Chapter Text
"I want to hear you say it."
I turned back from the dark sun hovering in the sky to the figure of the woman I love.
"Saber. Please fulfill your role." I say the words and my heart breaks.
Because I know that there is only one way this is going to end.
The last mark disappears from my hand and she steps forward.
Golden light fills my sight, consuming the void threatening to spill upon the world.
A contract at an end. An oath fulfilled.
"In the end, there is one thing I must tell you."
Determined green eyes, a voice that lights up the waning darkness.
"Shirou — I love you."
I exhaled quietly, and slowly started to raise my bow. Any brusque movements would alert my quarry at this distance.
Steadying a yumi bow while crouching in the grass wasn't the easiest thing, however. Two of my prey's brethren had detected me when I clumsily bumped the tall bow with the ground.
In the end, to avoid scaring away any more prey, I settled for shooting from a half-crouch while holding the bow at an angle.
At this point I was seriously considering switching to a western bow, but I wasn't sure how much time it would take to get used to shooting using one.
But that's for later.
I closed my eyes, emptying my mind of useless thoughts
In what would be considered an insult to the eight steps of kyūdō, I finished raising my angled bow - the same bow I'd used to shoot uselessly at Berserker all those months ago- and drew it until the fletching of the arrow was behind my ear.
I inhaled, steadying my aim.
And let go, knowing that I already hit my target.
I exhaled, standing up straight and started walking up the grassy field to where my arrow had hit.
I kept the grimace out of my face when I caught sight of its final twitch. It still wasn't easy to take a life but…
I needed to eat.
"...Hunger is the enemy." I muttered. "Right, Saber?"
I sighed, letting my bow and arrow fade away into nothing more than a few blue magic particles, and picked up the dead hare, admiring for a second in spite of myself the accuracy of the shot.
Straight to the eye.
"At least it didn't suffer." I muttered, trying to assuage my guilt.
Mitsuzuri would cry if she ever found out I used her dear kyūdō to hunt a pretty rabbit. Despite how tough she wanted to be seen as, that girl sure loved cuddly things.
I huffed a little when I remembered the strangled gasp she had let out when Shinji showed her that shocking video of a rabbit grazing peacefully before an arrow hit it. No one considered it funny, but Mitsuzuri? She waslivid.Shinji was stuck cleaning the range after training for weeks.
Yes, she would not approve of what I have just done.
I shook my head, dismissing the memories of Fuyuki. I didn't have time to get lost in the past. Looking up at the sky, I realized that the sun was still high.
The last few days it took me until late in the afternoon to catch something to eat.
"...I'm getting better at this, I guess." Despite the situation I found myself into, I felt the inklings of pride for that.
… I had my dinner secured. Maybe I could hunt a little more and make some money? That nice old man in town told me I could sell him whatever I hunt when I first decided to do this. I could finally get a room in the inn.
Sleep on a bed.
Nodding decisively, I stood up and continued my hunt.
The old man inspected the hares I had spent the afternoon hunting with a critical eye.
"How about a hundred for the three, kid?"
My eyes narrowed and the not-so-nice-after-all old man grinned unrepentantly. I was new around here, but I knew for a fact you can get enough meat for a meal for as little as fifty Vali. For three adult hares? With their pelt intact, aside from the small entry wound of my arrow?
Just because it was across a stall didn't make it any less of a robbery.
"Two hundred, I know you can get at least two times that amount with these, old man." I… haggled. I almost wanted to sigh at what my life had turned into. In any other situation I wouldn't have fought his price, as money had never been a problem, but as they say, needs must.
"C'mon, sonny, I gotta live too. I'll give you fifteen copper, and that's just because I like you. Can't do more than that."
I could have argued more, tell him I needed just a little more for a room, but… I owed this man too much. Letting him make some profit off my effort was the least I could do to repay him.
Still, I should have checked the inn prices before eating the fourth hare I caught. Two hundred Vali a night, with dinner and breakfast included. With a fourth to sell I could have negotiated for that amount.
But well, no use complaining about spilled milk, or eaten hares, in this case.
Another night under the stars, I guess.
It was with a little regret that I handed the hares over and got a little leather pouch in exchange.
"You're a good kid, keep up the hard work. Ah, and keep the pouch, you'll need it around here."
