To Have a Little Feith: Sorry but FGO won't be a thing in any of the other Heroes worlds, so none of them would recognize Mash and her significance.
To Jpx0999: I will show some small snippets and glimpses of the Lemon scene between Eugeo and any of his girls. But I won't be including the Dark Lemon where Anna was being violated by Idol Rabier.
To youngmark: I will eventually write my own story with Kirito having Suguha's body in the far future. I'm not sure when that day would be, but I will get right to it eventually.
To Darkness L: Yes, you are the first to answer about that, which I'm very happy to see someone did. And yes, those other timelines are from fanfics that I have read in the past.
To True Knight: The story behind Trash King's past will most likely come in handy in the future. I just don't know when that will be.
To Pendragon: Yeah, I found out from other fans that the disaster caused by Gaelion's corpse isn't all Ren's fault. The villagers were also to blame for why it got as bad as it was portrayed in the anime.
To All Might: I might just do that in the future. It would really be amusing to see their reactions if they see other realities where they are the ones who were replaced.
To Guest: Don't worry, the Violated Lemon portion of Anna won't be included here. They would only catch a glimpse of it through Eugeo's point of view instead of Anna's.
To T.V. 2000: Thanks a lot for the reviews and advice, I hope you enjoy this latest update.
To Mercy One: Don't you worry, some of the details concerning the differences between the multiverse will be explained in this new chapter.
To Lablord5: I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying this reaction fic despite it not being your cup of tea. I hope this new chapter is to your liking.
To Savage: The scene of Kirito and Asuna questioning Motoyasu on what he would do if the characters were male will definitely be explored in the future.
To Wrath Shield: Don't worry, Kirito and his girls won't be too quick to judge as they will instantly see how Naofumi treated Raphtalia and Filo kindly despite being his slaves.
117 Reviews, 238 Favorites and 290 Follows
AN: As always, this chapter is a shared effort between me and fellow author "Arementi Revnant". He is also the one who enhanced the emotional depth of Kirin's identity reveal, so all the credit for that portion of the chapter goes to him.
Naofumi told Eugeo that he can go first with his search for armor with Erhard while he went to organize the potions that Myne bought for him.
Myne handed over the potions that she purchased, them being 5 HP potions, 5 SP potions, and 5 MP potions. The highest quality one could buy in the Apothecary shop.
"Wow... I'm surprised that she actually purchased those potions for my other self," Naofumi commented on this development. Due to his side job as a traveling merchant, the Shielder was aware of how much those kinds of potions would cost in a local Apothecary, "I was fully expecting that she'd go ahead and cheat me by buying the cheap stuff and pocketing the rest of the money,"
Naofumi then did something that surprised her.
"What?" the Shielder feeling confused about why his companion started staring.
"What happened to the potions?"
"Oh..," understanding Myne's confusion, he paused to explain, "Eugeo showed me how to unlock the Item Storage function. So, we don't ever have to worry about carrying around our belongings with a backpack during our journey,"
"Wow! That sounds very useful Sir Shield Hero. But how exactly did you unlock that Item Storage function of yours?" Myne asked with eager curiosity.
"Well, it turns out that these Legendary Weapons all have a Stacia Window of their own. It unlocked the very moment I opened the Shield's Stacia Window," Naofumi helpfully answered as he stored all of the remaining potions into his Item Storage, Myne nodded for the information.
"Well, that's different..," Ren said out loud as he recalled his own method of storing his belongings, "It looks like the method of activating the storage menu has been changed since Eugeo had a different way of doing things compared to me,"
"Since it was Eugeo who taught our other selves how to open their menus instead of you, it's understandable why the Item Storage is kind of different to the one that we use," Itsuki also shared his own thoughts as he glanced at his Legendary Bow.
"I guess that makes sense," Motoyasu simply nodded in agreement with his fellow Heroes' assessment.
A few seats away from the other Heroes, Naofumi once again groaned at the missed opportunity for not having this information.
The changing room shortly opened and out came Eugeo now wearing a blue-tinted leather armor with some metal parts strapped to his chest, shoulders, and forearms. On his feet were partially armored boots with thin metal guards, stretching upward a few inches above his ankles. The Legendary Holy Sword, now sheathed into a scabbard, was hooked to his hips.
All in all, he really fits the Junior Knight in Shining Armor stereotype perfectly!
"What do you think?" Eugeo asked as he scratched his head in slight embarrassment, a habit he inadvertently picked up from Kirito.
"He really is Daddy's student!" Yui cheerfully giggled upon recognizing that nervous tick that her Daddy would occasionally do when embarrassed or under pressure.
"He truly is!" Asuna laughed alongside her daughter, clapping her hands as she saw another particular habit that Eugeo picked up from her husband, "I would recognize that embarrassed head scratching anywhere,"
"Indeed, the resemblance between mentor and pupil is quite uncanny," Alice smiled in amusement at the object of Kirito's ignominy.
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up you three," Kirito took the girls' teasing in stride, seeing Eugeo emulating his nervousness as something endearing, before taking a closer look at Eugeo's new attire, "Moving that aside, I have to say, Eugeo's new armor is looking pretty good for a beginner's set,"
"You look great Sir Eugeo!" Kirin gushed in admiration as she holds her hands together close to her chest, "It really fits you and your character perfectly!"
"Yeah! You look awesome," Naofumi complemented with a very small amount of envy, knowing fully well that this style wouldn't fit his image and character at all.
"I concur, you look really dashing Sir Eugeo. It suits you very well," Myne added with a smile. However, the complement only made Eugeo uncomfortable and made Alice agitated. The false cheerfulness Myne displayed just unsettled the couple.
"The fact that my sister's complement is enough to put both Eugeo and Alice on edge... it says a lot about how quickly they caught on to her two-faced nature doesn't it?" Melty whispered with an apologetic look on her face.
"Quite..," Queen Mirellia agreed, equally abashed with her eldest daughter onscreen as she hid her face with her unfolded fan.
Naofumi stayed relatively silent, choosing to simply lament in his own thoughts over how naive and gullible he was back then. Much to Raphtalia and later Filo's distress as they patted their Master's shoulders in their attempt to cheer him up. Even Yui joined in on their efforts of cheering the Shielder up, deciding to ruffle Naofumi's hair so she could help in her own way. Much to her parent's, Alice's, and the two Royals' amusement, Naofumi's anger soon turned to awkward embarrassment as the trio of girls continued their efforts in cheering him up.
All the while causing much grief and despair to a certain lecherous Spear Hero while the Sword and Bow Heroes could only shake their heads over their colleague's hormonal shenanigans.
"That armor's name is [Young Chivalry]. It's normally used by talented knight trainees. So, I'm confident that it will serve you well for the start of your journey," Erhard explained as he beamed with pride at one of his works.
"How much?" Eugeo asked with a hint of enthusiasm.
"Normally, it would cost you 200 Silver coins. But since you are the Legendary Sword Hero, I think I will charge 150 instead," Erhard set his terms with a goofy grin.
"It's a deal then," Eugeo confirmed in gratitude as he raised the Legendary Sword and grabbed the required amount of money before recalling something. Eugeo grabbed an extra silver.
"As far as price haggling goes, that's not so bad," Kirito stated his opinion, briefly recalling how much a beginner's gear would cost in the average MMORPG game as he gave Eugeo's equipment a once over.
