Just want to answer a very good question, I'm sure others have it, but it pertains to AliCynthesis' question in the review section as to why Cardinal is alive yet Eugeo is not.The easy answer is Cardinal is necessary to the Lycoris (the game) main story, Eugeo isn't. At best, he's there for Alice's development. I believe Eydis, however, can fulfill that role. Cardinal's role, however, is irreplaceable. So Cardinal survives the fight with Quinella, Eugeo does not.
But remember, this leads into War of Underworld, and as much freedom I take with these stories, I try to align with what's established in main canon. Since Lycoris did not adapt the WoU arc (yet, if it will), I'll follow the established story. Eugeo is not present alive, nor is Cardinal...and for now, that's all I'll say on that.
I do like the question, I'm sure many of you wondered why I didn't include Eugeo. To be honest, I'm...iffy on Eugeo, I like him, was sad about him, but I don't really miss him. Kinda disregarded him when I played Lycoris, although one of the DLCs about him got me intrigued.
Also I have uploaded a Jaymes/Koharu oneshot this past weekend, a Jaymes/Lisbeth oneshot some time ago, and will soon have a Jaymes/Phillia short sometime within the next week. Check those out if you want.
Anyway, if you have questions, feel free to ask, I love them and will try to answer them. Just know that I probably can't answer it if it spoils the story, unless you've already played the game, in which I can go into a little more detail but still not spoil my adaptation. Anyway, stay cool, enjoy the chapter in which my second favorite Gameverse girl gets introduced.
A few days later, we traveled to the southern region of the Warmia Greenbelt to a village called Williria. A Clamp and beasts were reported to be in the area, After taking care of it, Eydis, Alice, and I returned to the capital to report in. Once we got back and made our report, Bercouli asked us to judge more of the volunteers of the ACTF. After the last judging I did with Sortiliena (a fun battle that was in the end), I'm eager to test someone else. Being fair to men and women of all kinds, noble and commoner, I ask them to survive at least fifteen seconds with whatever abilities they have, including the Sacred Arts. I handicap myself with no use of sword skills or Sacred Arts, just the basics of swordplay. Some fail, some pass barely for further training, some last much longer than fifteen seconds but not impressive to warrant my attention for my secondary objective. Truth be told, Alice, Eydis, and I will need assistance with the Clamps, and as the leader of that task force, I need someone who can definitely hold their own in a fight.
"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" I take the towel from Eydis's hands and wipe my face. "You do realize you are here to judge, not duel, but I guess the difference means nothing to you."
"I am judging. But not just for the ACTF, but for our group as well. The three of us can't handle it all on our own, and while I would like to ask Sortiliena, Ronie, and Tiese, I'm not comfortable with the pages going on such missions yet. Anyway…" I finally get a good look at Eydis and...wow. Her underarmor is a long black dress suited for combat outside the armor, but here she is, wearing it casually. I took off my cape and armor plating to be more comfortable in my tunic… Oh, am I staring? I clear my throat and turn away from her. "Anyway, anyone else?"
She hides her blush behind the paper in her hand. "Y-Yeah. Next is the final applicant. A...student from Swordcraft Academy."
"Is that so? Bring them over, then we're done." Eydis nods and waves the final entrant inside the dueling grounds. I smooth over the sand by my feet, draining my brain of all mental imagery of Eydis before glancing up at the final test-taker. A female figure in a red, back, white, and yellow tunic, red gauntlets, and...great, another redhead. Do I really have luck with girls having red or pink hair? If I do, it's getting quite cruel. "My name is Jaymes, I'll be your examiner. Eydis there will watch as one too. What is your name?"
"Medina. Medina Orthinanos."
Orthinanos? Something in the back of my head tells me I'm familiar with the name, but I can't put it together. "I'm told you're from the Swordcraft Academy. What year?"
"Second year, one of the Disciples."
