The Right Eye Seal, May 380 He

The Underworld.

That was the name of the world, but because it was in the sacred tongue and not the common language, hardly any of the

world's residents understood its meaning.

At the center of the Underworld was the human empire, a

realm encompassing a circle 1,500 kilors across. A rocky range

called the End Mountains formed its border. Beyond that was the

Dark Territory, home to nonhuman races like goblins and orcs—

or so it was said. Almost no humans had ever seen it for themselves.

The human realm was split into four empires, the northernmost of which was the Norlangarth Empire, a place of fertile

fields, deep forests, and numerous lakes. At the southern tip of

the fan-shaped empire was the capital of North Centoria. The

other three empires were structured exactly the same way so that

the four capitals connected to form one small circle, the entirety

of which was simply called "Centoria."

At the dead center of Centoria was the towering stronghold of

the Axiom Church that formed the center of the world, ruling

over the four empires with its unbreakable Taboo Index and Integrity Knights that together upheld the structure of the realm.

The tower was known as Central Cathedral, and it seemed to

stretch nearly all the way to glowing Solus above. It was the center of humanity in all respects—which meant that it had to be the

center of the Underworld as a whole, as well.

This was the world as Eugeo knew it.

Two years had passed since the spring when he'd left his little

village of Rulid—at the far northern reach of the northern empire

—with his partner, Kirito. They had made their way into the sentinel garrison at Zakkaria, largest town in the north, and then left

for Centoria last spring with a handwritten recommendation

from the garrison commander. There, they cleared the entrance

test for the North Centoria Imperial Swordcraft Academy, the

empire's finest school for swordfighting; worked hard for a year

as primary trainees; and scored two of the top twelve spots on the

advancement test.

Rather than becoming secondary trainees, those twelve highscoring students were granted the title of "elite disciple." Disciples got their own dorm building with a roomy training hall, freedom from many of the onerous regulations of the academy, and

an entire year of intensive training to prepare for their next goal:

an appearance in the Imperial Battle Tournament.

The daily studies, sword instruction, and free training time

were exhausting, but it was a dream come true for Eugeo. If he

hadn't met the peculiar black-haired Kirito in the forest two years

ago, he would still be swinging his woodcutter's ax until the day

he retired of old age. Instead, he was mingling with the children

of Centorian nobles, learning sword techniques and sacred arts,

and making progress toward his true goal.

Unlike the other pupils, Eugeo's dream was not merely to triumph in the gloried Four-Empire Unification Tournament and

ascend to be one of the few, proud Integrity Knights. He wanted

to be a knight so that he could pass through the gate of the Central Cathedral—a privilege even first-rank nobles did not possess

—and reunite with Alice Zuberg, his childhood friend who had

been taken there years ago.

This infinitesimally small hope had lain dormant for years

until Kirito had come along and rekindled it. In fact, the two had

worked together to overcome every obstacle blocking their path.

Eugeo helped teach Kirito the Basic Imperial Laws that he'd lost

all memory of, and Kirito taught Eugeo his unique Aincrad style

of swordfighting. They'd come this far by acting like brothers…

like twins.

Even now, as elite disciples, Eugeo and Kirito shared lodging

in the dormitory. But they shared only the common space, as

each had his own bedroom. While Eugeo still felt guilty about the

beds being far bigger and softer than any back home in Rulid,

their bathing room having as much hot water as they wanted, and

their ample portions at the elite disciples' mess hall, Kirito had

adjusted to all of it almost instantly.

Even Kirito, though, had at least as much trouble as Eugeo at

one particular thing.

The dormitory was not the only privilege the top twelve received from the academy. Every disciple had a primary trainee

who served as his or her page and personal servant. Eugeo himself had been a page to an open-minded and generous disciple

last year, and he'd actually enjoyed it quite a bit…but things were

different once the tables were turned.

Eugeo's page was a sixth-rank noble girl named Tiese Schtrinen who had only just turned sixteen. Kirito's page was another

sixth-rank girl of sixteen years named Ronie Arabel, and these

two were a source of severe discomfort for two boys from the

countryside.

For her part, Tiese didn't seem bothered by the relationship at

all. The lively girl with burning-red hair and reddish eyes of a tint

rarely seen in the far north was blessed with plenty of motivation

and dedication, and as her tutor, Eugeo often felt that he was the

one getting lessons. But the part he would never get used to was

having his needs attended to by a noble, three years younger than

he and a girlto boot. Every single day, he would complain that he

could take care of some task or another, and Tiese would insist,

"No, this is the page's duty!"

Kirito's situation with Ronie was similar in many ways. Over

the past month, whenever she'd showed up to clean his room,

he'd often managed to find some reason not to be there.

On this, the seventeenth day of the fifth month of the year 380

HE, Kirito waltzed back into the room just as Tiese and Ronie

were done cleaning. He had a large paper sack in his arms, full of

the delectable honey pies from the Jumping Deer over on East

Third Street in North Centoria District Six. He removed one each

for himself and Eugeo, then gave the rest to the girls and instructed them to share with their roommates.

Primary trainees were forbidden to leave on weekdays, so of

course they could never go out to market to buy treats like this.

The girls were ecstatic at this unexpected gift, and it was the first

time Eugeo ever saw them run, rather than walk, back to the primary trainee dorm.

Part of the disciple's duty was to bond with the page and teach

them in all areas of life, not just swordfighting, so perhaps the

foodstuffs were a part of that effort—but Eugeo couldn't help but

find it more like simple bribery. He glanced sidelong at Kirito,

who finished chewing his pie with a satisfied grin and said, "So,

Eugeo, shall we engage in a little practice before dinner?"

"I don't mind in the least, but remember, tomorrow's the

higher sacred arts exam. And it's not just a written test but a

demonstration of your least favorite subject: generating ice ele-

ments."

"Ugh…"

Kirito had been reaching for his wooden practice sword, but

this reminder stopped him short. He seemed to be grappling with

his impulses for several seconds, then sighed and lowered his

hand. "Why do I still have to study for tests after coming this

far…?" he muttered wistfully.

As Kirito said, Eugeo never imagined himself studying sacred

arts in Centoria when he was a simple woodcutter in Rulid.

Sword practice was, of course, much more fun than memorizing

complex rituals, but if they neglected their sacred arts studies,

eventually even top marks in swordsmanship would not be

enough to win them entry into the Battle Tournament.

Of course, Kirito didn't need Eugeo to explain any of this to

him. He swept back the black hair that matched his uniform and

said weakly, "Eugeo, I'll be studying all the way until lights-out,

so if you could bring my supper from the mess hall, I would appreciate it."

"Got it. You know, you'd find it a lot easier if you just studied it

bit by bit on a regular basis."

"You are indeed correct, young Eugeo. Alas, not all of us are

capable of such feats," Kirito lamented, plodding across the living

room. He soon vanished through the north door into his bedroom.

Unlike the primary trainee dorm, the elite disciples' quarters

were totally circular. The building's three-story structure was hollow inside, with interior walkways lining the walls, and the bedrooms were all located along the south exterior.

On the first floor were the mess hall and shared bath chamber,

while six student rooms made up the second floor and another six

occupied the third. Each pair of rooms had a shared common

room between them, and Eugeo and Kirito's suite was on the

third floor.

Room placement was determined automatically by the individual results of the end-of-year exams. The top scorer received

Room 301 at the east end of the third floor, second place got

Room 302, and so on, such that the twelfth-place student was in

Room 206 on the second floor. Eugeo was in Room 305 and Kirito was in 306, which meant that out of the 120 primary trainees,

Eugeo had ranked fifth overall and Kirito sixth.

Their adjacent ranks were partially a result of intent and partially just good luck. Originally their plan was for numbers one

and two, of course—that being the only surefire way to get paired

together—but in the practical test against the sword instructors,

Kirito scored fourth and Eugeo fifth. That would have split them

apart, but Kirito lost points in the exhibition of forms and sacred

arts, which bumped him down to sixth.

So they achieved their goal of sharing a common room, but it

also created a new concern.

In one year—no, ten months—they needed to graduate as first

and second in the class so they could qualify for the Imperial Battle Tournament. Kirito had been seventh and Eugeo eighth on the

school entrance exams, so this was an improvement, but it was

hard to be optimistic with four others ranking above them.

Kirito seemed to be more relaxed about it, as if just being an

elite disciple was his only goal. His confidence wasn't without

merit. Disciples' ranks were determined by test matches held four

times in the year, rather than the overall scores from the previous

year. These matches were against other students, not instructors,

so rather than using traditional scoring criteria, winning was all

that mattered.

And Eugeo's norms-busting partner, as a primary trainee just

two and a half months ago, had defeated the former first-seat disciple in a one-on-one duel. Technically, the judge ruled that it was

a draw, but given the circumstances, it was undoubtedly a victory

for Kirito. His foe was the son of a second-rank noble house that

traditionally served as sword instructors for the Imperial Knights.