"It's far from the best, that much is certain," Alice remarked with a critical eye on Eugeo's starting gear, "But it should serve him well for his earlier battles, at least until he finds or contracts a more superior replacement."
"Here's the payment for the armor," Eugeo said as he handed over the money before giving the extra silver, "And can you convert this one to copper pieces?"
"Well... yeah, but why?" Erhard asked as he couldn't see much of a point in doing so.
Naofumi stepped in as he remembered Eugeo's theory, "We think we just might unlock something good if we let our Weapons absorb a Copper piece. We actually unlocked something really useful when we absorbed a silver piece to our Weapons," Erhard then nodded in understanding and went to a backroom to get his money exchanged.
"I wonder what Uncle Eugeo and Sir Naofumi are going to get," Yui mumbled curiously as everyone else was also wondering the same thing.
"What exactly did you unlock when you absorbed your money, Sir Shield Hero?" Myne asked once again.
"We actually unlocked an Appraisal Skill that allows us to see the Level of monsters," Naofumi answered truthfully, "That, and the Money Storage ability."
"That... is unexpectedly useful," Myne said, genuinely dumbfounded.
"I thought so too," Kirin joined, "It's not something you would expect to get from a few pieces of coins. It makes me wonder what they will get if they absorb something mystical. Like a Dragon's tooth for example."
The two Heroes perked up at the idea and decided to put that on their to-do list later.
"Now that's an idea!" Itsuki exclaimed excitedly upon hearing the swordswoman's suggestion, "I never got the chance to absorb a dragon's tooth before, much less a dragon's corpse. I just never had the time since I focused more on completing Quests from the Adventurer's Guild than going out monster hunting. I'll definitely look into some dragon extermination Quests when I get the chance."
"Same here!" Motoyasu agreed with the same degree of excitement, imagining in his head just how powerful a spear absorbed from a dragon's tooth would be. Though he did have to make sure that said dragons wouldn't be too dangerous for his girls to handle. Wouldn't want them to get hurt after all.
Naofumi and Ren stayed silent on this one, having already absorbed a dragon's tooth among other dragon parts that they'd collected from previous encounters.
While Alice felt mildly conflicted when the idea of slaying dragons to absorb its corpse was insinuated. Dragons were seen and revered as loyal and trusted companions for the Integrity Knights after all.
Kirito was a bit more intrigued by the concept of gaining a dragon-themed sword. Being the hardcore gamer that he is, he was very familiar with the fantasy trope of how dragon drops were almost always equal to powerful gear.
Asuna was a little more neutral in this regard as dragon-based weapons were usually more focused on raw power instead of speed and agility; not the kind of gear that would be suitable for someone like her.
The backdoor opened and out came Erhard with a small pouch in one hand. "Here you go Sword boy."
"(*gasp*) Mr. Erhard, you can't call Sir Eugeo like that! Show some respect!" Kirin said in a panic, Myne nodding in agreement.
"No, no it's quite alright. I don't mind and I actually prefer if you don't refer to me too formally. All the formal talk is starting to get uncomfortable, so please just refer to me by my name if you don't mind," Eugeo calming his companion down before reaching for the pouch.
Receiving it, Eugeo was quick to pick up 2 pieces and handed over one to Naofumi. With that, the two Heroes absorbed them. The Sword and Shield simultaneously morphed into the Copper version of their Treasury forms.
"Looks like your hunch is right on the mark – this could be useful," Naofumi praised his fellow Hero for his foresight. "Thanks," Eugeo scratched his cheek from the compliment. Myne was about to ask but suddenly changed her mind as she thought better of it and stayed quiet.
Erhard then turned to face Naofumi, "Now it's your turn Shield boy,"
Naofumi perked up and chuckled that he was also already given an endearing nickname before joining the blacksmith in the next room looking for his armor. Myne followed to supposedly help in choosing his armor.
"I'm surprised that she's actually helping you with your armor Master Naofumi," Raphtalia spoke out as she analyzed the older sibling of the Melromarc royal family.
"Say what you want about my older sister, but you can't deny that she's a brilliant actress," Melty softly replied before giving herself, particularly her bust size a peeved glance as she continued, "It also doesn't help that she has the assets, both figuratively and physically, to charm her way through a lesser man's mental defenses."
Once again, Naofumi couldn't help but groan in silent shame at the fact that he himself was also one of the lesser men who fell for the Bitch's charms.
While the sword users waited, Eugeo glanced at the swords that were displayed on one side of the shop. With the Treasury Sword in effect, he could now see the Name and Base Attack of each sword. A few of them had an element affinity. For a split second, Eugeo thought of using Weapon Copy to add them to his arsenal, but he quickly dismissed it as it would barely be any different from stealing.
Resolving himself to only use Weapon Copy on weaponry that he actually purchased; namely those for Kirin, or those that he discovered on his journey.
Taking a look at Kirin's sword, on his vision it said:
[Standard Knight Sword]
Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 40
Affinity: None
"Seriously?!" Ren exclaimed in disbelief as he stared at the pop-up window that displayed the sword's stats. Lamenting in his head on just how much he missed out on passing up such a useful skill so early on in his journey.
He wasn't alone either as both Motoyasu and Itsuki were also bemoaning their own failures of not acquiring this skill. All the powerful weapons and missed opportunities that they may have passed up due to deeming them as not worth their time.
(A/N: From what I gathered, the three stooges only acquired weapons that they see as powerful and paid no mind to the less impressive ones that they could have acquired back in Zeltoble. This is the reason why their attacks soon became repetitive as they only have a limited number of attacks since they never branched out to learn more.)
Naofumi on the other hand took this revelation in relative stride. While he also felt a bit bummed from missing out on such a useful skill, it wasn't too great of a loss for him. After all, most of his strength originated from the materials and monster parts that he had absorbed throughout his journey.
As the Heroes lamented over their missed opportunities in their own ways, Queen Mirellia and Princess Melty busied themselves by dedicating this little detail to memory. Seeing this is another precious nugget of information that could be proven invaluable for future generations of Heroes.
'I should buy Kirin a new sword while I'm at it. Standard issue weapons are simply not going to be enough,' Eugeo thought as his eyes darted around for an appropriate replacement for his companion's weapon.
After a few seconds of browsing, he then settled on one. It looked quite plain with the only design being the swirls that looked like rippling water on its guard.
[Aquarion Blade]
Quality: High -BaseAttack: 100
Affinity: Water
"Hey Kirin," Calling for the girl.
"Yes, Sir Eugeo?" Kirin approached him with full attention.
"Can you hold out your sword for a moment? I'm going to check on something," Eugeo requested. Kirin showed a confused expression but obeyed nonetheless. Using both hands, Eugeo opened both swords' Stacia Windows. This time flipping the switch that allowed them to be visible to everyone else, surprising Kirin as she witnessed another new ability of the Legendary Sword Hero.
"What are those?" Kirin asked curiously as she could now see numbers floating above the two swords.
Her sword had a 317/400 while the other had a 1000/1000.
"What are those?" Motoyasu inadvertently voiced what everyone else from his world group was also questioning.
"These are the swords' durability. As you can see, since Erhard's sword is superior to yours, I think it's best that I buy this for you," Eugeo explained what he wanted to do.
"Oh..." Motoyasu once again acted as his world group's spokesperson.
"Y-you don't have to do that! My sword still has a lot of durabilities so I can get by with just this for the time being!" Kirin tried to refuse as she pulled her standard-issue sword back. Eugeo sighed before explaining with a reassuring smile, "You don't have to worry Kirin, I WANT to buy this for you. I'm not sure how long before I can find others that will meet my criteria like you did. So, I want you to be prepared for our journey as much as possible."