"So you can keep stealing from me, I'm sure."I replied with a sardonic smile. The booming laugh I got in return made my smile widen. He might be a miser when doing business, but he was a good man.
When I first arrived here, it was this old man who explained what I needed to know of this world, the one who gave me some food until I could get enough of my bearings so I could hunt on my own.
My arrival to this world had been a confusing mess, and this man here gave me a solid footing until I could stand by myself.
"Thanks, old man." I opened the little pouch, gave the shiny -literally shining-coins a quick count, and put the whole thing in my pocket. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I didn't bother checking if they were authentic or not. It was impossible to counterfeit Vali, after all.
"Ah, kid. You plan to camp outside?" He asked and I nodded in answer. "Be careful, there's been some folks that saw a couple of goblins here and there."
"I'll be careful." I assured him, wanting to shake my head at the ridiculousness of having to worry aboutgoblinsof all things. "Was someone hurt?" I've heard that goblins were amongst the weakest of monsters , but they were vicious little things. From this old man, no less.
Maybe I could take care of them… how hard could fighting some goblins be, compared to what I've experienced in the Holy Grail War?
"Ah, don't worry too much, they'regoblins."Said the old man dismissively. "They always run away if they see more than one person. And the chief already called for a Familia, just in case. They'll be here in a couple of days and they'll take care of it, but sleep lightly for a while until then."
A Familia, huh.
It would be my first time seeing one of those so-called adventurers. I wondered if they were coming from Orario…
The past few days I've been thinking of my plans going forward, and realized that staying in this little town was not something I might want to do. Don't get me wrong this town -Westmount, aptly named because the town's west side was to the base of a mountain, where all its mining activities occurred- was nice, but life here was slow. If I wanted to accomplish my objectives then this town was not the best choice.
So I've been considering at some point in the future heading to Orario and joining one of those Familias. There were other options, but in the end Orario was my first for a couple of reasons. One: because I heard it was lucrative, and my new situation showed me the necessity of money, two: because if there was someone who would know a way home, it would be one of their patrons, and three…
This world needed saving, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't try to help.
I left the old man's stall in a pensive mood. Maybe I could talk to this Familia and ask some questions about the city.
And about the gods.
I'll keep an eye on where the goblins could be hiding, I could use that information to talk to the adventurers… and if the monsters get bold enough to attack someone, I could always… kill them myself.
I'm confident that I could take them down with my bow from afar if there were just a couple of them and in the worst case, while It's been a few days since I last practiced my swordsmanship, I never stopped practicing what Saber taught me to defend myself in close quarters.
But that's for tomorrow, I should hurry to the spot I've been using out of town and get started on a fire. Nights get cold here.
Speaking of which…
The hammer of a gun fired in my mind and I couldn't help grimacing when it felt like fire was entering into my twenty seven Magic Circuits. Unused as they were to magic energy, it was a miracle that they were in working order at all after the first time I fed them the pure Mana in the air here.
It was only those long nights in my shedrecklessly, stupidly and outright suicidally- Tohsaka's words, not mine- turning my nerves into magic circuits that left me with enough clarity of mind while feeling like I was burning alive to shut off the connection the first time I tried using my magecraft here.
A few seconds more and my circuits might have been permanently damaged, at the very least… or outright exploded if I'm being realistic.
Which is why, every day before bed, I open all my circuits to this higher quality Mana in the air. The quality of my magic circuits might not be able to change but I could get used to the magic energy of this world.
It took days of acclimating before I felt comfortable enough to enact mysteries. Now, instead of lava, it just felt like fire was coursing through my veins.
Much more manageable.
And that was just opening my circuits a smidgen, letting only the bare minimum of energy enter. I don't know if I would ever be able to comfortably use the Mana here, not with my meager, low quality circuits.
On the bright side, just letting that bare minimum enter was enough to warm myself during the cold nights.
It would have to do until I could get my hands on warmer clothes
I sighed. That's another investment I have to consider. According to the old man, winter was just around the corner and I was woefully unprepared for it.
And I don't think I will find a way to go back home in just a couple weeks. I don't even know how I got here, after all.
Winter was going to be tough without a permanent roof over my head and having no more clothes than the ones I was wearing.
...I wonder if I could project enough fabric to make a cloak. Aside from Magic being plentiful here, I noticed my projections were easier to make due to the high quality Mana of the air. Projections of normal fabric? Those were cheap, even back home.