Eugeo had his own confidence in his abilities thanks to two

years of instruction in Kirito's own Aincrad style. But he wasn't as

optimistic as his partner. He certainly wasn't cocky enough to ignore his daily regimen, even the night before a written test when

book study was crucial.

With his sparring partner withdrawing to his room for an

emergency cram session, Eugeo had no choice but to take his own

sword and leave.

Beyond the interior hallway across from the door was the hollow space from the ground all the way up to the skylight cap on

the roof, through which the red of the sunset was visible. There

hadn't been a building this extravagant even in Zakkaria, much

less his humble home of Rulid. The floor beneath his feet was luxurious, polished wood, and the curved interior wall featured several works of art based on imperial history.

If I told my brothers back home that I lived in such luxury

and even had my own servant, they'd never believe me, he

thought as he made his way down the long walkway.

Elite disciple or not, he was still just a student getting VIP

treatment. If this was what he got now, what kind of lifestyle

comforts must the mighty finalists of the Unification Tournament

receive—to say nothing of the Integrity Knights ranked above any

of the four emperors?

"…Whoops!" he said, rapping his head with the wooden sword

resting on his shoulder.

After a year at the school, Eugeo was getting used to it, but

there were times that he felt guilty, as if he'd forgotten how he'd

felt when he'd left home. He was here to raise his profile as a

swordsman, not to indulge in the comforts of wealth and fame.

"Alice," he mumbled, reminding himself.

Everything he was doing here—winning the test matches,

striving to be an Integrity Knight—was merely a means, not the

goal. It was all to gain access to the Central Cathedral, so that he

could be reunited with his childhood friend imprisoned inside it…

He descended the stairs on the northern side of the building

and headed for the special training hall adjacent to the dorm.

This was another privilege of the disciples—as a primary trainee,

he'd practiced the sword at the packed hall and outdoor training

grounds, but now he had a spacious area available at any time,

with no waiting period.

At the end of a short walkway, Eugeo pushed open the door

and was greeted by the fresh scent of the training hall floorboards, which were replaced every spring. He stopped, started to

breathe in a fragrant lungful, then froze. There was an oily, clinging perfume mingling in the air.

After he proceeded through the changing room into the hall,

his foreboding was confirmed.

Two male students in the center of the wood floor noticed

Eugeo and scowled. They were practicing their forms. One of

them had paused with his wooden sword held aloft, while the

other was adjusting the angle of his feet. Both of them lowered

their arms in a very pointed way.

Don't worry, I'm not going to steal your forms, Eugeo

thought. He gave them a brief bow and headed for the corner of

the training hall. He figured they would ignore him like usual, but

this time, one of them stepped toward him and said, "Well, well.

All alone tonight, Disciple… Eugeo?"

It was the one who'd been raising his sword. His broad chest

was wrapped in a vivid red uniform, and waves of golden hair

flowed down his back. There was a pleasant smile on his handsome face, but the way he had paused before saying Eugeo's

name and lingered on it after was a subtle dig at Eugeo's birth to

a frontier family that didn't have its own surname.

Responding to each and every minor slight would be a waste of

good training time, so Eugeo ignored the barb and replied, "Good

evening, Disciple Antinous. Unfortunately, my room partner—"

The second man cut him off with a screech. "Insolence! When

you speak Raios's name, you must address him as 'First Seat Disciple'!"

This one had gray hair tamped down with oils and a pale-yellow uniform. Eugeo turned to him with more open distaste and

bowed. "Please forgive me, Disciple Zizek."

The other man bristled even more and stomped forward. "You

commit insolence upon insolence! You must address me as 'Second Seat'! You betray the rich history and tradition of our hallowed academy with every act…"

"Now, now, Humbert," said the first man, clapping his partner

on the shoulder.

The fellow with the gray hair, Humbert Zizek, was indeed the

second seat of the twelve elite disciples, while his golden-haired

partner, Raios Antinous, was the first seat—the man who had

taken over the position from Volo Levantein, whom Kirito beat in

a duel before the end of the school year.

Unlike Volo, who had the quiet air of an accomplished warrior,

Raios exhibited a higher noble's opulent arrogance—yet their

sword styles were quite similar. That had a lot to do with the fact

that they both practiced the High-Norkia style, but it was still

strange. Raios was refined (and twisted), while Volo placed all his

focus into one straightforward, overpowering attack.

When Eugeo had mentioned this to Kirito, the other boy had

said that half the skill of noble children came from the tremendous self-esteem instilled into them for years. In terms of dedication to his craft and training, Raios couldn't hold a candle to Volo,

but his sense of self-worth (or arrogance) was far greater, and

that was how his blade could have such a nasty, insistent weight.

"But isn't self-esteem supposed to be basically the same thing

as pride? If they have so much pride, why do they stoop to petty

pranks?" Eugeo had wondered.

Kirito had thought it over and replied, "Pride is something that

you have to continually prove to yourself. But self-esteem doesn't

work that way. Raios and Humbert shaped their identities by

comparing themselves to others. So at each and every opportunity, they feel the need to keep us inferior, because we're not even

from Centoria, much less of noble birth. They can't maintain their

sense of self-importance otherwise."

Eugeo found this difficult to understand, but if Kirito was correct, that meant willfully submitting to their arrogance only fed

their self-image and strengthened their skill with the sword.

That suggested the option of returning their aggressive insults

with his own, but unlike Kirito, Eugeo didn't have the keen ability

to toe the line when it came to school rules, and he didn't want to

sow the seeds of conflict for no good reason.

And so, feeling slightly ashamed of his passive nature, Eugeo

simply bowed to indicate his apology, then headed for the corner

of the training hall again. As he walked across the unfinished

boards, pristine and freshly cut from a nearby forest, Eugeo's

foreboding slowly eased. With all the stone buildings in Centoria,

the scent of fresh wood was a precious source of peace.

Raios and Humbert might have had personal instructors

since they were children, but for seven years in Rulid, I hit that

Gigas Cedar two thousand times a day. I might not have their

level of self-esteem, but I certainly have pride. Even if I was only

swinging an ax, not a sword…

He stopped in front of one of the logs standing along the west

wall for personal practice. These had been replaced at the same

time as the floorboards, so the sides were hardly dented at all.

Eugeo gripped the platinum oak practice sword with both hands,

held it at default mid-level, and focused his breathing.

"Sha!"

He lifted the sword over his head, then brought it down with a

quick cry. It smacked heavily against the right side of the thirtycen-wide log, which trembled to its core.

Eugeo took a step back, savoring the vibration in his wrists,

then swung down on the left side. Then right, then left. After ten

strikes, his mind drifted from his body and sword, leaving nothing but the block of wood.

Eugeo's nightly practice consisted of four hundred of these alternating high strikes. He did not practice the complex forms

from class that Raios and Humbert had been performing just

now. Kirito was his sword style master, and he said they weren't

necessary.

In this world, what you put into your sword is crucial, Kirito

liked to say when he was teaching Eugeo. The High-Norkia, Baltio, and Aincrad styles' secret techniques are very powerful.

Once you have the knack of how to activate them, the sword

practically moves on its own. The problem is what comes next:

Like you saw with Volo and me, you're going to have more

clashes of ultimate attack versus ultimate attack. Once it comes

to that, the weight of the sword will determine the outcome of

the fight.

Weight.

Eugeo understood that he wasn't simply referring to the physical weight of the swords themselves.

To Volo Levantein, the pride in his birth to the clan of the traditional instructors of the Imperial Knights gave weight to his

sword. For Golgorosso Balto, whom Eugeo had served as page

last year, it was the physical perfection of his body. For Kirito's

tutor, Sortiliena Serlut, it was the polished bite of her attacks.

And for Raios and Humbert, it was the respect of their noble

birth.

So what do I put into my sword?

When Eugeo had asked this, Kirito smirked and replied that it

was his job to figure that out. But then he realized that this wasn't

a very good example for a teacher and added that Eugeo wouldn't

find it by practicing his forms.

So all along their journey to Centoria, and even after they

made it to the academy, Eugeo continued practicing his strikes

nearly every day. He wasn't a noble by birth or a swordsman—all

he had was years of practice repeating those simple ax strikes in

the forest near Rulid.

But as a matter of fact, there was one other thing:

His desire to take back Alice from her imprisonment by the

Axiom Church. Even as he stood here swinging his wooden

sword, the image of that little blond girl would not disappear

from his mind. It had been that way ever since he was chopping

at the Gigas Cedar.

That summer day was eight years in the past now.