Is that so? I fold my arms and look off to the side, seeing the bathrobe-wearing Bercouli come beside Eydis. Taking hold of my sword, I feel a rising thrill that I haven't felt in some time, not since I fought Subtilizer in the Battle of Bullets. "In that case, you will pass this test easily. Almost no point to it. But may I ask another question?" Medina frowns but nods her permission. "Kirito and Eugeo, you know them?"
Medina gasps. "Yes, but I heard they were arrested. Do you know anything about them?"
"Mhm. One final question… Why are you here?"
"My goal is the same as always. Restoring the honor of House Orthinanos. That's all. I don't know if the Church will ever accept our defective family… But to restore our name, I need to bring victory to the Axiom Church. I hesitated until the last minute, but in the end, I decided to answer the request."
"I see."
"Circumstances aside, let's return to the business at hand. I'm here to apply for a position fighting magical beasts."
Exhaling, I fold my arms and nod to Medina. "You pass."
"Excuse me."
"You're one of the Disciples at this academy, right? From what I'm told, that means you're at the top of the class. If he could, Kirito would be vouching for you about now, and that's enough of a recommendation from me. And...for some reason, without the prior two, I feel as if I know you should be strong enough without a doubt."
Medina looks at me confused. "Is that even allowed?"
I glance at the commander. "Fine with you?"
"No objections from me."
Eydis is shocked. "Commander?"
"If Jaymes believes you got what it takes, I've no objections. That means you're officially working with us now. We'll be counting on you. When we've seen what you can do, we'll team you up with someone suitable, unless you'd like to take her, Jaymes?"
"Then I'll be working with Kirito and Eugeo?"
Bercouli looks to me. "To an extent, yes. Is that a problem?"
Medina shakes her head. "No, sir. I would never question the judgment of the Knight Commander. Then I'll be working with you from now on, Jaymes and Eydis."
Eydis smiles proudly. "Another girl on the team! Glad to have you."
"Medina," I say seriously, "when you get settled, come by my tent. No, that sounds...just meet me by my tent. I want to catch you up to speed before we have to head out."
Medina nods, though hesitantly. "Will do. excuse me." As she leaves, her last name continues to play in my head on repeat. Orthinanos, Orthinanos, why do I know that name? Was it someone I met the first time I was in the Underworld? That makes sense, but how and why do I know the name?
"So are we heading out?" Eydis skips to my side, smiling and leaning forward with her hands behind her back. I don't know how Alice made it six years (or any Integrity Knight, for that matter) with this energetic girl. At least she isn't Linel or Fizel, Integrity Knights Twenty-Eight and Twenty-Nine. Those two kids, they scare me. "You promised that we could go to the market after this! You wouldn't break a promise, right? I don't want to have to use the Dark Slash Sword on you again!"
Promises, huh? if only she knew… I sigh and push her head away. "Acting cute and then threatening me is not the way to do this, but fine, let's go."
"Hey, Jaymes, have you heard the rumors?"
I take a seat beside Eydis on the fountain in the plaza of North Centoria, taking a bite of one of the meat skewers I "graciously" bought for us. "About what?"
"They say a lot of Lost Children of Vecta have been appearing."
"Really? Why now?" The Lost Children of Vecta are essentially people who have no memories of who they are, a trick played on humanity by the god Vecta. I haven't heard much about them besides that.
"No one knows why, but they've been popping up all over, it seems." Eydis swallows a huge chunk of meat in just a few bites and eyes another skewer. As she eats away, I try to understand this phenomenon. If there are people dropping in this realm without memories, could they be from the Real World with their memories locked? It's not impossible, despite the lack of STLs. I don't know how much time passed in the real world or can't communicate with Kikuoka, but could that mean Asuna is here without her memories? The invaders? And, if Yui initiated our plan, everyone else too?
"Jaymes." Meat slaps against my lips, gaining my attention. Eydis stares at me, probably annoyed I was ignoring her while trapped in my thoughts.