Kirin's face gradually relaxed as she finally relented and picked up the sword that Eugeo chose for her.
[Smooth Eugeo... REALLY smooth.] Alice's Window suddenly appeared on his face with the Legendary Sword slightly gaining a red aura.
"Well, well, well... looks like your skills with the sword and your mannerisms aren't the only things that Eugeo inherited from you, right Kirito?" Asuna teased with a giggle, something that Alice and Yui also ended up doing as they found the parallels to be amusing.
Confusing Eugeo for a few seconds before realizing what he had just inadvertently done.'Wait! I didn't mean anything like that! I really did just want her better prepared for our journey!'
[I know. That's exactly why you just made things a whole lot worse.]
'Huh!'
This interaction between Eugeo and this other Alice caused the rest of the audience to laugh at their humorous bantering. Even Naofumi and Ren couldn't help but let out a few soft chuckles at the not-so-angry lover's spat.
"I guess your other self is also a bit territorial, don't you think so Alice?" Asuna said teasingly as she recalled how she first met Alice back in Underworld.
"P-Please don't say it like that!" Alice squealed in embarrassment while covering her face with her palms, flustered at the memory of just how of a mother hen she was back then when Kirito was still comatose.
Kirito wisely kept his mouth shut on this one, his sense of self-preservation was enough to warn him that he might put himself in danger if he ever admitted that he was aware enough to remember some of it. Including some of Alice's most embarrassing moments due to her not being accustomed to the life of a commoner.
Eugeo's mental crisis suddenly went to a halt as Naofumi and the others returned with his own armor. It was a set of chainmail and a white long-sleeved tunic shirt along with a corset-like leather blazer along with standard black boots.
"Not half bad Sir Naofumi, now you actually look like a Hero in the making," Kirin complemented with a hint of teasing in her voice, Eugeo just chuckled in agreement. The Shielder just laughed it off, "Thanks, and I only spent 120 silvers for it," Naofumi didn't feel the least bit offended. Knowing fully well that Eugeo already had an advantage over not only him but the rest of the other Heroes as far as being heroic was concerned.
"I guess this is why you outright denied Mister Erhard when he offered to sell you another set of chainmail," Raphtalia softly asked Naofumi as she recognized the armor that the other Naofumi was wearing.
"That's correct," Naofumi answered with a noticeably irritated tone before staring daggers at his fellow Heroes, especially at the perverted spearman, "In case your meager intelligence is still having trouble processing this, as the three of you can clearly see, that chainmail that the Bitch gave you was really mine."
The three stooges at least had the decency to look away, feeling a small tinge of guilt for not believing the innocent Shielder.
Eugeo changed his focus from Naofumi to Erhard, "I would like to purchase one of your swords Mr. Erhard," Kirin showed the sword that they wanted to purchase.
"Oohhh... that one eh," Erhard grunted with a grin as he scratched his chin, "You have a good eye Sword boy, that's the best sword a rookie can buy from my shop. It can take a lot more punishment than a lot of my other swords, but Little Kirin can still handle its weight."
"So how much is it?" Kirin asked a little nervously, hoping that it wouldn't cost Sir Eugeo too much of his funds.
"Normally I would charge it for 500 silver coins."
"Wow, that's actually pretty expensive for a beginner's sword," Kirito remarked as he calculated in his head how much that kind of sword would be worth back in ALO or Underworld. Asuna, Alice, and Yui were also doing the same thing as they contemplated this blacksmith's price allocation.
Besides Eugeo, who had seen the prices of high-quality swords before back in the Blacksmith shops in Centoria, everyone was surprised by the price.
"But since you are the Sword Hero... and you were able to see that sword's true value even though it looks so plain, I think I can give you a 50% discount."
"As far as discounts go, that was a surprisingly sweet deal that he got from the old man," Naofumi stated as he recalled the usual price range that Erhard would normally charge his customers.
"Not that we didn't get any discounts or freebies from him every now and then," Raphtalia cheerfully added as she recalled the weapon backups and accessories that they've received from him, "The Mana Sword and Filo's Gloves that he gifted to us really came in handy shortly after we received them."
"I suppose that is true," Naofumi calmly conceded her point.
"Yeah! Filo loves those gloves!" Filo eagerly agreed. It had once proven useful to her in keeping the creepy Spear Guy away from her – by delivering a mighty punch!
Eugeo just smiled gratefully and reached for his Money Storage once again.
"Thank you, Mr. Erhard!" Kirin waved as she and the others exited Erhard's Blacksmith shop.
"Make sure to come again!" Erhard waved back.
As the group of four walked and reached a crossroad, it was time to part ways for the time being.
"We're going to have to part here for now," Eugeo turned to his fellow Hero, "We still have to buy our own potions and then find a spot where there's some distance between us and the other Heroes. Or else, our growth gets stagnated because of our Weapon's restrictions."
"Yeah... it's a bit of a bummer that we can't party up. We would've been a great team," Naofumi replied before reaching for a handshake that Eugeo is more than willing to return.
"It truly was a pity," Queen Mirellia once again bemoaned for the umpteenth time at the fact that the Legendary Weapons themselves were preventing the Heroes from fully cooperating with each other.
"Well, at least we could be happy that the Naofumi of this world already has a positive relationship with one of the other Cardinal Heroes," Princess Melty said as she tried to lift her mother's spirits, at least for a little bit.
After separating from the Shield Hero, Eugeo and Kirin made a quick stop at the Apothecary Shop for some Medium Quality potions so they can conserve money. Kirin explained a bit about how some potions have a lasting status effect, like getting HP regeneration for 5 minutes or getting Attack Power Increase for 15 minutes, and so on. She then showed Eugeo another beginner's field that was hiding monsters in the trees and underbrush.
Eugeo sensed the monsters' very weak aura approaching them, releasing his weapon from its sheath and morphing it into the Silver Treasury Sword. Kirin followed suit as the sound of the grass and bushes made it obvious what was coming.
Skreee!!!
Out of the foliage came a large group of...
weird bouncing balls in various colors having angry eyes and jaws coming for them.
'Huh?',[Seriously?]
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that those weird balloon things are the weakest form of monsters in your world?" Kirito asked in a somewhat incredulous tone while pointing at the projections of the scene. He and his world's group all had deadpanned looks on their faces for seeing such a ridiculous lifeform of a monster.
"Yes, they are. But don't worry, you'll get used to it," Naofumi assured them, understanding their plight as he also found some of the creatures of this world to be weird when he first arrived.
A deadpanned expression worked its way onto Eugeo's face as a simple {Horizontal} sword skill was all it took to obliterate almost all of them. The few that managed to evade his strike were quickly disposed of by Kirin with her own attack. The whole battle didn't even take more than 5 seconds!
[15 Exp x 14]
[Level Up!]
[Level 1 - Level 2]
[Fluctlight Points: 5 pts - 10 pts]
"Alright, there is by no means that should be possible," Alice remarked over the inconceivable feat that Eugeo just Leveled Up with little to no exertion.
Even Kirito (along with Asuna and Yui later on) felt a little dubious, as it should have taken more time and effort for Eugeo to reach the next level despite only being Level 1. It just made no sense, and Kirito was the veteran gamer of his world's group for crying out loud.