When the Integrity Knight named Deusolbert Synthesis Seven

took Alice away, Eugeo could do nothing but stand and watch. He

was holding the Dragonbone Ax capable of cutting through steel,

and yet he couldn't even lift it. Even though right nearby, someone…a boy around his age…was screaming, begging Eugeo to act,

pleading.

And…who had that boy been, anyway? Eugeo's only friend

close enough to scream his name with that kind of passion was

Alice. And yet he could practically hear the voice echoing in his

ears today.

All these thoughts passed through his mind while an automatic counter kept track of the number of swings he'd done—

until a glee-filled voice broke his concentration.

"Well, well, I must say that Eugeo's training always surprises

me with its strangeness."

The tip of his sword slipped and landed awkwardly, delivering

a nasty shock to his wrists the way it did when he failed to land a

clean blow on the Gigas Cedar with his ax.

Eugeo was in the corner of the spacious training hall, while

Raios and Humbert were in the middle, so it was no accident that

he had overheard the comment so clearly. He'd heard every kind

of snarky insult under the sun from them, and it ashamed him to

admit that they were still effective. He resumed his exercise, chiding himself to ignore them.

"Eugeo does that each and every night, but I wonder what

meaning there can be in simple, dull swinging, without any techniques or forms, Humbert."

"I profess that I wonder the same thing, Raios." They mocked

within earshot, chuckling to themselves.

Eugeo did not react physically, but inside his head he retorted,

You seem suspiciously bolder when Kirito isn't around, Raios.

For some reason, for the last two months, Raios's and Humbert's provocations were totally absent when Kirito was with

Eugeo. Instead, they doubled their spite when Eugeo was alone,

but the circumstances indicated that it was more out of distaste

for Kirito than weakness in Eugeo.

Something must have happened between Kirito and the nobles

at the end of their primary year, but Kirito never elaborated on it

more than that it was "a little tiff," and Eugeo certainly wasn't

going to ask Raios. The only detail that seemed relevant was how

after the graduation ceremony, when Kirito presented Sortiliena

with a pot of rare blue flowers, Raios and Humbert had been visibly pale when they saw it. Eugeo didn't know what that meant,

though.

At any rate, he wasn't going to complain about the fact that

Kirito's presence made the noble sons behave. On the other hand,

he was an elite disciple now and couldn't hide in the shadow of

his partner forever.

In the middle of June next month would be the first testing

matches of the school year. The final ranking would be just before

graduation, but if Raios and Humbert showed total superiority in

the first head-to-head, it didn't bode well for his future chances.

The way that Sortiliena had finally overcome the superior Volo

Levantein at the last possible chance simply did not happen, Golgorosso explained, strangely pleased for an outcome that didn't

affect him.

Like Volo, the current first and second seats—Raios and Humbert—had lifelong training in the High-Norkia style of swordsmanship. Their personalities were devoid of any inspirational

qualities, but their skill with the blade was head and shoulders

above the other nobles. With less than a month to go to the first

match, Eugeo had to admit he didn't know what he could do to

overcome the challenge they posed.

But at the very least, I can tell myself that you haven't swung

your weapon more than I have, he insisted silently, finishing off

the four hundred strikes.

He stood up straight, grabbed a towel from his waist, and

wiped down the wooden blade, followed by the sweat glistening

on his forehead and neck. Eugeo looked back and saw that the

two men were still standing in the center of the hall, instructing

each other on their forms.

As he faced forward again and exhaled, the Bells of TimeTolling hanging from the tower of the main school building

played the melody for six o'clock—the exact same melody that

had played at the church back home. As opposed to the highly

regimented primary trainee dorm, the elite disciples were given

plenty of leeway to determine their own schedules, and Eugeo

was allowed to eat dinner at any time between six and eight

o'clock. He could've kept practicing if he wanted, but Kirito was

busy studying, and Eugeo had to bring him some food.

Speaking of which, Kirito never specified the dish he wanted.

If they're serving those pickled knobblemelons he hates so much,

I'll get him extra.

He put the hand towel and wooden sword back in their spots

along his waist, then headed for the exit when he heard Raios and

Humbert talking as they hung up their swords.

"My word, Disciple Eugeo merely struck the log and didn't

bother to practice his forms."

Humbert picked up where he'd left off. "From what I hear,

Eugeo was a woodcutter at some miserable rural village. Perhaps

the only techniques he knows are meant for logs."

"Well said! As fellow students under the same roof, I suppose

it behooves us to at least teach him a proper form."

"Why, Raios, your dedication and generosity are the very

image of a nobleman!"

The well-rehearsed farce nearly made Eugeo groan aloud, but

he held it in and kept walking.

Then Humbert spoke to him directly. "What do you say,

Eugeo? Why don't you take Raios up on his magnanimous offer?

You'll never get such a deal again."

Now there was no way to ignore them. If they addressed him

directly and he intentionally ignored it, that would be considered

impolite. Elite disciples had the right to perform disciplinary

punishment on other students, but only to regular primary and

secondary trainees. However, this was an unspoken rule and not

an explicit one, so it was possible that they might force Eugeo to

undergo punishment, too.

He was going to murmur, "No need to go to such lengths for

me" and continue on his way, but then a different thought occurred to him: What if this was actually a golden opportunity?

Raios and Humbert were first- and second-seat disciples—the

best and second-best swordsmen at the academy. Kirito constantly reminded Eugeo not to underestimate them, and he did

not believe he was.

But there was something about the nobles' strength being

rooted in their self-importance that Eugeo could not accept. Their

pride in their noble birth, their derision toward students born

from common stock or lesser noble houses, their mockery: Was it

right that these things could be giving them strength? If he accepted it as truth, wouldn't he be defiling the lessons of respect

and love that Sister Azalia, Elder Gasfut, and his old friend Alice

had taught him?

Despite the looks of disdain he was getting, Eugeo summoned

the minimum of respect—if not love—for Raios and Humbert that

he could. But if that attitude was serving only to amplify their

pride and self-esteem, and thus strengthen them, what was the

point of it? It would be empty.

On the other hand, he was determined not to follow their example and choose a life of insults and mockery…but he had to

know before the testing match next month. What was the true nature of this strength born of self-image? Now that they were offering a "lesson," this might be his best chance to find out.

Eugeo had to admit to himself that this was exactly the sort of

thing Kirito would come up with. He opened his mouth and said,

"You're right…I won't get another chance for this. I gratefully accept your offer and tutelage."

Raios's and Humbert's eyebrows shot up. They hadn't expected that response, but their lips soon curled into sneers. Humbert spread his hands wide and shrieked, "Ha-ha, of course, of

course! Then go ahead and demonstrate your form to us. Let's

start with an easy one, such as the Third Form of Flames…"

"No, Second Seat Zizek," Eugeo said, raising his hand and

choosing his words carefully. "I would hate to waste your valuable

tutoring opportunity on a simple form appraisal. I would prefer

to receive your blade instruction directly."

"…What?"

The smile faded from Humbert's face. It was replaced by

doubt, suspicion as to Eugeo's motive, and the cruelty of a predator toying with its prey.

"Direct…instruction, you say? Should I take that to mean you

wish for me to hit you directly, Disciple Eugeo?"

"I would prefer the stop-short method, of course, but I am the

one asking for a lesson. It is not my place to dictate the terms."

"Aha, I see, I see. So a first-strike duel would be agreeable,

then."

Humbert's slicked-back gray hair seemed to stand on end just

a little bit. His already narrow eyes were down to slits now, and

their gaze was vicious. Sadistic enjoyment had won out over suspicion at Eugeo's suddenly agreeable manner.

"As the second seat of the academy and a fourth-rank noble,

you might say it is my duty to respond when my tutelage is

sought. Very well, Disciple Eugeo—I shall demonstrate my style

to you."

He promptly yanked his wooden sword from his waist with

unnecessary flair. It was made of the same platinum oak as

Eugeo's, but his had fine patterns carved into the sides. Next to

Humbert, Raios started to say something, but he reconsidered

and clamped his mouth shut. He smiled easily, retreated three

mels, and nodded to Humbert when he turned back to look.

Emboldened by the approval of his partner, Humbert pointed

his blade straight at Eugeo, who was standing still with his arms

at his sides, and shouted, "Here I come! Feel the full might of the

High-Norkia style!"

He spread his legs front and rear and pulled the sword back

with his right hand until it rested upon his shoulder. This was the

stance for Lightning Slash, the ultimate attack of the Norkia

sword style. Oddly, it wasn't Mountain-Splitting Wave, which was

the corresponding attack for the actual High-Norkia style he

mentioned. Surely he hadn't held back out of concern for Eugeo—

he was probably just hesitant to show off his best moves.