…And my clothes have certainly seen better days. Wouldn't hurt to project a copy of them and change.
I was approaching one of the town gates when I crossed paths with a hooded figure. I've been in this town for a little more than a week and saw a lot of travelers come and go, but something about this woman caught my attention.
It wasn't her beauty, though I certainly noticed it when I looked at her. The soft features that peeked under her hood, chestnut brown hair that looked like it would feel like silk to the touch, her pure white skin bereft of any blemishes, to the point of looking almost ethereal.
Beautiful came short as a word to describe her.
And she looked clean.
Not to say that the people I saw in this town were filthy or something like that, but even though she just came from the road this woman lookedpristine. Like not a single speck of dirt wanted to sully her body.
It was like a god decided to forbid any impurity to touch this woman.
Or maybe she herself decided that, if what truly caught my attention- what I've felt from her - was correct.
Divinity.
I'd felt it before.
In the aura of bloodlust and savagery of the ferocious Cú Chulainn. Mixed with the overpowering, unbridled fury and madness of Heracles. Faint, marred and sullied in Medusa. And corrupted by All the World's Evils, yet no less grand for it, in Gilgamesh. Even the corrupted Grail had carried a speck of growing divinity in it.
Yet, looking at this woman -thisgoddess, because she could not be anything else- I realized that what I've felt from the strongest warriors and legends in history was lesser. Diluted.
When I heard that in this worldgodswalked the earth like normal people I was worried. The stories of divinities back home are not… exactly flattering to them. I relaxed a little when I was told they can't access their full power, theirarcanum, while they were here.
But that was wrong.
If what I'm feeling from this goddess is true, then it's not that they can't access it.
They can.
They choose not to.
And that's terrifying.
Maybe most people can't sense it? This fathomless well of power in her slight frame.
The man who told me about them, talked about the gods like they were celebrities. Like some would speak of idols back in Japan. Oh, there was respect, adoration, but fear? Not a little bit.
If they knew, people would fear them.
I must have stood in place watching her for longer than a minute when I startled back to my senses. The curious thing was that she stood at the same place for that time, watching me back.
I meant to start walking again, not wanting to offend the actual god in front of me with my gawking, when her voice stopped me from leaving.
"Excuse me, young man?" She said, reaching for her hood and lowering it- and even that simple movement looked graceful-. She looked at me with warm indigo blue eyes, filled with…concern? Confusion? A mixture of both?
"...yes, can I help you?" I said, after a second. The woman was shorter than me, but it seemed like her presence was enveloping the street.
She seemed to ruminate on her words for a moment, opening and closing her mouth, like she swallowed the first sentence that wanted to come out, before she ended up approaching me with a soft smile. "I was wondering if you could help me find my way to a nice inn I could spend the night in?"
…Oh, is that it? Maybe she was feeling ashamed of needing help.
I tried to smile reassuringly at her, ignoring how the hairs of my arms were raising for standing so close to her.
"Of course, I'm happy to help." I replied and was rewarded by a bright smile of the beautiful goddess. "There's one quite close, actually. I don't have a problem escorting you there, goddess." I added the last word after a moment, just in case. I wasn't the sharpest tool sometimes, but disrespecting the powerful being in front of me? As much as Tohsaka liked to say it, I was not suicidal.
"Wonderful, you are my hero!" She gushed, taking a step forward and hugging my arm with both of hers. "Oh my, so warm!" She exclaimed as she started to pull me in the direction I knew the inn was.
Soft.
Even through the thick cloak she was wearing, I could feel the softness of her chest enveloping my arm.
"I was a little worried, I wasn't expecting to arrive so late to this town. I appreciate you escorting me." I stiffened a little at the close contact and I could see her smile turning a little impish. "And maybe you can accompany me for a drink and a talk as well? My treat." The Goddess said, twirling a lock of her hair with a finger.
…Am I being picked up?
Unbidden, tales of how the gods used mortals to sate their lust came to my mind and I found myself a little flush.
Am I in danger?
Wait, didn't she need help finding the inn? How does she know in which direction we need to go, then?
I floundered, trying to make sense of the situation and the goddess must have found my nervousness amusing because her eyes were alight with mischief.
