Jobless Reincarnation: Emiya the Great Hero Must Show His True Skills

Fitz seemed quite concerned after hearing about this, and even asked Ariel for leave to help with the house purchase.

Everything went incredibly smoothly, even a little too smoothly.

Just when Shirou thought that life would continue like this day after day, problems suddenly and unexpectedly arose.

One day, Ariel called him to the student council room and deliberately had a private conversation with him.

Upon meeting, the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura spoke with a serious expression: "Shirou, I have a question for you. Are you the blacksmith Muramasa himself?"

Chapter 316 The King of the Dragons Invites Shirou to the Sky Fortress!

Ariel asked herself if she was the blacksmith Muramasa.

Shirou hadn't expected to hear such a question from Ariel, and hesitated for a moment.

He didn't know whether Ariel had obtained some clear information that she was the blacksmith Muramasa, or whether she was simply testing him.

In fact, ever since the Great Transfer Incident, Shirou has repeatedly revealed the flaw that he is the blacksmith Muramasa.

He not only directly told Paul, Principal Genus, and others about his identity, but also that Dragon God Orsteed had instantly seen through his disguise, and that people like Seven Stars had directly identified him as the blacksmith Muramasa...

In short, because so many people knew about it, Shirou was gradually about to give up on hiding the fact that he was the blacksmith Muramasa.

If Ariel really knew his identity, he wouldn't panic too much. He would accept reality calmly and apologize to Ariel for his past act of concealment.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that Ariel has confirmed that she is the blacksmith Muramasa.

If the other party hasn't actually obtained any real information, Shirou still wants to continue keeping it a secret.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Ariel or thought she would expose his identity.

Shirou's continued desire to keep it a secret was actually for Ariel's own sake.

Because Ariel is currently in a low point.

The more difficult the times, the more they can hone one's abilities.

Only by overcoming such difficulties through her own strength can Ariel grow and secure a place in the even more challenging battle for the throne of Asura.

If Shirou were to directly admit that he is Muramasa himself and agree to provide Ariel with assistance, it would be tantamount to giving Ariel a back door, making her someone she can rely on.

This is undoubtedly very detrimental to Ariel's personal development.

For these reasons, Shirou chose to ask Ariel in a vague tone: "Why does Your Highness Ariel think I am Muramasa? I am far inferior to that blacksmith, aren't I?"

"This……"

Ariel's expression stiffened slightly at Shirou's words.

Judging from her reaction, Ariel was not actually certain that Shirou was Muramasa; she was simply trying to bluff.

Indeed, that is true.

Ariel was not sure that Shirou was Muramasa.

The reason she asked Shirou such a question was because she always felt that there was some strange connection between Shirou and Muramasa.

After all, Muramasa and Shirou were both once in the Boreas family. After the Great Transfer, they disappeared almost simultaneously, yet they occasionally made a name for themselves in the world. Shirou's act of setting up a forging workshop at the Magic University also inexplicably led her to associate Shirou with Muramasa...

But Ariel herself couldn't be sure of this.

After all, the gap between Shirou and Muramasa is too vast, and no matter how hard you try to connect them, it is hard to imagine that they are the same person.

Ariel thought of the commonalities between the two, and even fantasized that Shirou was Muramasa himself, because she was currently in a desperate situation.

Ariel is the second princess of the Kingdom of Asura, and her mother is the only queen whom the King of Asura officially married.

The princess was not particularly blessed with offspring, and in the end, she only had one child, Ariel. Due to poor postpartum recovery, she was unable to have any more children.

In other words, Princess Ariel is the only legitimate direct descendant born to Queen Asura.

Therefore, although Ariel is a woman, she is capable of competing for the throne with the other two princes of the Kingdom of Asura.

However, her identity as a woman ultimately left her vulnerable.

Compared to Ariel, both the First Prince Gravel and the Second Prince Halphas had a large number of powerful and influential figures who were also at the top of the Asura Kingdom.