Still, Lightning Slash was not an attack to be overlooked. Even

a dull wooden sword could knock you unconscious and wipe out

half your life if it struck your skull. It was a terrible taboo to decrease the life of others, of course, but in a consensual duel, the

first blow was essentially free. And Humbert obviously had no intention of holding back.

The second seat's decorated practice sword glowed blue, an

impressively short period between pose and activation. But

Eugeo could completely predict the trajectory the blade would

follow; Lightning Slash was identical to Vertical, one of the many

secret skills of the Aincrad style.

" Sheyaah!!" Humbert screeched. His sword bolted.

But Eugeo was already on the move. He drew his sword from

the left, paused, and activated an attack of his own—he would receive the overhead smash with an upward diagonal slice, the Aincrad style's Slant.

Strangely, all the attacks Kirito had taught him were not in the

common language but the strange and foreign sacred tongue.

Even Kirito didn't know why. It probably had something to do

with his missing memories from before he appeared in Rulid as a

"lost child of Vecta," so it was a very lucky thing that he hadn't

forgotten the skills themselves.

Like Lightning Slash, Slant was a one-part skill, but its versatility lay in how it was effectively bidirectional: you could swing it

from upper right to lower left or from lower left to upper right. In

the latter case, the stance allowed him to draw and activate directly from his left hip, which drastically shortened the time required.

Normally, if one waited for the opponent to start a skill attack

before reacting, the only choice would be to leap out of the way—

and even that rarely worked. But Eugeo timed his Slant to start

just after Humbert's, the sword leaving a blue trail in the air as it

swept upward to smash against the Lightning Slash. The resulting

light and sound were nothing like one would expect from pieces

of wood.

"Whoa…" Humbert grunted. The surprise on his face gave way

to anger, and he pressed down hard. The dark- and light-blue

glows infusing the swords were still active. As soon as one of

them got pushed back a few cens, the attack would conclude and

give way to the other. Eugeo tensed his legs, willing his sword to

stay put and swing through.

The wood creaked and cracked, and Humbert's sword gave

way slightly. The dark-blue glow of Lightning Slash flickered,

suggesting its imminent demise.

I knew it—in a simple competition of strength, I'm superior!

He'd expected this, but seeing the proof in action strengthened

Eugeo's resolve. He couldn't match the nobles' precise image control, which extended down to the very angle of their fingers and

toes, but he knew that swinging that heavy ax two thousand times

a day in the forest gave him physical strength. Even Golgorosso,

with his steel-like muscles, said that Eugeo was "slight but well

trained."

Some of the nobles trained in the High-Norkia style liked to

label common-born Golgorosso's Baltio style as rural swordsmanship from the sticks, but in a proper duel—not the practiced

beauty of form demonstrations—arm strength was a formidable

weapon on its own. And Kirito's free-flowing Aincrad style gave

Eugeo the flexibility to lock blades in any circumstance.

Even if I don't yet have that "something" I can imbue my

sword with, the technique and strength I've built up are enough

to match any noble's!Eugeo told himself, summoning all the

muscle he could.

But at just that moment, Humbert's expression swiftly morphed into one of rage. "Don't get…cocky!"

His eyes and brows shot up as far as they would go, and a

metallic screech escaped between his clenched, bared teeth. Suddenly, the nearly faded blue light pulsed back, dark and ugly.

This time, it was Eugeo's blade that creaked. The weight on his

right arm doubled, and fierce pain shot through his wrist and

shoulder. The two cens of advantage he'd held slipped away until

their positioning in the clash was where it started.

Where is this strength coming from?!Eugeo wondered, just

barely holding his ground. Humbert couldn't have this kind of

physical strength, not with the way he always preened and practiced his forms without ever breaking a real sweat. So if it wasn't

physical might…it had to be the "strength of self-image" that Kirito talked about. Apparently, his point of view that he was naturally superior to others was powerful enough to overcome all of

Eugeo's steady discipline.

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't bring himself to believe

that Stacia, goddess of creation, would implement this law of the

universe.

Just then, Humbert's hair bristled, and he hissed, "Did you really think you could break me with that cheap sneak attack?"

"Ch-cheap…?"

"Of course it is. You pretended you would let yourself get hit,

then pulled out that technique without any form or stance at all.

If that's not cheap, what is?"

"N-no! That's just part and parcel of my style…the Aincrad

style!" Eugeo shot back without thinking. If the High-Norkia style

placed emphasis on the power and visual of the technique, then

the Aincrad style was a practical one that prioritized landing the

blow above all else. Of course its skills launched quicker, as it had

combination attacks that the other sword schools did not.

The concept of the Aincrad style was exemplified by the life of

Kirito, its only adherent. Never bragging, never for show, simply

moving headlong toward the goal. Hit a wall and bounce back,

again and again. If it weren't for him, Eugeo would never have

even reached Zakkaria, much less Centoria.

So Eugeo's reaction to Humbert's assessment of the style was

instantaneous. However, the mental response rebounded into his

physical body, such that his sword weakened a bit. This time, it

was the pale-blue glow surrounding Eugeo's blade that flickered.

He spread his legs, bent back his upper half, and desperately

stood his ground.

Humbert leered. In a voice like fingers scraping glass, he

jeered, "The miserable cheapness of your style is apparent from

your predicament. Perhaps you thought you'd take over Raios's

position or mine in the next testing matches…Well, think again.

I'm going to shatter your shoulder so that you won't swing a

sword for a good long while."

"Rrgh…!"

He gritted his teeth, but Humbert's sword only got heavier.

Even when it met resistance, a sword technique could hold its

power for quite a while as long as it was still located in the original path, but the direct vertical pressure of Humbert's Lightning

Slash was pushing him away from the proper trajectory. One

more cen—five milices, even—would spell the end of his Slant and

doom him to that shoulder wound.

The Swordcraft Academy had an excellent medical facility, of

course, replete with healing herbs and an attendant healer with

expert knowledge of sacred arts. But there was a limit to what

they could do, and unless they used a dangerous art like pouring

one's life directly into that of the injured, there was no way to instantly heal a broken bone, for example. If he suffered such a

wound now, he wouldn't be able to participate in next month's

testing match…

How stupid am I? What swordsman fears injury?!

Eugeo dismissed the fear creeping into his heart and focused

his mind on his sword.

He could have chosen to ignore the taunts. It had been his idea

to make it a duel. Now he was in danger of losing, rattled by the

opponent's words—how pathetic could he get? He had drawn his

blade; after that, he could only use his skill and strength to his

best efforts and accept the consequences. That was the mentality

of the Aincrad style.

And I still haven't given him everything I've got.

He focused not on Humbert's sadistic grin but on the wooden

sword gripped in his right hand. The firmness and weight of the

oak, its curve and grain registered in his arm—he could even feel

the faint vibration of the Slant's dying power.

Make yourself one with the sword, his friend and teacher, Kirito, would always say.

Eugeo couldn't manage that yet, but thanks to his everyday

practice, he could on very rare occasions hear what seemed like

the voice of the sword. A voice that said, Not that way, move like

this instead.

This was one of those moments.

If he continued to receive the overhand swing from below, he

would inevitably be overpowered. A change in technique was

needed.

"…Rah!" Eugeo bellowed, a rarity for him. He flicked his wrist,

catching Humbert's sword on the right flat of his own. That action ended his Slant, giving the Lightning Slash a free path toward his right shoulder, roaring bluish-black as it descended.

In one smooth motion, Eugeo slid his sword back atop his

shoulder. Immediately, that triggered the Aincrad style's Vertical.

Humbert's blade caught the right sleeve of the practice jacket,

tearing several cens of the dark-blue fabric.

Suddenly, Eugeo's sword flashed a brilliant blue again and

rocketed back against Humbert with tremendous force.

"Nwah!"

His eyes went wide at this unexpected response. Humbert and

Raios knew about the Aincrad style's combination attacks by

now, but they wouldn't have predicted that they could chain one

ultimate attack with another. Even Eugeo hadn't known about the

possibility; he simply moved as his body willed.

Humbert's sword shot back over fifty cens, the light of the

Lightning Slash fading promptly. He lost his balance, and his feet

came off the floor.

But fortunately for him—and perhaps for Eugeo—by not staying firm and suffering a blow to the left shoulder, Humbert himself was launched through the air and flew over three mels backward.

A fall would certainly end the duel in Eugeo's favor, but to

Humbert's stubborn credit, he managed to land on his feet and

avoid toppling. He leaned as far as he possibly could, just to keep

his balance.

Eugeo knew that if he followed up, he could easily land a blow,

but before he could regain his footing, a crisp voice filled the

training hall.

"That is enough. We will consider this a draw," said Raios Antinous theatrically, a smile playing on his red lips.

Humbert stood up straight again and shouted, "B-but, Raios!

I…I would never draw with this bumpkin of a—!"