"Oh, that's probably thanks to the Experience boost that our Legendary Weapons are passively granting us," Naofumi answered once again, "It's one of the universal Skills that all four of us received due to our very nature as Heroes."
"I see... I suppose that sounds logical," Alice replied, she and her group nodding in thanks for the Shielder's explanation.
Eugeo made a quick check on his Stacia Window and sure enough, he noticed how his overall stats increased by a tiny bit.'So this is what Leveling up means. It's a bit different from back home but close enough for me to understand how this increased stats work.'
[It seems like party members share a portion of the Exp they earned from killing monsters. Why don't you go ahead and collect those monster parts and see if they unlock anything good.] Alice suggested.
Nodding at the idea, Eugeo told Kirin to always collect the monster parts that they get whenever they go out to kill monsters. With both of them being extremely skilled fighters and all monsters in the town's perimeter being low-leveled, Eugeo and Kirin kept on slaughtering every single monster they encountered. Although Alice had to occasionally remind Eugeo to collect and absorb the monster drops that the monsters leave behind, unlocking quite a lot of swords...
[Orange Balloon Sword Unlocked]
[Blue Balloon Sword Unlocked]
[Red Balloon Sword Unlocked]
[Yellow Balloon Sword Unlocked]
¥
{Balloon Series Complete}
[Prime Balloon Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Low - Base Attack: 20]
[Mastery: 0/50 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Air Burst]
Level 10 Required
[Green Mush Sword Unlocked]
[Blue Mush Sword Unlocked]
[Red Mush Sword Unlocked]
[Yellow Mush Sword Unlocked]
¥
{Mush Series Complete}
[Prime Mush Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Low - Base Attack: 15]
[Mastery: 0/45 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Poison Resist (Small)]
Level 9 Required
"He actually absorbed all of that junk," Itsuki couldn't help but softly jibe at Eugeo as he and the other stooges couldn't help but shake their heads at what they deemed as unnecessary effort.
Since they gained next to nothing from these low leveled monsters when they first played it back in their respective worlds, they simply classified them as weak and never bothered to absorb more of them after being summoned into this world. Ren even felt a small measure of satisfaction in him over being reminded that he has a so-called knowledge advantage over Eugeo's superior combat prowess.
On the other side of the equation though, Naofumi along with the two royals of Melromarc were quite grateful for the additional information that was being provided for them. Taking note in their respective journals (as Queen Mirellia and Princess Melty also asked for their own notebooks and pens) on how Eugeo unlocked an additional Weapon form after completing a specific Weapon Series.
This was actually something Naofumi had already done to a few of his Weapon's forms, but he just never had the motivation to do the same for the others due to time constraints. But now that he has more time on his hands, along with a confirmation that more exotic [Weapon Skills] could be unlocked upon the completion of a series, he would definitely put more effort into it.
The Sword duo picked the whole place clean of monsters, occasionally stopping only to collect the monster parts for Eugeo to absorb. This is how Alice discovered that by repeatedly absorbing the same type of monster over and over again, the Mastery gauge goes up.
The Equip Bonus from the Balloon Swords added 2 or 3 points to his ATK, DEF, AGI, and DEX depending on the color while the Mush Swords added to his Potion Blending ability. With Eugeo already Mastering almost all of them, all those Stats were now permanently part of him. Proving that Alice's words of not leaving the monster parts behind had been very good advice. As for the Copper and Silver Treasury Swords, Eugeo was able to Master them by prolonged and repetitive usage which wasn't very hard with his already excellent swordplay alone.
The Resonance percentage, on the other hand, didn't budge from 0% despite using the various blades in combat.
After several failed attempts, Alice theorized that Resonance was the connection he had for the weapon form. Much like the one he had with the Blue Rose Sword. Since all these other sword forms were meaningless to Eugeo aside from the Equip Bonuses he gets from them, his connections with them were close to none.
"Wait a second?! How come all the Resonance bars are still zero?!" Ren exclaimed in confusion as he and everyone else in his world group (with the exemption of Filo) realized that none of Eugeo's swords were advancing in their Resonance percentages despite their repetitive usages and mastery progressions.
Knowing that the only ones who could provide the answers were those of the other world group, the Heroes and their companions all looked at said individuals for an explanation.
Already predicting what the other half of the audience wanted and also having a deep understanding of how [Perfect Weapon Control] worked...
"Allow me," Alice subsequently cut Kirito and Asuna off as she took it upon herself to do the explaining this time, nodding at the two in the assurance that she'll be more than happy to share some of her home's culture. Receiving some encouraging nods in return, along with enthusiastic adorable ones from Yui, Alice began her lecture. Zelretch even had the decency to pause his memory presentation so the knightly blonde could explain her piece without any time restraints.
"As all of you already noticed in the projections a few moments ago, [Perfect Weapon Control] is more than just having the right weapon material and sword mastery; it is about connection. The weapon and its wielder must be as one, or the power will never be achieved."
While Naofumi and his companions (along with the Queen and Princess) gazed at the golden feline with bewilderment, the three stooges for Heroes looked at her with skepticism. This annoyed Alice a bit, so she decided that perhaps an example was appropriate in order to prove a point.
"For example, the sword that I wielded back home is known as the {Osmanthus Blade} , created from the sacred tree that grew in the Holy Church's gardens."
It was this particular tidbit that caused the lesser half of Naofumi's world group to pay more attention to what Alice had to say.
"Thanks to my upbringing as an Integrity Knight, as well as the sword itself, being a gift from my surrogate father, I was able to tap into the blade's true power of [Perfect Weapon Control]. It was due to my affiliation with the sword's origins, as well as my relationship with the man who gifted my weapon to me that allowed me to forge a bond with the {Osmanthus Sword}."
Although it was only for a brief shining moment, Alice's passionate testimony of how [Perfect Weapon Control] is achieved seemed to have gotten through to the three stooges' stubborn stupidity.
"Well said Young Alice, very well said," Zelretch praised gleefully as he soon resumed their viewing.
Which made complete sense since Perfect Weapon Control was only possible if a strong bond is forged between the Weapon and its Wielder.
A Rabbit-like monster got cut in half as another level-up alert is shown to Eugeo saying he was now Level 10 while Kirin was now Level 14. Kirin letting Eugeo get more kills so they can eventually have the same Levels.
[I just unlocked something huge! Go ask that Kirin girl to go and buy food for you both quick!]
"Huh, I wonder what other Aunty Alice found that she would ask Uncle Eugeo to send miss Kirin away," Yui pondered in confusion, something that the rest of the audience were also curious about.
Alice's Window popped up, the sword vibrating in giddiness. Looking up to the sky and seeing that it was just about noon, it was the perfect time to send Kirin away without arousing confusion.
"Hey Kirin, I'm just going to sort some things on my Stacia Window and my latest monster kills. Why don't you go buy our lunch and let's have a picnic here," Eugeo suggested as he took out some money and a few monster pelts that he didn't need anymore from his Storage and handed them over to his partner.
Kirin briefly paused at the idea before eagerly nodding in agreement, "Yes! Let's do that Sir Eugeo."
Handing over the money and pelts, "Go ahead and sell these pelts for extra money. As for the food, well... surprise me if you can. I don't know much about this world's cooking after all, so I leave it to your discretion."
"As you wish Sir Eugeo," Kirin accepted cheerfully before leaving for the town at a relatively quick pace.
Now alone, Eugeo looked at the Sword,'So what exactly did I unlock that got you so excited Alice?'