"Sorry… Let me know if you hear anything else about the Lost Children of Vecta, okay?"
"Mhm."
"For now I guess we should go out and defeat some beasts and cut down some Clamps." I turn to Eydis, the girl happily munching on her third skewer. What a glutton, but they are good. No wonder she wanted to buy from that vendor. She's no different from a real human girl, happy when their stomachs are being filled with food they love.
Rika grunts as the server returns. "Have you decided?"
"No, not yet-Wait, Josh, look at this." I lean over and see the menu item Rika is pointing out. Crêpe D'amour, a large size, heart-shaped lace crepe for a couple. Rika seems to want it, and it is slightly cheaper than buying two regular crepes. And this is a date, we are a couple...why not?
"Cool with me. You can choose the toppings." Rika excitedly orders the crepe with strawberry syrup, strawberries, whipped cream, and extra sugar. I don't know what's her issue with sweets, but I know she loves them unhealthily. Once the server leaves, I look at her, interested in what drew her mind to the crepe. "You chose a crepe made for two."
She sighs. "I know. But… I want to make up for lost time. We should be ahead of those two. So starting now, we're going to share a crepe and do whatever here. Tomorrow, a dinner date. We'll take it from there."
"Sweets?" I watch as Momiji glows at the presence of a strawberry cake slice set before her. So she wanted to redeem her coupon… Fine with me. School was a drag today anyway. "Rei, Kureha is going to be fat after all this."
Rei giggles while seated on my shoulder. "Kureha, you shouldn't eat that cake if you're worried about your figure like you said. It's nearly-"
Momiji pouts as she glances at the AI on my shoulder. "Rei! Why did you say that?"
I smirk. "You forget who she's loyal to. Me, not you...and that's shaky as is. But, on the other hand, I'm sure one cake won't affect her."
"But, Master… Oh, I can't tell you that."
"Hm? Why not?"
Rei grabs her long, black ponytail and caresses the red highlighted ends with love. "I like my hair."
Momiji?"
She shrugs. "One cake won't hurt my figure, okay? Long as I'm still cute, right, Rei?"
I hear my Arfa-Sys gulp with so much fear I'm speechless. "...Yes, Kureha. You're still cute."
"Awesome." She takes her first bite and squeals in delight. "Oh, suuuu guub."
Yeah, girls and their sweets…
"Jaymes." Medina calls to me as I walk over to my tent, having been freed from Eydis' torment as she searches for her favorite victim for the evening. As I come to her, I can see her face is plagued with sadness or something of the sort. Whatever it is, it is best to find out now.
I look around first, seeing how many prying eyes there might be. The ACTF is made of both nobles and commoners, more so the latter and lower-ranked nobles who are knights, but it is the highborn I'm most worried about. I was around once, and their kind is as seedy as one might expect. Like gamers who think too highly of themselves, I find them repulsive and don't mind taking them down a few notches, but now is not the time. The coast seems to be clear. "Medina...do you mind coming in?" She looks around first, nods and follows me inside the tent. I gesture to the chair by the desk while I sit on the bed. "Sorry, but I don't want the pricks to be getting the wrong idea about this. I have Eydis or the pages tagging along with me most days, so I bet I have a reputation."
Medina sighs and scowls. "Welcome to the club."
I smirk. "Yeah… Anyway, your face from earlier. With no other idea why you could look like that, can I assume you saw him?"
Medina nods. "I met Alice after leaving the exam, and when Bercouli asked her to take me to Kirito, she did so. How...how did this happen to him? How did Eugeo die?"
I know the official story told to the public is that Quinella is in a deep sleep, inaccessible due to the Cathedral Cedar. Unofficially, the ACTF is a rescue mission, not a force against Administrator that is the truth. In other words, only the Integrity Knights, Cardinal, and I know the truth of what happened. I want to tell Medina the truth because I am sure this is going to bite me in the ass later. Yet, I must remember the most important thing about this world, the stability of Fluctlights.