"Humbert," the first seat reprimanded softly. The other youth

abruptly bowed his head. He transferred his sword to his left side

and raised his right fist to his chest—the knight's salute—then

turned on his heel without waiting for Eugeo's response.

From Humbert's left, Raios glanced at him with that wan

smile and made a show of applauding. "Your bizarre techniques

were quite entertaining, Disciple Eugeo. Perhaps you should consider petitioning the Imperial Circus for a new calling after graduation."

"…Your advice is appreciated, Disciple Antinous," Eugeo

replied, intentionally omitting the "first seat" title, but Raios

merely nodded amiably and turned for the exit. Humbert followed him, glaring at Eugeo for all he was worth.

Raios's soft leather practice shoes squeaked on the polished

floor as he walked. But just as he passed Eugeo in the center of

the hall, he paused and murmured, "Next time, I'll show you the

might of a noble house."

"…Nothing stopping you from doing it now," Eugeo retorted,

but in truth, he was exhausted after his four hundred swings and

the impromptu duel.

Raios merely smirked and continued walking, only to utter an

even quieter, "Waving your sword around is not all there is to

battle, you nameless buffoon."

The first seat continued on his way with a chuckle, followed by

the furious Humbert, who passed without comment. Eventually,

Eugeo heard the door open and close behind him.

Amid the fresh silence, Eugeo breathed long and deep.

A strength based on a noble's regard for himself. In his first

experience face-to-face with it, Eugeo found that it was much

heavier than he expected. If he'd stuck to his Slant, he would have

failed and ended up with a broken bone in his shoulder. Part of it

was the disadvantage of blocking an overhead strike from below,

but that wasn't all of it. Humbert's disdain and mockery of

Eugeo's class was like a curse that bound his blade and limbs.

The Aincrad style's flexibility in producing ultimate techniques

from various stances got him out of trouble this time, but tricks

and sneakiness weren't going to help him through all of the upcoming test matches throughout the year. There would come

times when he needed to win head-on through sheer strength.

Eugeo had to find something by then. Something he could put

into his blade that could counteract the boundless self-confidence

that Humbert and Raios wielded.

He lifted the practice sword and traced the wood that he'd

treated to such abuse.

"…Thanks. Hope you'll help me out next time, too."

Then he put it back on his waist and started walking, just as

the bells chimed a quick count for six thirty. Kirito was bound to

be getting hungry during his cram session back at the room.

Eugeo crossed the pale floorboards, gave the empty training hall

a brief salute, then headed for the cafeteria.

After a short hallway, he was back in the elite disciple dorm.

There were no private rooms on the first floor, which was reserved for the bathing hall, the cafeteria, and meeting rooms.

In the primary trainee dorm, meals were at fixed times with

preplanned daily menus, but the disciples had much more freedom in both regards. The mess hall was open from six to eight,

and the cook there would prepare any of a number of rotating

dishes to the students' needs. Not only that, you could eat it there

or take it back to your room if you wanted.

Fortunately, Raios and Humbert must have gone into the

bath, as the cafeteria was empty. Eugeo walked up to the kitchen

counter and checked the day's menu. The choices for main dish

were roast mutton, fried fish, and boiled chicken dumplings.

Let's see…He'd want the dumplings, a big serving of cheesy

vegetables, the pickled ori nuts, and some ice-cold siral water.

Disgruntled that he somehow knew his partner well enough to

identify his ideal meal out of the possible choices, Eugeo leaned

over the counter to shout into the back.

"Good evening! I'd like two servings to go. For the first one, I'll

have…"

2

Eugeo was prepared for any kind of petty revenge scheme, but for

the next few days after the impromptu duel, Raios and Humbert

stayed quiet.

When he passed them at the disciples' dorm or the central

building, Humbert would give him a hateful look, but not so

much as a word otherwise. Just in case, he told Kirito about the

incident at the training hall and warned him to be on guard, but

the nobles hadn't bothered him at all.

"It seems so strange…They're not the kind of guys who would

withdraw and mind their own business after that. And what Raios

said sure sounded like a promise for retribution," Eugeo muttered, leaning back into a leather couch.

Across from him, Kirito held a ceramic cup to his lips. "I don't

think they've had a sudden change of heart, either. But if you

think about it, it's got to be difficult to pull off their kind of trick

here at this dorm."

He sipped his cofil tea, black and unsweetened. It was nine

thirty at night after a wild week, with the day of rest ahead.

They'd finished with their daily practice, dinner, and bath, and at

this time on a weekday, they'd be in their beds sleeping—but it

had become their custom to spend this one night a week in the

common room, sipping tea and talking things over.

Eugeo lifted his own cup, tasted the hot black liquid, and made

a face. His partner loved this powdered tea from the southern

empire and always prepared it when it was his turn to make the

tea, but Eugeo found it too bitter to drink straight. He poured in a

large amount of milk from the jar and stirred it in with the little

spoon, glancing at Kirito.

The gesture apparently prompted Kirito to ask an unexpected

question. "When you were a kid back home in Rulid, what kind of

pranks would you play around the school?"

Eugeo took another sip of the cofil tea, which was no longer

bitter but rich and fragrant. He shrugged. "I was usually the one

on the receiving end. You remember Zink, the chief man-at-arms,

who challenged me to a fight before we left? He used to harass me

all the time…Hiding my shoes, putting itch-bugs in my lunch,

teasing me for hanging out with Alice."

"Ha-ha-ha, I guess kids do the same things in every world…

But he didn't hit you or anything like that. Right?"

"Of course not," Eugeo said, wide-eyed. "He could never do

such a thing. I mean—"

"The Taboo Index forbids it, exactly. 'Thou shalt not intentionally damage the life of another without a reason listed elsewhere.'

But…is it okay to hide someone's shoes? Isn't stealing also a terrible taboo?"

"Stealing means to take another's possessions and make them

your own without permission. It takes twenty-four hours for the

sacred text in the Stacia Window that indicates ownership to pass

from person to person once the item has been moved or placed in

the other's home. That's why, even if you have an agreement to

give something to another person, you can still fairly request its

return within the day. And if it's removed without permission,

you can place the item anywhere that's not your own home, which

will not overwrite the ownership and thus doesn't count as stealing. You aren't telling me…you've forgotten such a basic tenet of

the law, are you?"

Eugeo stared at Kirito, the infamous lost child of Vecta, but

the other boy merely ruffled his black hair and laughed in embarrassment.

"Oh, r-right, of course. No, I haven't forgotten. I remember…

but wait. What about in that story, then? When Bercouli tried to

steal the Blue Rose Sword from the dragon's lair—wasn't that

breaking a taboo?"

"A dragon isn't a person."

"Ah…gotcha."

"Back on topic, while it's not a taboo to hide someone's belongings for a prank, if left out in the open on nobody's territory,

the item's life will start to dwindle, so if it's not returned before

then, that's damage to another's property. So no matter what, my

shoes would always be back by the evening. But…what does this

have to do with Raios and Humbert behaving themselves?" Eugeo

wondered.

Kirito blinked, apparently forgetting that he had brought it up

in the first place, then said, "Ah, r-right. Um, so my point is, this

school has a bunch of its own rules in addition to the Taboo

Index, right? And there's an entry about going into the private

rooms of other students or faculty without permission. That

means they can't get in here, and all our property is inside our

room. We'd have to forget something important out in a public…

space…"

He trailed off for some reason, but then regained his train of

thought. "And we haven't done that, of course. So it's essentially

impossible for Raios and Humbert to play pranks on us the same

way that Zink picked on poor little Eugeo back in Rulid Village."

"Don't you 'poor little' me. Hmm…but now that you mention

it, I guess you're right that at the disciples' dorm, there's no way

to harass someone worse than simple insults."

"And if the insult crosses a line, it becomes subject to disciplinary punishment," Kirito added, grinning.

Disciplinary punishment was a special right of the elite disciples, a kind of staff-proxy authority to uphold the rules. If a student committed some rudeness or slight that was not against the

rules but deemed worthy of discipline, the elite disciple could

choose to punish the student at his or her own discretion. Kirito

himself had recently been the subject of this system, when he got

mud on the uniform of Volo Levantein, previous first seat of the

academy. Volo used his disciplinary punishment privilege to challenge Kirito to a duel.

This privilege was customarily used on primary and secondary

trainees, but there was no stipulation in the school rules that it

couldn't be used against another disciple. So it was theoretically

possible for a disciple to punish another disciple, and this was the

reason that Raios's and Humbert's japes and insults had decreased since the new school year started.

Kirito's cup was empty, so Eugeo poured him some more tea.

This time, his partner drizzled a little milk into it. He swirled the

delicate silver spoon with his fingertips, lost in thought.