[Actually... you have already unlocked a few abilities that you can get by spending those Fluctlight points of yours. But they are useless since you don't need them. One of them for example is called Basic Auto Combat where the sword will attack on its own while all you have to do is don't let go. Another is a warning sense where you will get an alert of a danger coming from behind. Both are things that I can simply do in their place.]
Eugeo nodded in agreement at their uselessness.'So, what makes this new ability so special?'
[It allows me to pull anyone who is in physical contact with the Sword to my mindscape!]
'Really!'
"What?!"
"Seriously?!"
"That's amazing!"
As one half of the audience contemplated over the usefulness of such a skill, even more so for the Heroes as this will undoubtedly benefit them the most...
The other half was more focused on how this could greatly assist Eugeo in reconnecting with his Alice. Nothing can truly replace face-to-face interactions between two individuals after all.
"It may not be the skill or ability that they wanted, but it will do for now," Asuna remarked as she sighed in joyful relief.
"Indeed. I am uncertain when it will be, but I'm confident that Eugeo will eventually unlock the skill or ability necessary to free my other self from the sword," Alice nodded in agreement with her friend's claim.
[Of course, it has limitations since you're still only Level 10. We only have 3 minutes of usage before the ability goes into a 6-hour cooldown period. But with this, we can talk to each other face to face instead of just me sending these message windows.]
Eugeo didn't need to hear her voice to notice the sense of longing that was included in that message. While they were technically together, their happiness would always be incomplete as long as she was still trapped as the Legendary Sword. While the method or possible future ability for her to physically manifest was still far from his reach, this Mindscape ability would suffice as a temporary substitute.
"Considering the game-like nature of this other world, I'm pretty sure Eugeo will have to purchase a few skills or abilities first before finally unlocking the one that they want," Kirito speculated in accordance with what he currently knew about how the Legendary Weapons work.
Alice then showed that since Eugeo didn't bother to get any of the other nice yet useless abilities that were offered to him, they still have a total of 50 Fluctlight points to pay for the Mindscape ability. Although it got reduced back to zero in one go... Eugeo didn't feel the least bit of regret. The happy couple then agreed that it's probably best that they give this new Mindscape ability a test run later that evening.
"I'm definitely going to do this the first chance I get!" Motoyasu proudly declared with a gleeful fist pump.
"Of course, he'll do that."
"No surprise there."
Itsuki and Ren groaned simultaneously over their fellow Hero's less then honorable intentions for meeting his own Weapon's Spirit.
Looking at the freshly killed Vicious Rabbit monster, Eugeo knelt down to properly collect all the possible materials he can get from it. Although his primary role in Rulid Village was cutting the Demon Tree down, he was still taught the basics of properly handling animal corpses. Carefully separating the rabbit's fur, removing the bones, cutting off the paws, and vivisecting the internal organs.
Absorbing the parts one by one, he then received...
[White Rabbit Hide Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Medium -Base Attack: 30]
[Mastery: 0/50 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Small Cold Resistance]
Level 10 Required
[White Rabbit Bones Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 35]
[Mastery: 0/50 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: 5 ATK]
Level12 Required
[White Rabbit Paws Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Medium - Base Attack: 30]
[Mastery: 0/60 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: 5 AGI]
[White Rabbit Meat Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Low - Base Attack: 25]
[Mastery: 0/40 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: 5 Cooking]
Level 9 Required
[White Rabbit Guts Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Low - Base Attack: 25]
[Mastery: 0/40 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: 5 Foraging]
Level 8 Required
'Well... this is surprising,'Eugeo thought as he didn't expect to get this much from just one monster. He may not have gained any new Weapon Skills, but these Stat gains, while very small, will eventually stack as each Equip Bonus is permanently merged with his strength after Mastering the weapon forms.
[You should try to Weapon Copy that sword you bought for Kirin. There's no doubt that you will get a very useful Water Type Weapon Skill from it. Although you will have to Master it the old fashion way, unlike the cheat we discovered on monster weapon forms.]
Eugeo agreed wholeheartedly as he took a seat on the grass to rest while waiting for Kirin's return.
While the three stooges were still stuck with their narrow gamer logic ways, seeing what Eugeo was doing as a cumbersome and tedious chore, unlike their preferred small investment-high rewards methods...
Naofumi could only nod in approval that this other Sword Hero, Eugeo was walking the same monotonous path that he took. It may not be the dramatic jump of power that he wanted back then when he first started, but slow and steady really did win the race in the end. Because here he stood as living proof of that quote, despite how much the other Heroes refused to acknowledge it, he now stood above them in overall combat strength and competency.
Oh, how much the tables have turned now when compared to before.
Meanwhile...
Although Naofumi's companions, along with Queen Mirellia and Princess Melty, were left puzzled by the circular glyphs that symbolized the Heroes' strengthening methods (with Filo's brain already overheating with steam rising from her forehead)...
the other half of the audience was once again bewildered by the nearly limitless power that the Heroes had under their disposal. Even Alice, who was still adjusting to how a so-called game functions, was aware of how much of a boon this discovery Eugeo found really is in the long-term future.
Something that was clarified even more when Yui's parting remarks seemed to sum up the entire matter quite nicely.
"This reminds me a lot of a saying that I read about once: 'A single star may be insignificant on its own, but if clustered together amongst millions of others, it creates a galaxy.'"
Both of her parents and her aunt all perked up over their daughter's/niece's words as the memory of Kirito's final battle with Gabriel came to mind.
Yui was busy monitoring the ALO players during the War for Underworld, so she wasn't there to see the spectacle that came at that battle's end. It really was a shame that she wasn't there to witness the warm, star-filled sky that represented all of Underworld's inhabitants. All of them had shared what little strength they had to empower Kirito to deliver the definitive strike that ended Gabriel's rampage.
A truly appropriate metaphor to say the least.
Lunch was filled with light and cheerful chatter as Eugeo and Kirin shared with each other a bit about their past as they ate. Kirin was very shocked to learn that Eugeo used to be a simple woodcutter before he became a swordsman. Kirin then told him about how she came from a family that practiced and taught Swordsmanship to those they deemed worthy of going further into the craft. Kirin admitted that she was actually the Heir of the Toudou family and would lead her clan one day once she reached 25 years of age.
"How strange..." Queen Mirellia quietly murmured to herself as she heard about Kirin's backstory and family line.
Surely such a prestigious clan like that, one that specializes in combat prowess no less, would have been one of the closer confidants of her inner circle. So why wasn't she familiar with them or their heiress?
If nothing else, she should still have been aware of their existence at the very least.
While Princess Melty didn't say anything, she too was perplexed on why she wasn't familiar with the swordswoman Kirin. Especially since the lavender-haired girl seemed to be the kind of person that she would be happy to be friends with.
Eugeo then asked Kirin to lend her sword for a moment which she casually obeyed. Holding the Legendary Sword on his right with the Aquarion Blade on his left for 5 seconds and...
[Weapon Copy: Aquarion Blade Unlocked]
[Quality: High -BaseAttack: 100]
[Mastery: 0/140 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Aqua Slash]
Level 35 Required
"Not bad," Ren voiced out his opinion as he saw the new sword's stats and equip bonus, "Not much of an improvement but not too shabby either."
Itsuki and Motoyasu could only nod as they themselves had copied a few weapons like this from other weapon shops when they first started out.