"Oh my~ hehe, are you shy?" She asked playfully, a giggle in her voice, seemingly taking delight in my embarrassment. "Do not worry, you are quite safe with me, I'm not like Aphrodite. I just want to know more about you." And suddenly her eyes sharpened, the hold on my arm becoming a little more constricting. "Like why you are trying to kill yourself in the middle of the street."
"... what?"
"So! Introductions first." The goddess sitting across the table clapped her hands with a warm smile, none of the teasing from before present. Her soft expression and demeanor reminded me of a kindergarten teacher on her first day, if one ignored her beautiful dress.
And I was trying to ignore her dress.
There was nothingwrongwith it, but… that was a lot of cleavage. I had to keep my focus on her face and not let my eyes wander, lest I get reminded of where my thoughts had gone when she had grabbed my arm.
Get your mind out of the gutter, me. This is a deity.
I straightened on my seat and nodded.
My mind had still been reeling when we entered the inn lounge but I was finally getting my bearings back. The goddess in my arm had promptly deposited me on a small table in the corner, and had come a few minutes later with two mugs of frothy ale.
"Maybe you have not heard of me as I have been traveling around, looking for a place to settle and… form a Familia, but I amAstraea, Goddess of Justice and Purity." My eyes widened at the effect her voice had. It was like a… reverberation, a pulse of power, that coursed through the magic of the world. A declaration of truth that everyone, even the most agnostic, would accept.
It was… Authority.
This was a Goddess, and the World acknowledged that.
"Oh? You felt that?" She queried with a look filled with curiosity. "Even those blessed take some time to feel the flow and ebb of magic. And you don't have a Falna."
A Falna. A god's blessing. The reason most deities lowered themselves to this plane of existence, to give their blessing to mortals who would group on 'Familias' and brave the endless tide of monsters that come from the Dungeon in the Labyrinth City of Orario.
The Falna would strengthen them, make them faster, tougher, even give them magic. Strangely, the words Level Up and Status were used like in those video games some classmates used to needle me to play.
But still…
Goddess of Justice, huh?
I wonder if this was fate.
"My name is Emiya Shirou, and I'm a… "For some reason, I was about to say magus, but years of hiding my magic reared their head at the last moment. "I'm just a novice hunter, trying to earn enough to live after ending up far away from home. It's an honor, Goddess Astraea." I settled for saying, wondering how foolish I was for hiding my status as a magic user when the goddess in front of me had just seen me react to her Authority.
She let out a disbelieving "Hmm~?" while sipping from her ale, looking at me with narrowed eyes over the rim of her mug
"Is that so? Just a hunter?" She asked with an amused smile before turning serious. "Then, I have to wonder, Novice Hunter Emiya Shirou, why were you recklessly channeling so much magic?" And there it was, of course she would feel that. But… recklessly? "Without a focus, without a chant. Do you know how close you were to causing an Ignis Fatuus?" She scolded me in a worried and… disappointed tone, like I was a particularly dim child that wanted to stick a fork in an electrical socket.
…More and more she fitted the image of a kindergarten teacher.
I was actually expecting her to whip out the 'Bad Shirou!' to drive the point home.
"So? Your answer?" Astraea crossed her arms and asked with narrowed eyes.
"Ah… Ignis Fatuus?" I replied dumbly, that term having not come in my rushed culture lessons yet. Her eyes widened in disbelief like she could not believe the stupid thing I had just said. "Uh… Sorry? I'm new around here and I'm not clear on all the terms yet." Her eyes kept looking at me disbelievingly. "And I'm just a third rate magus! I'm still learning about magic!" I tried. Regardless of Tohsaka's efforts, a couple of months was not enough to shore up my magic education, and that's just if this Ignis Fatuus was something I could have known before arriving to this world. The term wasn't familiar at all.
I winced when I heard her mutter 'Magus?'.Right, that's not a term from this world, here magic users are called Mages.
"Ignis Fatuus" She started, the concern she had shown before didn't fade, but was overshadowed by some confused interest. "happens when amage"I winced a bit more at her emphasis. "loses control of the magic they are channeling to cast a spell, causing it to run wild and…explode."
"Ah." I understood her concern then if I was doing the magic equivalent of walking with a can of gasoline in one hand and a lit match on the other.
And now I know for certain what would have happened if I didn't rein in my magic on my first day here.