Eventually, Kirito said, "If they can't mess with our stuff, then

they'll have to go after us. The most direct method would be starting a duel and landing a blow, but you've already proven you can

work a draw against them. The only other thing I can imagine is…

tempting me with promises of wealth and turning me against

you."

"Huh…?" Eugeo whimpered, then clamped his mouth shut.

But Kirito smirked and boasted, "Have no fear, young man.

Big Bro will never abandon you."

"I—I wasn't worried about that! But if not money…I wonder if

a big plate of Gottoro's special meat buns would tempt you."

"That would definitely work," Kirito admitted, deadly serious,

then laughed. "But enough jokes. I think we can rule out the likelihood that they'll try to mess with us or our belongings."

Then his expression got tense again. "But that does mean they

could try anything that doesn't fall under the Taboo Index or

school rules. I highly doubt they have any intention of handing

over the first and second seat…Let me know if there's anything

we're overlooking, Eugeo."

"Yeah, I'll think about it. It's less than a month to the first testing match, after all. We need to make sure we're in the best possible condition to face them."

"Right…On the other hand, maybe they were threatening us with

no intent to follow up, just to keep us nervous and on edge. Don't

lose your head—stay cool!" Kirito proclaimed, draining his cup.

Eugeo looked confused. "What do you mean? Stay…cool?"

For some reason, Kirito averted his eyes guiltily and cleared

his throat. "Err, that's…a mantra of the Aincrad style. I guess you

could say it means 'be calm.' You can also use it as a farewell."

"Ahh, I see. I'll have to remember that. Stay cool, stay cool,"

Eugeo repeated. The unfamiliar phrase was in the same sacred

tongue as the special Aincrad techniques, but he found it surprisingly comfortable once he tried it out. He repeated it over and

over under his breath, until Kirito started looking awkward and

clapped his hands together.

"Well! The ten o'clock bells will ring soon, so I guess we should

call it a night. As for tomorrow, I actually have an errand to

run…"

"Oh no you don't, Kirito. You can't slip your way out of this

one," Eugeo said, setting down his cup and glaring at his partner.

On tomorrow's day of rest, they were supposed to take their

pages, Tiese and Ronie, on a little friendship-building field trip—

which would still be within the school grounds. Based on Kirito's

reaction when the idea was brought up, Eugeo had been expecting him to come up with some reason to weasel his way out of it.

"Listen, it's been a month now since we started tutoring those

two. Sortiliena was nice to you last year when you were her page,

right?"

"Whenever we weren't training, yes. Wow…that name brings

back memories. I wonder how she's doing…"

"Don't go off into a flashback. My point is, now it's your turn

to be the good tutor. They're coming over at nine in the morning,

so make sure you're ready by then!" Eugeo commanded, jabbing a

finger at Kirito. He gave an easy affirmative and got up from the

couch.

They took their dishes over to the sink in the corner of the

room, with Kirito rinsing off each piece while Eugeo handled the

drying. In Rulid and Zakkaria, they had to draw the water from a

well, but in Centoria, nearly all buildings had metal pipes that

brought crisp, clean water with just the twist of a faucet. Eugeo

thought at first it was the work of a Divine Object like the Bells of

Time-Tolling, but it turned out that each district of the series had

a huge reservoir well infused with wind-element sacred arts that

applied pressure to push it through all the many pipes.

So the water they got was always fresh, and they didn't have to

worry about it degrading in its bucket. If they'd had this back in

Rulid, how delighted would the children be that they didn't have

to go out and draw water each morning? Eugeo considered this as

he finished up washing and put the cups back in the cupboard.

Kirito drank a few deep gulps straight from the tap at the end,

wiped his lips, and yawned. "Okay, wake me up at eight o'clock,

then. Good night, Eugeo."

"Eight is too late! Seven thirty! Good night, Kirito," he replied,

then remembered something and added, "Stay cool."

His partner turned to look over his shoulder with a smirk, just

short of his bedroom door, and said, "Listen, I know I said that

it's a farewell of sorts, but not before bed every night. Save it for a

proper parting."

"Sheesh, this saying is more complicated than I thought.

Fine…see you tomorrow, then."

"Later," Kirito said, waving and retreating into his room.

Eugeo blew out the lamp on the wall and opened the door on the

opposite wall.

His bedroom was nearly half the size of the ten-man rooms at

the primary dorm. There wasn't a spot of dust on the floor after

Tiese's cleaning earlier. He changed into his white pajamas and

flopped down onto his soft bed.

As sleep snuck up on his mind, a portion of the earlier conversation came with it, for some mysterious reason.

But that does mean they could try anything that doesn't fall

under the Taboo Index or school rules.

It was what Kirito said about Raios and Humbert. Eugeo had

agreed with him at the time, but it was a way of thinking he found

very hard to accept.

From his childhood until now, between the Rulid Village standards, the Zakkaria Garrison bylaws, and now the Swordcraft

Academy rules, Eugeo had peered here and there for shortcuts.

But he had never once attempted to find a way around the Taboo

Index, the greatest set of laws in all of humanity—except that, yes,

he had.

It happened eight years ago, when the Integrity Knight landed

at the village to take Alice away. Eugeo set upon the knight with

the Dragonbone Ax in an attempt to save her—except that he

couldn't move a step. Even now, recalling the incident caused the

inside of his right eye to twitch.

He didn't contain an ounce of rebellion against the Integrity

Knights or the Church now, of course. The knight had taken Alice

away as dictated by the law, so Eugeo would follow that same law

to pass through the gate of the church and meet her again. That

was why he had left home and come this far.

But if Kirito was right, and Raios and Humbert would try

"anything that doesn't fall under the Taboo Index," did that mean

that the absolute book of laws, the system put in place at the very

creation of the world, was merely something they reluctantly

obeyed? In their heart of hearts, was the Taboo Index something

they found annoying, distasteful?

Surely even theywouldn't go that far. The Taboo Index could

not even be doubted. It was the ultimate tome of justice and fairness, equally applied to a common man and to an emperor.

Eugeo bit his lip as he lifted his gaze to the ceiling, lit with the

pale reflection of the moonlight. If one were allowed to defy the

Index, then what did that say about his own failure to stop the Integrity Knight from taking Alice, and then spending the next six

years chopping away at the Gigas Cedar? What had he been upholding, and to what purpose?

The core of his right eye twinged again. He squeezed his lids

shut, driving away the conflicted thoughts, and allowed himself to

slide into an uneasy sleep.

The Swordcraft Academy grounds, surrounded by tall steel

fences, contained a forest that occupied a third of its space. The

ancient trees were covered in golden moss, and the way the sun

filtered down to the green undergrowth reminded Eugeo of

home, but being located so much farther south meant that the

wildlife was more varied. Here and there were new creatures he'd

never seen up north soaking up the sun: tiny foxes, for instance,

or long, narrow snakes colored blue-green. He'd been here over a

year now, but the sight still fascinated him.

"Are you listening, Eugeo?" said a voice at his side. He turned

with a start.

"Sorry, sorry, of course I am. You were saying?"

"So you weren'tlistening!" said the girl with long hair the color

of ripe red apples—Eugeo's trainee page, Tiese Schtrinen.

He turned away from her eyes, which were the same brilliant

color as her hair, and awkwardly said, "The…the forest was so

beautiful, I got distracted…I haven't seen some of these animals

before."

"Is that so?" Tiese asked, following his line of sight and then

shrugging when she saw what he was looking at. "Oh, that's just a

golden flying fox. You can find them in just about any tree growing around the city."

"Oh…That's right—you grew up here, didn't you? Is your

house close by?"

"My family lives in District Eight, so it's a bit of a hike from

District Five."

"Ah, I see…Hmm?"

Eugeo paused and turned to Tiese. The primary trainee uniform, which he'd thought a bit ugly when he wore it last year,

seemed strangely fresh and refined on her. That made sense; if

they hadn't been fellow students, frontier child Eugeo would

never have any connection to someone like her.

"Tiese, you're a noble, right? I thought I heard that all the

noble mansions were concentrated in Districts Three and Four,"

Eugeo said politely.

Tiese ducked her head in embarrassment, then shook it.

"Technically, my father's a sixth-rank peer…but we're barely

lower nobles as it is. Only the fourth-rank and higher nobles can

live in the areas near the imperial government. There are lots of

restrictions on the fifth- and sixth-rank nobles. Father likes to

say, 'I wish we were commoners; at least they don't have to fear

the higher nobles' judicial authority'…Oh! Oh my goodness, I'm

so sorry…"

She bowed, ashamed that she'd said something she considered

rude to Eugeo, whose entire family tree was common.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I thought all nobles had that judicial authority thing," he said, recalling the Basic Imperial Law

he'd had to study last year.