"W-what did you just do Sir Eugeo?" Kirin asked in slight shock as she saw another one of the Legendary Heroes' abilities.
"It's called Weapon Copy. The Legendary Sword can copy any other sword if I hold the desired blade for 5 seconds. Although I have to be Level 35 before I can use this sword because of the Weapon Skill I'm supposed to get," Eugeo explained while returning the original to Kirin's hands.
"If that's true, then why didn't you copy all the other swords that Erhard had in his shop?" Kirin asked in confusion.
"Well, first is: because it's hardly any different to stealing... and second is: I don't think Erhard is going to be happy to see all of his hard work got copied on a whim with no effort whatsoever," Eugeo chuckled as he imagined the man's enraged reaction if he actually did pull such a stunt. Kirin soon nodded and giggled while she imagined the same thing.
Upon seeing the visualized depiction of Erhard's outraged face, Naofumi couldn't help but let out a few muffled bouts of laughter. Recalling the hilarity of the moment when he went on a Weapon Copying spree at the old man's shop.
"You didn't..." Princess Melty pointedly gazed at the guilty as charged Shielder and his party as even Raphtalia and Filo were also releasing a few giggles at the memory of Erhard being swindled for his craft.
"Calm down," Naofumi gently placated the displeased princess, "I asked the old man to put some of the expenses that I copied from him on my tab. Since I didn't actually take any of the shields, he can't really charge me for their full prices, so we decided to settle the issue with a percentage payment and a contract for his future services."
"Hmph! Well, at least you have the decency to take responsibility for your actions," Melty huffed in an unknowingly adorable manner.
The three stooges weren't spared though as they received some sharp looks from Queen Mirellia as her suspicions regarding this [Weapon Copy] have been confirmed. She knew from her intelligence network that the three Heroes visited the mercenary city Zeltoble at some point or another a few weeks after their summoning. Her Shadows informed her that they simply did some window shopping at the city's top-tier weapon shops and didn't purchase a thing.
None of their actions made sense at the time, but now, the Queen couldn't help but shake her head in silent disappointment. Even though no crime or theft was committed, and they technically didn't do anything illegal, it was still disconcerting that three of the Heroes would resort to such a thing. Not to mention all the trouble that each of them caused that she and Naofumi had to clean up and fix later on.
On the other side of the spectrum...
Kirito, Asuna, Alice, and Yui couldn't help but chuckle or giggle at Eugeo's innocence and honesty at even the tiniest of things. Then again, they shouldn't be all that surprised. Aside from a selection of bad apples, more particularly the so-called Nobles who exploited the Taboo Index, almost all residents of Underworld followed the book to the letter.
As soon as the two finished their meal, Eugeo's expression turned serious as he decided that it was finally time to start his questioning about this world,'Alice, are there any spies watching us at this moment?'
[There are two spies... one of them has a trace of malice on their blades directly behind you while the other is extremely neutral with deep roots of loyalty to your right. The neutral one is doing a better job in concealing her presence since the other spy didn't notice that he's already discovered.]
Everyone, even Filo and the three stooges froze upon hearing this sudden shift of ambiance. After all, almost nothing was more concerning than a threat that you don't see coming.
Eugeo thought about how he can casually use one of his silencing spells without tipping off the spies that he already knows that he was being spied on. With an idea popping up in his head, he finally started his plan on how to get more information about this world.
"Hey Kirin, want to see how my world cast magic?" Eugeo said with a very convincing mischievous smile as he raised his right arm high above their heads.
"Another world's magic? Yes! I would love to see how it's done," Kirin watching closely in excitement.
[System call - Generate Aerial Element - Form Element Sound Muffler - Discharge]
Three small orbs of green light appeared on three of Eugeo's fingertips before dispersing around him and Kirin, forming a semi-invisible barrier that contained sound within.
"This is a barrier that keeps sound from reaching the outside. It also has a blurring side effect. So, no matter how hard we shout, no one outside can hear us or see our facial expressions," Eugeo explains with a grin.
"So that's what magic from your world looks like," Itsuki commented as he rubbed his chin with barely concealed interest, "I wasn't able to see and hear it clearly the first time when he cast that super hearing thing."
"They actually sound more like computer commands instead of the spell incantations that we're used to hearing," Ren said as he pondered in thought.
"Now that you mention it, you're right," Motoyasu murmured in amazed realization.
"Say, say, Master? What is this 'com-pyuu-tah command' thing?" Filo innocently asked.
"I would like to know that as well, Master Naofumi. Is it some kind of language from your world?" Raphtalia asked her follow-up question.
People from the Cardinal Heroes' world seemed to have similar questions in mind.
Naofumi looked dumbfounded at this question. A college student and otaku gamer he may have been before he was summoned as the Shield Hero, his major wasn't anything computer related, so his skills in computers and actual programming were virtually none.
And from the looks of the three stooges, they were trying their best not to get involved with this, either seeing the explanation to be too bothersome; or not being knowledgeable on the matter of computers themselves.
Then, by a stroke of luck, Naofumi remembered the explanation that his alternative self gave to Eugeo during their version of the four Heroes' first night after their summoning – of how the people in their world created devices that created artificial worlds so that they can go on adventures with the devices.
So, before anyone from Kirito's group could start explaining Filo's question, Naofumi started his explanation.
"Remember my alternative self explaining that our worlds have devices that can create artificial worlds? Well, computer commands are a way to communicate with the devices and even give them commands to do certain tasks…
"Now, the language to communicate with these devices is very complicated but the devices themselves are very powerful; and because of that, there are schools in our world that are dedicated to specifically teaching and training people how to understand these languages and give the device the commands to do complicated works quickly. And because of their complexity, people who manage to graduate from these schools usually end up with high-paying jobs.
"I myself never learned any of these languages, so don't ask me anymore about that… I barely know even the bare basics…" Naofumi gave the best explanation he knew.
Not only was he not knowledgeable in programming, his English skills that the computer commands were based on weren't exactly stellar either.
"Hmm… Okay!" Filo said, more or less satisfied with her master's answer, and not wanting to think about complicated things.
Raphtalia looked intrigued but decided to listen to her love and not ask any more questions regarding his world's strange language.
The other three Heroes gave silent acknowledgments to Naofumi's explanation, glad that they didn't have to waste their breath on explaining something that was beyond their understanding.
Though, unbeknownst to the Cardinal Heroes' group, the people that understood about computer commands the most were the four people that they believed to be the least likely to know anything about them: Kirito's group, especially Kirito himself.
Kirito's English skills weren't so good either, but his programming skills were more solid than most teens around his age.
Asuna was the converse of this – her English skills were well beyond a typical Japanese adult's thanks to her mother's competent private tutors, but her knowledge in programming was non-existent…
And no explanation was needed for the two AI's turned fairies.
"Hmm… That is very intriguing… Not to mention, that spell sounds immensely useful," Queen Mirellia also remarked in astonishment, paying more attention to the spell itself rather than the foreign system that the others were focused on as she quickly wrote that spell down in her notebook. Thoughts of many of its applications circulated through her mind where she could've taken advantage of such a spell.
Naofumi and Princess Melty remained silent this time as they also wrote down the new spell that Eugeo uttered in their respective notebooks.
"That's amazing! I don't think we have anything that does something similar in this world," Kirin said in praise before noticing the more serious expression on the Sword Hero's face.