I wonder how close I came to dying that day. How close I came to dying every time I turned on my circuits since.
However…
Astraea nodded sternly. "Yes, ah. Like I said, no chanting, no focus and your body was suffused with Mana to its limits. It's a miracle you did not hurt yourself, or worse. If you are truly a beginner, athird rate, then I must ask you for your own safety to refrain from casting magic so recklessly."
It was a sensible warning. One that came out of a place of concern for my well being.
I felt really touched that this woman -thisgoddess-took time out of her day to approach what would have seemed to be a reckless idiot and just…help.
I gripped my still untouched mug of ale tightly.
I didn't want to dismiss it, Iwouldn'tdismiss it. I would be even more careful going forward when practicing my mysteries…
However…
I smiled apologetically, because my next words would sound like I was just ignoring her heartfelt warning.
"When my father first started teaching me magic his first lesson was'To be a Magus is to walk with death.'.The kind of magic my old man taught me was always dangerous. He… didn't call it Ignis Fatuus, but he warned me of the dangers of uncontrolled spells." I fibbed just a little. I know that the supercharged Mana here made my magecraft all the more dangerous, but I still distinctly remember how Kiritsugu reinforced a porcelain cup until it shattered into countless pieces. 'Do you understand, Shirou? If you are careless with your magecraft,thisis the result. Now imagine the cup being your body.'
He might have been a lazy layabout when he was home, but the old man had been serious when he taught me.
"I assure you, I'll be more careful in the future, but my magic is what's helping me survive on my own here. I can't afford to give it up just because it's dangerous, even if it's a goddess asking."
Astraea closed her eyes and sighed raising a hand to her temple, like my stubbornness had given her a headache. I heard her muttering under her breath 'mortal children…so reckless…' but I couldn't catch everything she said.
"If you are aware of the dangers, and yet still want to continue with it, then who am I to stop you?" She asked before looking at me with a smile full of nostalgia. "I almost forgot how stubborn you children can be… always fighting against adversity…right, Alise?"
Her muttered words were not for me to hear so I pretended I hadn't, but I could not ignore how her eyes misted in sorrow.
She's lost someone, I realized. I felt a small tension fade from my shoulders. And then I felt a little bad for the apprehension I've been treating her with since I met her, just because she's a goddess. What reason do I have to fear her, when she can show such humanity?
I understood her, after all. I had loved and lost like her: just a couple of years ago I lost dad, and it hasn't even been half a year since I first met Saber.
And Illya, the big little sister I never got to know properly, gone just a month after the War.
Loss isn't something foreign to me.
If she had loved a mortal enough to grieve them -and I knew grief when I saw it - then she couldn't possibly be like the selfish gods I read about.
If I could choose, then I'd prefer if it was a god like her I get a blessing from.
"Ah, but…" I started, shelving the thought before it started to take form. It was not the time for that. Astraea's eyes returned to the present, her sorrow didn't fully disappear, but it was carefully hidden away, leaving the barest of signs of its presence.
My grin was a little sheepish when I continued. "Ireallydon't want to explode myself, so… any divine guidance to avoid that. Goddess Astraea?"
By her knowing expression my attempt at distraction might have been a little too obvious, but luckily, she just nodded and answered without any fuss.
"Well~ I might have some if you would care to listen, Shirou." Astraea spoke in a singsong. "Let me tell you about my Ryu and how she overcame her struggles with her magic. You see, Ryuu is an elf, so-" She started, her face full of motherly pride.
I felt a smile coming to my face, and settled on my seat, enjoying the story of one of the members of the Astraea Familia.
I took a sip of my ale.
Sweet, but with a slight bitter undertone.
Just like the feeling I got from hearing Astraea talking about her Familia.
Astraea regaled me with stories of the adventures of hercute Ryuu, brave Alise, and noble Kaguya,amongst others -all in the name of helping me with my magic, of course- for over an hour before I realized how late it was.
What can I say? The stories were a goldmine of experience that would make a world of difference if I decided to move to Orario. Astraea had unknowingly answered a lot of the questions I had of the life of an Adventurer.
And of the dangers of such a life. I was not dense enough to miss the fact Astraea had to correct herself to past tense multiple times when talking about her children.
It seemed that a lot, if not most, of the members of her Familia had passed away not too long ago.