"Not at all!" Tiese protested. "Judicial authority only extends

down to fourth-rank. The lower nobles are actually subject to the

judicial review of the higher ones. My father's a scribe for the government, and he says that many of the fifth- and sixth-rank nobles working at the palace and government building have been

punished for upsetting higher nobles over some insignificant

thing or another. Of course, they're civilized adults, so it's not

physical punishment but docked pay and things like that."

"Oh, I see…I didn't realize things could be that hard for nobility, too," Eugeo murmured, surprised.

The red-haired trainee blushed for some reason and added

rapidly, "M-my point is, being the heir to a sixth-rank noble

house is noble in name alone. Our lifestyle is pretty much the

same as any regular family."

"Ohhh…"

Eugeo couldn't affirm or deny this, only murmur vaguely. He

considered the workings of the empire.

The government's Basic Imperial Law laid out the structure of

Norlangarthian society. But because the higher Taboo Index covered all crimes and punishments, the imperial law mostly dealt

with the regulations of the various classes of citizens—in other

words, the rights of the nobles and the rights of the common people.

In the law class of their first year (the only other academic

subjects were sacred arts and history), a certain black-haired student had asked the elderly teacher why the empire had nobles

and commoners.

As a lower noble himself, the teacher was initially at a loss for

words. Then he said firmly, "According to the prophecies passed

down by the Axiom Church since time immemorial, one day the

forces of darkness will invade through the four great passages:

the Northern Cave, the Western Ravine, the Southern Corridor,

and the Eastern Gate. In order to vanquish the subhuman

scourge, all those in the four empires who have the calling of

guards and soldiers must rise up to fight as the army of humanity.

Our nobility hone their skill, learn sacred arts, and discipline

their minds and bodies so that they may lead those forces."

While Eugeo was thrilled and moved by this answer, part of

him was still conflicted. Two years ago, Eugeo and Kirito had

fought a band of goblins in that very Northern Cave the teacher

mentioned. Sadly, the goblin captain had knocked him out in the

midst of the fight, but the terrifying appearances and raspy, bestial voices of the creatures were still vivid in his memory. He and

Kirito decided never to mention the incident while at school. If

they did, he suspected that half the female students might pass

out in fright.

Eugeo never wanted to repeat that experience, of course. So he

was extremely impressed by the bravery of the nobles to stand at

the lead and battle those goblins and the even more fearsome

orcs and ogres.

On the other hand, 380 years had passed since Stacia created

the world. In all that time, the forces of darkness had never once

invaded the human realm. The higher nobles of the four empires

were freed from their daily labor, lived in huge mansions, and

even used their judicial authority on lower nobles—all for this

supposed preparation against an enemy they'd never seen and

whose arrival was uncertain…

Tiese seemed to read Eugeo's mind. She sighed and said, "As

I'm the eldest child, Father is hoping that by putting me into this

school, I might be conferred a fourth-rank title by the time I take

over the house, so that I won't be subject to judicial authority. If

I'm chosen as the academy's representative and get far in the Imperial Battle Tournament, it might not be out of the question…

But given that I was only eleventh on the entrance exam rankings, I suppose it might be pointless to hope."

She stuck out her tongue and grinned. Eugeo had to narrow

his eyes, she felt so radiant to him. He'd come here on a very personal quest—to reunite with his childhood friend—but Tiese was

learning swordfighting for the purpose of improving her family's

lot in life. In a way, she seemed to embody the true glory of nobility.

"No, Tiese…You're doing great. You worked so hard to make

your father happy that you achieved a place in the top twelve primary trainees," Eugeo told her, full of emotion.

"Oh, n-no!" she shrieked. "I just got lucky that the demonstration portion happened to line up with my own expertise. And my

rank came after a lifetime of training, ever since I was three years

old. What you're doing is waymore impressive. It's hard enough

to get here on a garrison recommendation, and not only did you

succeed at that, you're now the fifth seat disciple. I'm actually really honored to be your page."

"Aw, geez…"

He bobbed his head and lifted a hand to ruffle his bangs in

embarrassment, then realized it was exactly the sort of thing Kirito would do and quickly took his hand down.

Tiese claimed that it was an "honor" to be his page, but for her

and Eugeo, and Ronie and Kirito, the matchups were more like

the guidance of Stacia: in other words, total coincidence.

The elite disciples determined the pages' assignments by taking their pick, in order of rank. That meant that as first seat,

Raios picked his page out of the top twelve new students first,

then Humbert. Eugeo would be fifth and Kirito sixth. But oddly

enough, the two talked it over and decided to wait until the end.

They wanted the two students whom none of the other ten disciples picked.

In other words, the two options left to them at the end were

Tiese and Ronie. They both seemed at a loss for words when they

realized it was two girls—Kirito looked especially uneasy—but

Eugeo was ultimately glad for it. After all, the sole, pitiful reason

none of the other disciples had chosen the girls was because they

were the only sixth-rank nobles of the bunch.

The girls had no idea what went on during the choosing

process, and the boys had no reason to tell them. Eugeo was

happy with Tiese as his page, and Kirito was…probably the same

way with Ronie.

So Eugeo cleared his throat and switched topics to his own experience. "Actually, I didn't have an easy time getting into the

academy. I was super nervous. In fact, it was half because of Kirito that I made it in and got to be an elite disciple this year…"

Tiese blinked, her eyes the color of leaves reddening in the autumn. "What?! So Kirito's…better than you?"

"…I'm finding it very difficult to say 'yes' when you phrase it

that way…"

Tiese laughed pleasantly, and he looked over his shoulder,

worried that his partner wasn't actually at his page's side after all.

Fortunately, he soon heard Kirito's voice on the breeze.

"…So you see, when they attack with a high slash in the HighNorkia style, there are basically only two trajectories you need to

prepare for—either straight overhead or diagonal from the top

right. Anything else and they'll need to change their footing, so

you'll have time to adjust accordingly. As for how to choose be-

tween overhead or top-right…"

Well, it might be dry, but at least Ronie seems to be listening

to him, Eugeo noted with a smirk, and looked forward again.

So his reason for learning the sword was to reunite with Alice,

and Tiese's and Ronie's were to improve the standing of their

families. Meanwhile, at every opportunity, Kirito claimed that his

goal was the same as Eugeo's.

Eugeo wasn't going to doubt his friendship, but there were

times that he felt that Kirito's reason for practicing wasn't to gain

some tangible goal but purely to master the art of the blade. Such

was the perfect mesh of Kirito's personality and his Aincrad style.

They were practically one and the same.

So far, Eugeo had focused his attention solely on Raios and

Humbert in preparation for the official matches next month. But

it occurred to him now that, depending on how the matches

played out, he might end up facing off against his good friend and

teacher.

He couldn't win, of course. But more importantly, he couldn't

even imagine crossing swords with Kirito and giving him a serious fight. How would he summon strength into his blade? How

would he execute his techniques against a friend…?

"Oh, how about the side of the pond there?" Tiese said suddenly, pointing ahead and rousing Eugeo from his thoughts. He

followed her slender fingers to a thick, short bed of grass along

the bank of a beautiful pond. It was the perfect place to set out a

picnic.

"Yeah, that looks good. Hey, Kirito, Ronie! Let's have lunch

next to the pond here!" Eugeo shouted over his shoulder. His best

friend gave him that typical dazzling smile and waved.

The four of them laid out their blanket on the grass and sat down

in a little circle.

"Ahh…I'm so hungry," Kirito complained, rubbing his stomach

theatrically. The girls giggled and opened their picnic basket to

set up the food.

"Um, we made it ourselves, so I hope you like it," said Ronie

Arabel, primary trainee, as she shyly set out the plates. She wasn't

nearly as nervous as she usually was. Eugeo was hoping that

through this leisure activity, she would finally realize that the

black-clad elite disciple was hardly as imposing as he looked, and

then eventually get used to his tutelage.

Inside the large basket was a veritable feast of white-bread

sandwiches packed with thinly sliced meat, fish, cheese, and

herbs; fragrant fried chicken; and cake packed with dried fruit

and nuts.

Tiese examined the remaining life of each dish, then Ronie led

a premeal prayer of "Avi Admina." The words were barely out of

their mouths before Kirito was reaching for the food. He stuffed a

large hunk of meat into his mouth, closed his eyes, and chewed,

then spoke in the tones of a teacher.

"Ah, quite good. In fact, Ronie and Tiese, I might go so far as

to say that this is the equal of the Jumping Deer."

"Wow, really?!" the girls exclaimed, their faces shining. They

shared a glance and burst into smiles. Eugeo took a thin sandwich of dried fish and herbs and dug in.

Unlike the rustic food that Alice would bring to Eugeo every

day in the forest back home, this bread was white and thickly buttered, a treat from the big city. When he first came here, the refined taste was too much for Eugeo's simple palette, but he thoroughly enjoyed it now. He wondered if he was just getting used to

something different.