To my knowledge, the Integrity Knights seem to be immune to such a reaction, possibly due to the Piety Module, but the general populace of the Human Empire are normal-functioning Fluctlights. Imagine telling an entire country that the immortal, invulnerable Administrator is dead. Or, in my personal experience, imagine being told that you're trapped in a video game until you complete it or die. A good chunk of the deaths in SAO were not murders or to the game, but suicides. They couldn't accept the new reality and sought to find a way out. The Fluctlights, under the same conditions, will lose themselves and, like Mr. Higa's, break down into irrationality until it destroys them.
Telling Medina the truth, now knowing her goal to have her family's honor restored by Administrator and the Axiom Church, I have to be extra careful for now, so rather than come up with an explanation, I use Alice's. "Alice told me that, when the Cedar appeared, she was escorting Kirito and Eugeo to the Pontifex. Eugeo was killed while Kirito suffered a terrible head injury. They managed to heal the wound, but the impact also affected his cognition. He's still there, but it's like saying a command spell without having the right authority. You might get a flicker, but you won't be able to fully complete the step." Medina seems to be accepting of my explanation, which works for me. I just hope there will come a good time I can reveal the truth to her. Hopefully, before it's too late.
"I owe Kirito a lot. I met him two years ago on the road to Zakkaria, then again at the academy last year. He was annoyingly nosy, interfering in my personal business...but because of him, I got out of a bad situation with a guy I was betrothed to and became a Disciple."
"Sounds like him. He wasn't always like that, but over time, he went from wanting to be uninvolved out of necessity to being in everyone's fruit punch. I'm a little different, so you're going to love me."
She smiles at that. "Then excuse my future attitude when you do."
"I will. Anyway… Orthinanos. That's a noble's name, is it not? Commoners wouldn't care about status and honor like a noble."
Medina bites her lip and looks away. "I guess it is only right you hear it from me. Yes, I am, by birth, a second-ranked noble, but my family has been considered less than that for generations. I do not know the exact events, but a long time ago, we were ousted by the Church and sent to unsustainable land in the Northern Empire. For years, I suffered ridicule from the nobility, being called a defect for as long as I can remember. I...want to restore that honor by any means necessary. For my father and for my ancestors, I will restore the Orthinanos name." Looking at her reflection in the floor mirror, tightening her fist before turning back to me. "Jaymes. I know we just met, but upon seeing me, you saw my strength and resolve. I believe you to be a great judge of that, even more so than Kirito. I want to prove it to you in our next mission. I can't cut the Clamps, but I can handle the beasts. In return, may I ask you a favor?"
"No need." I stand up and step in front of Medina, taking hold of her fist. "I, too, know the worth of a family name and would do anything I could to maintain its reputation. Because of that, I will help you in any way I can."
Medina nods and smiles as I release her hand. "You are like him, but different. We may get along well. I look forward to working with you...Lord of Knights."
Did she… "Huh?"
Medina smiles as she steps halfway out the tent. "The Orthinanos family may have been forgotten by history, but we haven't forgotten ours. The first thing I learned was of Matthew Orthinanos, the first head of our house, and his travels with the one called Lord of Knights, a man with hair and a tunic made from fire, and a sword that has the power of the seven elements."
Hair on fire… Oh, she must mean the red highlights in my black hair. I chuckle at the description. That's how I know the name of her family. Looking at her, she does have the red hair of Matthew and the same fierce blue eyes. "Well, please don't call me that. Jaymes is more than acceptable, or whatever nickname comes later on. Hope you've made your supply run, be ready to head out at any time." Medina nods and the redhead girl vanishes into the evening world. Sighing, I drop on my bed, staring at the top of my tent. If I was a stranger to fate, I would not believe that all the pieces have been laid before me, and tomorrow is the true beginning of my quest. Alice, Medina, Eydis...what will the future lead us to?