"Kirin, I know that you're a good person and I'm confident that I can trust you with my life. The simple fact that you didn't look at Naofumi with disgust and you don't wear a fake smile already shows that you are different from all the other Adventurers. With the peace of mind that no one will know what we're talking about thanks to this spell, please answer my questions with the utmost honesty. No omitted information whatsoever," Eugeo explained seriously with a hint of assurance in his voice.
"I... understand Sir Eugeo. I give you my word that I will answer with as much detail as I can give for your questions," Kirin earnestly promised with a determined expression. A weight seemingly being lifted from her shoulders.
"Well, that's a relief," Kirito sighed in respite at the further validation that this Kirin girl was sincere with her words of helping Eugeo adjust to this unfamiliar world, "I know we're going to find out eventually, but it's still annoying not knowing the details behind all of the hate."
"Indeed it is," Alice agreed with a nod, "Being clueless to some of the context truly is vexatious feeling."
Strangely enough, the mother and daughter duo of Asuna and Yui stayed in relative silence, albeit for slightly different reasons. While Yui's hyperactive mind had taken a more calculative approach, Asuna's thought processes had become a little more erratic as to why Kirin seemed to be so awfully familiar.
"Let's start with something simple, where is the Queen?"
"She's currently outside of the country attending an international conference with the rulers of the other countries. Talking about how each country is going to handle their respective Waves, which is information that was supposed to be kept secret from you and the other Heroes."
'So, the other countries are also experiencing these Waves, not just Melramarc. I guess that makes a lot more sense. The North, East, South, and West walls of the human Realm back home have their respective Integrity Knights to stand guard since all of them experience skirmishes from time to time. It's only logical to think that other countries have their own Waves to handle too. But why would he keep this a secret from us?' Eugeo wondered before asking the next question.
"Yeah, why did the former king keep this from us?" Motoyasu asked out loud, his so-called heroic pride being offended by not being there for the countries that were in need of a Hero.
Something Ren and Itsuki were also internally grumbling about, though with different reasons and motivations. The former lamenting over not getting the rare drops that he could've acquired if only he was there, while the latter was more concerned about not getting the glory for soloing a Wave.
"Shouldn't the King be there too?"
"The King no longer possesses the Queen's favor because of his unruly behavior towards some previous matters, not to mention all the bad blood that he has for the other rulers. So, she decided to go with the 2nd princess while leaving the King and 1st princess here."
"You have my deepest condolences, Queen Mirellia," Alice bemoaned in sympathy for the mature woman's plight for having such a troublesome husband, "Though I do not know what it feels like to be bonded with someone through marriage, I at least know what it is like to tolerate someone despicable.
The Queen and Princess could only reply with a grateful nod for the blonde woman's sincere words.
Kirito and Asuna on the other hand were more concerned about why the Queen would bring the 2nd Princess, Melty to the important Political Meeting instead of the 1st Princess, whoever that was.
Yui decided to keep what she overheard from her whispering seatmates to herself as she already predicted that this little detail would soon be revealed by the end of Uncle Eugeo's talk with his part mate Kirin.
"Why the 2nd princess? Shouldn't the older princess be the one to come with the Queen? You know, so she can learn how to fairly handle international meetings like that when she ascends to the throne?"
"The older princess Malty has always been a problem child, made only worse by the King spoiling her rotten. She doesn't possess any of the wisdom and fair judgment that the Queen has, always abusing her authority over those below her. As punishment, the Queen stripped her right as the firstborn and gave it to the younger princess Melty."
[This Princess Malty must have been really bad if the Queen went so far as to revoke her right to the throne as punishment.] Alice commented with Eugeo subtly nodding.
"Well, that's the understatement of the century," Naofumi practically growled as he recalled all the trouble he and his party had to endure thanks to the Bitch's schemes and manipulations. Though he did feel a small measure of satisfaction that the Bitch Princess already lost her birthright long before he and the other Heroes arrived in their world.
As Raphtalia and Filo gave their master some comforting pats and hugs, the Queen and Princess could only apologize in silence, especially for all the trouble Naofumi was most likely going to relive in the coming memory projections.
"So, the Queen has the higher authority than the King?"
"Yes."
"If that is true, then did the King summon us behind the Queen's back?"
"I don't know. Not everyone finds out about what happens inside the castle walls, but my mother is secretly a close friend of the Queen. Which is why I know some of the private life of the royalties. She said that the King is taking full advantage of the Queen's absence. So it's very likely, that is the case."
"But, how can that be?" Queen Mirellia exclaimed in surprise at the Toudou heiress' claim. After all, she had no recollection of anyone among her close associates bearing that name.
"Is this true mother?" Princess Melty asked in the same surprised manner.
A slightly irritated Naofumi was just about to ask the Queen a few questions regarding this so-called Toudou clan (along with the other three Heroes) when Zelretch suddenly decided that it was time to let his voice be heard once again.
"If I may have your attention."
Hearing the dimension hopper's voice speaking out all of a sudden seemed to do the trick as the rest of his audience looked at him for answers. After giving out a mental command to freeze the viewing to a halt, Zelretch proceeded to shed some light on the subject.
"As you've already witnessed so far, the main divergence that this world has taken at this time period is the changeover of the Sword Hero that was summoned. But what you don't know, is that a few generations of previous Cardinal Heroes have also changed as well."
"Several generations of previous Cardinal Heroes? Then does that mean…"
"Yes, young lady, this Toudou clan coming into existence is a direct result of one of the previous rosters of Heroes being different from the one that you're living in today. Because of this shift of Heroes that were summoned in the past, all of you will undoubtedly be seeing more than just a few changes that will diverge even further from your timeline going forward."
The audience from both world groups was left greatly dumbfounded and more than a little bit enlivened to see more of how different this other timeline will be compared to theirs.
'GREAT... the King actually intends to leave the other countries for dead by having all 4 Heroes fight only Melramarc's Waves. Just how much does he hate those other countries for him to go this far?!' Eugeo inwardly groaned at the King's sheer stupidity. Then for the next question...
"That's pretty much what happened in a nutshell now didn't it?" Kirito asked in a heavily sarcastic tone as he and his girls gave the Queen an annoyed yet sad look.
"Sadly yes," Queen Mirellia replied in painful remorse, ashamed for what her husband had done, and what she would undoubtedly see more firsthand in this memory viewing.
"Where is the 1st princess? There wasn't anyone with the King when we had our past meetings with him."
"Oh, I apologize for not mentioning that sooner. She's actually that Adventurer who is now Naofumi's companion."
"Huh!?"
" " "WHAT?!" " "
The trio of Kirito, Asuna, and Alice all cried out in surprise. Astonished that the despicable and unworthy Princess that they had been hearing about was the very same redhead that Eugeo had been cautious around ever since she appeared in the viewing.
Much to the amusement of their adopted daughter who was now quietly giggling at their expense for not being aware of this common knowledge until now.
[She's probably trying to seduce a Hero to gain his good graces to increase her own standing. Since that Motoyasu guy already had 4 other girls with him, she must have thought going for Naofumi would make her efforts easier since she doesn't have any competition.]
'That DOES make some sense. No wonder she kept giving us bad vibes.'
Naofumi once again lamented in his head over how naive his past self was for not seeing the warning signs of impending doom, being far too blind to see the poison lingering underneath the whore's conniving smile.
Motoyasu was on the verge of trying to defend his girlfriend's honor, especially after he saw the nods of agreement that were being shared among the two world groups. But by some celestial miracle, the spearman decided to hold his tongue and not say a word, accepting the bitter truth that he himself had to concede regarding the buxom redhead's crimes.