I decided not to mention any of that and just enjoy the stories as they came. Why bring down the mood, when she seemed to be enjoying talking about them so much?
During a little lull between stories Astraea finally seemed to realize how empty the room was. Most had already left for their rooms, and those remaining were just so deep in their cups that they looked ready to fall asleep on their tables.
"Oh my, it has gotten so late. Will I have time to check in, I wonder." She fretted, her cheeks a little more flushed and her voice airier.
Considering how much she had to drink to wet her throat during her talking, even if she seemed to have a high alcohol tolerance, it was not a surprise she was drunk. I've had less than half of what she had, and I was feeling a little woozy and more than a little flushed.
It didn't help that at some point Astraea had moved her chair to sit next to me, not to the point of touching, but I was close enough that I could feel her warmth and smell a sweet fragrance coming from her.
Still, sleeping outside of town in this state, considering the danger of goblins, was a little risky.
Maybe I should just look for an empty alley? Is that against the law here? The cold air outside will surely clear my thoughts.
"The innkeeper's still there, so we can always ask." I said pointing to a man at the counter/bar. By his yawning, I could guess he was about to retire himself.
"Right, let us go. We have kept the poor man up too much already."
We stood up from our seats and Astraea led the way with unsteady steps. I sighed, it seemed she was more intoxicated than I thought. Many nights of accompanying Fuji-nee to her home after she had a little too much to drink resurfaced, and I instinctively offered her my arm.
She hugged it with both her arms, letting out a pleased hum. "My, what a gentleman you are, Shirou." I felt a shiver go down my back when she caressed my arm up and down."It's hard…" I had to ruthlessly dismiss the thoughts her breathy mutter brought to my mind.
She's drunk, she's talking about your arm, there's nothing remotely erotic about this.
Not to mention that without her cloak, the only layer between my arm and the softness of her cleavage was the sleeve of my t-shirt.
Think of Saber, Shirou. Artoria would be ashamed of your weak will.
That's right, focus on Saber. I need to remember her smile, her emerald green eyes,her chest, small but so soft, heaving as she pants with exertion, and the warmth of her body, feverish with heat after I-That's not helping at all!
I shook my head - focusing back on my surroundings, ignoring Astraea's warmth covering my arm.
"So… which room are you staying in, Shirou?" Astraea asked, settling her head on my shoulder. My right eye twitched. "Breakfast here is delicious, and eating with good company would make it better. I could come wake you up."
"Ah, actually I…" I stilled and the slight drunken haze in my mind was diminished a little along with the shameful feelings that kept bothering me."...how do you know how the breakfast here tastes, Goddess Astraea? Actually, now that I think about it, you were the one who led me here after you said you needed directions."
Astraea's cheeks gained a little more heat. "Ah, it seems I've been found out… I was worried about you hurting yourself if I left you alone… and more than a little curious about what you were doing. I needed an excuse for you to accompany me." she said, hiding her face on my shoulder. "I've actually stayed here before, just a few months ago."
I felt my expression go flat. To think that the Goddess of Justice and Purity could be so cunning.
…Or am I just a sucker for anyone who asks for help?
No, it was the goddess' fault, I'm sure.
After a few seconds of me staring at her in deadpan, she raised her face from its hiding place and…
"Tehe~ " She winked at me, and a sigh exploded from me.
…I must be drunker than I thought, I could swear I saw a little star shooting from her eye.
"My, it didn't work. Alise used to do that every time she got in trouble and it always worked on me." She muttered, a little confused. My eye twitched. "Well, please don't bother yourself with silly things, you were about to tell me your room number."
"I'm actually not staying here." Astraea tilted her head. If she had stayed in this small town already, she should know that this is the only inn here. "I… arrived in this town with only the clothes on my back and I'm still not a good enough hunter to earn enough for a room. I'm just camping outside for now."
Astraea let out an unimpressed hum and went silent until we were at the counter. "Well, that certainly won't do." She said and turned to the innkeeper, "Good evening, I am terribly sorry about the time, but I need a room for me and for my… this young man."
…what?
The innkeeper, a thin forty-something year old man, smiled while adjusting his glasses and gave a short bow. "Of course, Goddess, it's always a pleasure to have a god stay at our inn. Is it two separate rooms, or will you and your… companion stay in the same one?" He asked, his cheeks gaining a slight flush when he saw how the beautiful Goddess was all but hanging off my arm.