"It's really good, Tiese. Wasn't it hard to get all these ingredients, though?"

"Uh…well, actually…" she mumbled, glancing over at Ronie,

who explained.

"As you know, primary trainees are only allowed to leave the

academy on days of rest, so we asked Kirito to go buy the ingredients at the central market after class yesterday. You were busy in

the library at the time, so…"

"Oh…oh, I see," Eugeo replied, stunned. He glanced over at

Kirito, who was still chowing down. "I would have gone shopping

if you'd just told me…And Kirito, if you're that comfortable

around them, you don't need to keep running away anymore!

What was the point of all this trouble…?" he wondered, both relieved and annoyed. He reached out for the biggest slice of fruitcake and shoved it into his mouth.

"Hey, I was going to eat that," Kirito complained. "Anyway, if

anything, I was making things easier on you, Disciple Eugeo."

"Well, you needn't have bothered," Eugeo grumbled. He

turned to Tiese and Ronie, who were watching in wide-eyed surprise, and groused, "He's always been like this. Before we joined

the garrison in Zakkaria, and on the road here to Centoria, he always starts off as the target of suspicion or fear, and then the next

thing you know, the wife and kids at the farm or inn are all hanging out with him and passing him treats. Be careful that he

doesn't use this trick on you, too, Ronie."

However, his warning was probably too late. The girl with the

burnt-brown hair shook her head, her cheeks darkening. "Oh, no,

it's not a trick…Kirito might look scary, but I learned right away

that he's really very kind…"

"Oh, and the same for you, Eugeo," Tiese hastily added. He

gave her a weak smile and took another bite of cake.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his partner chewing

smugly, and he started to wonder if there was some way he could

get one over on Kirito—when suddenly Tiese and Ronie stretched

and sat up formally.

"Um…Eugeo, Kirito, as a matter of fact, we have a request."

"Y-you do? What kind?" Eugeo asked.

Tiese ducked her head humbly, red hair waving. "Well, it's really hard to say this, but…it's about what you mentioned the other

day, putting in a good word with the school management about

changing tutors…"

"Wh-what?" He gaped, trying to recall the conversation in

question. But it quickly came back to him: A few days ago, while

Ronie was waiting for Kirito to come back, he might have mentioned something to her about asking a teacher to get her

switched to a different disciple, if she wanted.

So this lavish picnic feast was a commemoration for their parting, he realized gloomily. But he needed to be sure. "So, um…does

that mean you want to stop being my page…? Or Kirito's…or both

of us?"

Ronie and Tiese looked up, momentarily stunned, then shook

their heads violently. On Eugeo's left, Tiese leaned over and

protested, "N-no! It's not us—not at all! In fact, a bunch of others

wish they could switch with us…Er, never mind. I mean, it's another girl from our dorm room who wants to switch. Her name's

Frenica, and she's very honest, hardworking, and humble despite

her skill…"

Tiese's shoulders slumped, and Ronie took over the explanation. "As a matter of fact…the elite disciple who chose Frenica as

a page is apparently quite harsh. The last few days, even the most

innocent little mistake ends up with hours of discipline, and she's

being forced to do things on school grounds that are somewhat

inappropriate. It's really weighing on the poor thing…"

The trainees clutched their fists to their chests, red and brown

eyes welling with moisture. Eugeo put the half-eaten chicken

down on his plate and looked at them, barely able to believe it.

"B-but…even elite disciples shouldn't be able to force their

pages to obey commands that are outside the school rules…"

"That's true. They're not being ordered to do things that break

the rules, but it's not as though every possible activity is covered…

It's a whole bunch of orders that aren't against the rules but are

very difficult for a female student to bear…" Tiese said, her voice

trailing off into a mumble, cheeks crimson. Eugeo could guess as

to what kind of things this disciple was ordering poor Frenica to

do.

"It's okay, you don't have to explain any further. I'd love to

help you make things better for Frenica. But…"

He consulted the list of school rules inside his head before

continuing, "Let's see…'In order to maximize the elite disciple's

training, he shall receive a page to address his needs. The page

shall be chosen from among the twelve highest-ranking primary

trainees of that year, but if the disciple and managing instructor

agree, a page can be released and a new one may be chosen.' That

means that for Frenica to be reassigned, she needs not only the

instructor's consent but that of the disciple in question, too. Still,

I can try to plead her case. What's the disciple's name?"

Eugeo felt an ominous foreboding as soon as the words left his

mouth. Tiese hesitated, then awkwardly admitted, "It's…Second

Seat Humbert Zizek."

The moment she said it, Kirito perked up his ears and

groaned. "You mean even after he challenged Eugeo to a duel and

Eugeo hit him back, he's still messing around with this shady

stuff? You'd better whoop him for good next time."

"I'm telling you, I didn't 'hit him back.' But it's possible that

that might have set him off…" Eugeo wondered, biting his lip

guiltily. He looked at the girls and explained, "The truth is, I had

a duel with Disciple Humbert in the training hall a few days ago.

It came out as a draw, but Humbert didn't seem ready to accept

that…So it's possible that his recent abuse of Frenica is related…"

"So just because he couldn't beat you, he took it out on his innocent page? The guy doesn't deserve to call himself a swordsman," Kirito spat. The girls still seemed not to understand the full

importance of the situation.

Her brow furrowed, Tiese murmured, "So, um…Elite Disciple

Zizek challenged Eugeo to a duel, which ended as a draw, and…"

She came to a stop, and Ronie hesitantly finished. "He's…taking it out on her, you said?"

"R-right, that's what I meant. So because he couldn't win, he's

using his disciplinary punishment on Frenica out of frustration

and forcing her to fulfill his humiliating orders…?"

Despite both being nobles, the girls were the lowest rank and

thus the closest to commoners, and they were finding it quite

hard to understand the second seat's depraved actions. The

thought was so alien to them that they were having difficulty even

putting it into words.

Having grown up in a distant rural village, Eugeo could only

guess at what Humbert was thinking, and he certainly couldn't

identify with it. Sure, Zink had played lots of pranks on him as a

kid, but his motive had been very simple: Zink liked Alice and

didn't care for the fact that she spent most of her time with

Eugeo, so he would hide his rival's shoes.

But Humbert was unleashing his frustration and shame at not

winning the duel on his page, who bore no fault in the matter. In

fact, he was sworn by his position to offer Frenica friendly advice

and instruction.

Eugeo knew about the phrase temper tantrum. When he was

young, his father had given his eldest brother a wooden sword

from the school, and Eugeo was so jealous that he took his own

sword, one his father whittled himself, and struck it against a

rock outside so hard that it broke. His father explained that this

was a temper tantrum, an act of misplaced anger, and was something to be ashamed of. After a good scolding, Eugeo never did

such a thing again.

Just like breaking one's own sword, being overly strict on a

trainee page was likely not in violation of the Taboo Index, Basic

Imperial Law, or even the academy rules. But did that mean it

was really okayto do it? Could there be other things outside of the

written laws, very important things that ought to be followed…?

As Eugeo and the girls grappled with this weighty question,

Tiese spoke up to say, "I…I don't understand."

She raised her head and looked right at Eugeo, the youthful

noble heir's cheeks extruding over her clenched teeth. "My father

always told me that the Schtrinen family's claim to nobility came

from some minor feat achieved by a distant ancestor, briefly

earning him the attention of the emperor at the time. And because of that, we shouldn't take it for granted that we live in a

larger house and have more rights than common people. He says

that being a noble means that when the battle finally comes, we

stand with our swords at the front and die first, so that the commoners below can live in peace and stability…"

Tiese moved her maple-red eyes south—to the heart of Centoria. She looked at the imposing outline of the imperial government building, just barely visible above the trees, then turned

back to Eugeo.

"The Zizeks, meanwhile, have a huge mansion in District Four

and their own holdings outside Centoria. So doesn't that mean

Elite Disciple Humbert should be working even harder than the

lower nobles for the happiness of all? Even if it's not written in

the Taboo Index, a noble should always consider if his actions

will cause misfortune to others, Father said. Humbert might not

be breaking the Taboo Index or the school rules…but…but

Frenica cried herself to sleep last night. How…how can such a

thing be allowed?"

When she finished her long, impassioned speech, there were

large drops in Tiese's eyes. But Eugeo had no answer for her—

he'd been grappling with the same question. Ronie extended a

white kerchief to Tiese, who put it to her eyes.

"Your father's a great man. I'd like to meet him someday."

That was Kirito, his voice calm and even. It took Eugeo a while

to believe what he just heard. The swordsman dressed in black,

routinely feared and shunned by his schoolmates for his dangerous glare, blunt attitude, and legendary duel with Volo Levantein,

was treating Tiese with sympathy and kindness.