against Assassins either Six Realms Five Rings (The Divine Figure of Kurikara) or Azrael (The Angel That Announces Death) (not sure about these two) and against Berserker, just repeat what Gilgamesh did(though he probably run out of mana before he depleted Heracles' lives).)

Avenger Ais

https://mangadex.org/chapter/774768ab-ede2-4e20-a7e7-3fa29050388b/15

Riveria Scolding Ais

https://danmachi.fandom.com/wiki/Ais_Wallenstein/Image_Gallery?file=Astraea_Record_Volume_2_08.jpg#Astraea_Record