As long as the prince they support becomes king, they can enjoy benefits under him, so these powerful figures are all desperately trying to put the princes they support on the throne.

Although Ariel has some supporters, these people are generally those who have no choice but to switch their allegiance to Ariel because they have no chance of being valued by the factions of the First Prince and the Second Prince.

However, even the Second Princess faction, formed by such a group of people, suffered a loss of power due to the various disputes caused by the transfer incident, and the Second Princess herself was even driven to the brink of being killed.

In the end, Ariel had no choice but to leave the Kingdom of Asura and seek refuge at the University of La Noah.

To put it nicely, this is so that we can make a comeback in the future, and that's why we're coming to this unfamiliar land to rebuild our strength.

To put it bluntly, this is choosing to escape, running away from the battle that must be faced.

Ariel's heart never found peace after leaving the Kingdom of Asura. She always missed the ministers who fought for her but were now abandoned in the capital.

This caused Ariel to be very anxious after arriving at the magic university. She desperately tried to demonstrate her abilities and skills, worked hard to become the student council president of the magic university, and made a concerted effort to contact the nobles of the Kingdom of Lanoa in an attempt to gain the support of foreign powers.

But this support is like a tree without roots.

Outside the Kingdom of Asura, they were naturally willing to support Princess Ariel, but if Ariel returned to the country, it was hard to predict whether these foreign powerful figures would be willing to help her ascend the throne.

In Ariel's own judgment, no matter how much she socialized and dabbled, in the end, less than 10% of the powerful and influential would be willing to help her ascend to the throne.

It's easy to imagine how powerless Ariel is right now.

It was clear that something she didn't want to see was happening within the Kingdom of Asura, but she had no hope of changing anything. Instead, she could only waste time, seemingly trying but actually accomplishing nothing each day. This was an unspeakable torment for her.

It was during this inner torment that Ariel instinctively began to fantasize that Shirou was the blacksmith Muramasa, someone who could provide her with tremendous assistance.

But this fantasy vanished as Shirou's attitude changed.

"Sorry, I said some strange things."

Ariel sighed.

She wasn't the kind of person who was easily frail. After her fantasies were shattered by reality, she immediately regained her senses and realized that what she needed to do was not to indulge in fantasies, but to accept reality.

Seeing Ariel's attitude, Shirou also developed some respect for her.

Ariel's ability to adjust her emotions so quickly and remain unaffected by negative feelings truly makes her a person capable of ascending to the throne.

What the other side lacks now is simply experience and accumulation.

So he quietly spoke up: "Putting aside the Muramasa matter, Princess Airiel, have you managed to win over any figures who can influence the political scene of the Kingdom of Asura?"

"No, not at the moment."

Ariel spoke with a frustrated expression, but she did not completely break down. Instead, she pondered and said, "This is mainly because there are too few entities abroad that can influence the Kingdom of Asura. After all, the Kingdom of Asura is the most powerful country in the world today. I'm afraid even the leaders of the Holy Kingdom of Milis and the Kingdom of Dragon King cannot interfere in the politics of the Kingdom of Asura."

"indeed so."

Shirou nodded, now understanding Ariel's current predicament.

Ariel suddenly thought of something and hesitated before saying, "However, if I could gain the support of a certain being, my chances of becoming king would greatly increase."

"Such a person exists?"

"Yes, it's that Ankylosaurus, one of the three heroes who defeated the demon Laplace atop the aerial fortress. As a national hero of the Kingdom of Asura, he still wields immense influence throughout the kingdom. If we could gain his support..."

Ariel shook her head as she spoke.

She herself didn't seem to have much hope for this, and only mentioned it briefly.

Shirou himself didn't know much about Ankylosaurus and couldn't be of much help to Ariel.

The two then exchanged a brief conversation before parting ways.

……

Although Ariel's situation caused some ripples for Shirou, he couldn't devote too much energy to her at the moment.