"Oh my. No, two separate ones, of course. We've just met, after all."
"Wait, wait! I told you, I can't pay for a room yet, Goddess." I whispered to her, urgently.
"Hm? You do not need to pay for it, silly. I do have money, you know."
"That's even worse! You don't need to waste your money on me, I can just sleep outside."
"At this time of the year? With this kind of cold weather? When I can just pay for you?"
"Bu-but I can't possibly-" My words were stopped when she placed a finger on my lips.
"Just humor me, please. Take it as my appreciation for listening to me bragging about my children for more than an hour." She smiled sweetly and my resistance began to crumble. "Either I pay for your room or I drag you to mine. The rooms in this inn only have one bed, you know." she joked, or that was what I wanted to believe, but her eyes looked serious.
I looked at her for a moment, and she must have seen the moment I gave in because her smile widened.
After a quick conversation with the innkeeper I escorted Astraea to her room on the second floor of the inn.
"I'll pay you back." My words were filled with shame. In the end, Astraea had ended up paying for the drinks we had and two rooms forthreenights.
"You do not need to." Astraea said, her voice a little exasperated. She glanced at me, saw that I wouldn't budge and sighed.
"I do. I'm not selfish enough to take advantage of your kindness, Astr- Goddess Astraea. By the time you leave this town I will have paid you every Vali.'
"So stubborn. I swear, you would have gotten along with Alise so well, if your hard-headedness says anything about you." She replied fondly.
"And you would have gotten along with one of my friends, if only because she'd then have someone to complain with about me." Tohsaka was always happy to point out my faults. To learn that a goddess agrees with her thoughts? She'd be elated.
Astraea giggled. "Oh? Am I not the first to note the thickness of your head?"
"And you likely won't be the last." I wouldn't be alive if not because of my stubbornness.
"Hmm~ It seems I got my work cut out for me."She muttered. "Well! Thank you so much for escorting me but this is my stop." Astraea said, letting go of my arm and approaching the door of her room. "I will see you in the morning. And please… call me just Astraea. Adding 'Goddess' every time must be a mouthful right, Shirou?"
"If that's what you want..." Astraea nodded. "Then I'll see you tomorrow, Astraea."
"Mm~ That's better. Have a good night." She entered her room but before she finished fully shutting the door she stopped. "Ah, I know I said to the innkeeper we wouldn't share rooms, but if you have trouble sleeping my door is open for you. I do not mind keeping you warm all night." Astraea said as she was closing the door, sending me a smile through the gap that, with her flushed face and clouded gaze due to the alcohol, looked almost…sultry.
And I was left alone, frozen in place, processing her words. I sighed after a few seconds, having to force myself to continue to my room. I won't admit how much willpower it took me to walk the couple of steps to my room, I still have some pride.
The room I finally entered was… cozy. Considering the low price I expected a little worse but it was properly furnished. The bed looked comfortable and, more importantly, clean, there was a small table with two chairs to the side near a window. and a wooden wash basin full of water, a small piece of cloth and a yellowish-white bar of soap on a little shelf beside it.
I wanted nothing more than to throw myself on the bed but I forced myself to go to the basin. I had spent so many days without a proper bath other than the occasional dip in the nearby river that if I dared to enter the bed like this, I'm sure the owner would have to burn the sheets.
The water was cold, but that was what I needed to deal with these smoldering feelings left behind by the warmth of a Goddess.
I could feel a little clarity of mind returning and with it came the shame. I couldn't believe how tempted I had been to accept her offer to share her bed. Or how foolish I was to take it as an invitation for… sex.
She's the Goddess of Purity, she couldn't possibly meanthat.I reasoned with myself.She must be treating me like a child.It stung my pride a little, but with how old a god must be, a fifteen-year old like me would be just a boy, not a man.
I sighed. A couple of months without Saber and I couldn't help but want to f*ck the first woman who was kind to me and showed me a little affection.
Despicable.
I finished my 'bath' and after drying myself in low spirits, I took the chance to give my clothes a proper rinsing, leaving them hanging them near the closed window.
I thought I would fall asleep instantly when I finally burrowed myself into the covers but I kept turning and tossing, sleeping the farthest thing from my mind.
The sultry smile of the Goddess of Justice and Purity occupied my thoughts and kept me up for some time.