For him personally, there is something more important right now: welcoming his two younger sisters, Aisha and Norren.

Paul indicated in his letter that he had already sent the two men over.

Given that the communication system in this world is very primitive, Aisha and Norren will most likely be arriving soon when the letter is delivered.

Therefore, Shirou needs to resolve the issue of where his two younger sisters will live as soon as possible.

Rudius and Fitz had already scouted out several houses beforehand.

The problem lies in the money for buying a house.

Shirou had saved up a lot of money when he was an adventurer, but he used it all up when he forged Avalon.

Although Ariel offered to provide financial support, Shirou simply couldn't bring himself to ask her for money.

After all, Ariel is not currently in the Kingdom of Asura, and her funds are likely quite limited, so they must be used for more important purposes...

After much thought, Shirou realized that the best way to earn money to buy a house was indeed through forging.

If weapons could be forged in the name of Muramasa and then sold, one could instantly earn enough money to buy dozens or even hundreds of houses.

The weapons Muramasa sells now have that kind of value.

However, there is a problem with this: he is too close to Ariel now. If he sells weapons in Muramasa's name, Ariel will know that he is Muramasa almost instantly.

To avoid the repercussions, Shirou even considered selling weapons to other kingdoms.

But before he could begin his plans, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.

It was a peaceful morning.

Shirou is pondering the design of a new weapon in his forge and is considering asking Principal Genus to arrange channels for him to sell weapons in other kingdoms in the north.

But just as he was preparing to act, a figure suddenly appeared inside the forging workshop.

The moment he saw the man, Shirou drew his weapon almost reflexively.

The last time I saw this person was before the Great Migration. I was preparing to return to Buyena Village when I was attacked on the way.

The attacker was the man in front of them, wearing a mask and a sharp suit.

I remember this man seemed to call himself—

"The glorious Almanfie, here he comes."

As Shirou's thoughts raced, the masked man appeared before him with an undisguised attitude and introduced himself.

Shirou stared wide-eyed at his opponent, his hand already resting on the long sword at his waist.

Almanfi, however, was unconcerned by his attack and quietly said, "Don't be nervous. Unlike last time, I'm not here to be your enemy."

Almanfi seemed to remember Shirou and stated directly that he had no hostility.

Shirou, however, could not afford to let his guard down.

After all, the Great Transfer happened right after Almanfy appeared last time, and Shirou is now like a retired soldier with PtSD syndrome, in a state of extreme anxiety.

"You say you have no hostility, then what is your purpose in coming here...?"

While Shirou was tense, Almanfie quietly observed the environment of the forging workshop, seemingly quite interested in its structure.

But he eventually regained his composure and said with a serious expression, "Shirou Grellard, I have come on the orders of my master, Lord Pergius, the Ankylosaurus King, to invite you to the Sky Fortress. He wishes to see you."

"Perquius?"

I never expected that Percius would send his familiar to me right after I mentioned him to Ariel.

Shirou couldn't understand Percius's purpose in contacting him, but he quickly realized that this was an excellent opportunity.

If Ariel could be introduced to Percyus, it would be a major step forward for Ariel to become queen.

The only question is whether Percius will approve of Ariel.

After thinking it over, Shirou simply asked Almanfie, "Are you only inviting me? Can I bring other people along?"

"Whatever, Lord Percius doesn't care about such a trivial matter."

Almanfi said nonchalantly, "If you'd like, go find Lady Seven Stars later; she knows how to contact me."

"Seven Stars? She knows the Ankylosaurus?"

"Yes."

After speaking, Almanfi vanished into thin air just as he had come.

Shirou knew that this was Almaffy's special ability, which allowed him to move as a beam of light.

For him, the most important question now is whether or not he should tell Ariel about it.

Meeting Ankylosaurus was indeed a very important event, and it would be of great help to Ariel's ascension to the throne.