"I thought her name is Myne Sophia."
"Adventurers can change their name if they want to. My Adventurer name is actually Yuuki Konno, but I chose to tell you my real name when we first met."
(*SMASH!*) Asuna dropped her glass of juice on the floor.
(*Choke!*) Kirito swallowed a piece of food improperly and seemed to have gone down the wrong tube.
(*Pffffeeww!*) Even Yui wasn't spared, not this time, as she did a splendid spit take.
With the exemption of Alice who didn't have much emotional attachment to the aforementioned name besides hearing about her sad yet inspiring story from Kirito, Asuna, and their friends, the rest of her companions were left completely shocked and stupefied upon hearing it. Unsurprisingly, the three's over-the-top reactions garnered the attention of the rest of the observatory's occupants, causing them to stare at the father, mother, and daughter trio in confusion. All wondering why the small family would react in such a way, thus prompting Zelretch to freeze the viewing again.
"IS THAT REALLY YUUKI?!" / "Is that really Yuuki?!" / "Is that really Aunt Yuuki?!"
The family of three asked nearly at the same time after recovering their breaths and finding their bearings. Each of them was experiencing their own forms of grief in memory of their deceased friend, but nowhere near as much as Asuna. A few tears were already streaming down her face as a faint hope about Yuuki's fate sprouted in her heart.
Kirito and Yui were quick to give their support as they hugged Asuna from both sides to comfort her before staring at Zelretch for his response. The same thing could be said for the others as they were all baffled by the trio's behavior and wanted answers.
"Indeed... that young lady right there is truly, or rather formerly, Yuuki Konno," Zelretch answered with a slightly more genuine smile on his face instead of the annoyingly amused one that he usually wore, "Kirin Toudou is the reincarnation of your precious friend and sister figure that departed from your world far too soon."
Words couldn't even begin to comprehend the joy Asuna felt upon getting her confirmation about Kirin's identity. A sentiment that was also shared by her husband and daughter as they hugged her once again. Comforted by the fact that Eugeo and Kirin will have each other in this 2nd life that they were given.
"Yuuki…! Yuuki…!!"
Asuna started to cry openly after hearing this confirmation – in both joy at seeing her friend again healthy, and grief from the memory of her death.
"Asuna," Kirito said as he embraced to comfort her. Yui did the same.
The rest of the audience could only watch the scene before them unfold.
Raphtalia, who knew the grief of losing a friend all too well looked with sympathy and relief, glad to know that the fairy before them had – in a way – saw her friend again.
Filo, who had wanted to thank Asuna for giving her the milk to douse the fire in her mouth from the fiery food she had eaten earlier, asked Raphtalia to lend her handkerchief to her.
She did and Filo approached her with the handkerchief – and apparently, Melty had the same idea, as Filo saw her approaching Asuna with her own handkerchief in hand.
The two smiled at each other as they both realized what the other intended, and silently agreed to do it together.
The two girls approached the sobbing fairy and her family to hand her their respective handkerchiefs. Kirito and Yui gave their thanks and took the handkerchiefs before giving them to Asuna.
Once Asuna was able to completely dry her tears, she thanked the girls for their silent kindness.
"Thank you, you two."
"No problem, Miss Asuna… And, if I may ask… was that Kirin girl really your friend…?" Melty cautiously asked.
"Yes… she was… (*hic*) w-when she was alive in our world, although we h-haven't known each other for v-very long, we (*hic*) became very close," Asuna began unsteadily as her tears and emotions overtook her. So, the more composed Kirito had to give a follow-up explanation.
"She was arguably one of the best swordsmen in the world we lived in… Asuna and I both know because we've fought her personally in a duel and not only was she good with her sword, she was very quick in them too, and her flight speed was no joke either. She and I also fought in the final of a sword fight tournament and she won."
"Wow… she must have been very strong!" Filo said.
"She was! And she was also one of the most humble but cheerful people we've ever met!" Yui complemented her aunt figure.
"But if that Kirin person really is your friend Yuuki, then… judging by your reaction, she must have died in your world," Naofumi deduced.
"Yeah… we all found out later that Yuuki and her family had been suffering from a terminal illness since her birth… The same illness took the lives of Yuuki's parents and her older twin sister… before we had even met her," Kirito explained sadly.
The rest of the audience either gasped or stood in shocked silence.
"But even after we found out about her illness, we continued to be her friend. And for 4 months, her condition seemed to be getting better, but… one day, her doctor contacted Asuna urgently and told her that her time had come; that they couldn't do anything to treat her illness anymore… so we, our friends and the rest of the people who respected her came to see her off… Asuna, Yui, me, and the rest of our friends were all there until the very last moment… She was only 15 years old when she passed," Kirito summarized the sad story of Asuna's best friend.
"That's… so sad…" Raphtalia almost whimpered, being reminded of her own friend's passing.
"How tragic…" even the Queen looked visibly saddened.
Even the three problematic Heroes looked genuinely sad.
"And –" Kirito started again, but someone cut him off.
"Kirito – let me be the one to explain."
Kirito turned his head toward the woman in his arm.
"Asuna…"
"I'm alright now – so please, Kirito," Asuna requested.
"Alright…" Kirito relented and let his wife finish Yuuki's story.
"She may have been ill and her illness ultimately took her from us, but she still changed me and my family for the better… at the time I met her, I was facing serious problems because of my family – particularly from my mother… But her words… her sincere and courageous words she gave me brought changes to my family that I never expected… Thanks to Yuuki, my family started to feel like a real family again after such a long time…" Asuna finished her story in Kirito's place.
"I see…" Melty said, wishing that the Kirin that was apparently Yuuki's new name in another iteration of her world, existed in her own timeline.
"But… to know that this time, Yuuki has another chance at life, free from her illness, it's enough… it's enough for me…" Asuna said, finally able to smile again.
With the help of Kirito and Yui, Asuna got up from her knees.
"I, unfortunately, never had the chance to meet Miss Yuuki personally, this all happened before I met Kirito, Asuna, and their friends. But if she was anything like Miss Kirin we have seen so far, I would have liked to have her as a friend…" Alice said respectfully.
"Yuuki's mannerisms have definitely changed in that world, though – she was much more cheery and outspoken in our world. But as Kirin, Yuuki's mannerisms have changed to be more polite and reserved… Maybe because she's a noble this time? But I can still feel it… Yuuki's kind nature and her sense of justice are still there as Kirin…" Kirito explained.
"Yes… I agree… although her personality seems to have changed, I'm glad that deep inside, it's still her…" Asuna sighed, smiling at the projection where her friend was talking with Kirito's best friend.
"Then I wish even more that I could have met her in person…" Alice voiced her thoughts.
"Although, if you did meet her, I bet that the first thing she would have done is to challenge you to a duel," Asuna giggled, remembering how she first met Yuuki.
"Then I would have liked to have met her even more…" In a rare display of humor, Alice giggled as well.
With the mood now shifted from grief to a more cheery state, the rest of the audience released their breaths in relief.
So, the dimension hopper judged that now would be the appropriate time to resume their session.
"With that, I assume that everyone is ready to continue the viewing and see what happens next?" he asked.
Everyone gave silent confirmation and returned to their seats with some grabbing more snacks and drinks along the way, particularly Kirito and the little ones.
Pausing for a moment to think, Eugeo remembered his observations about the town, "Where did the First wave hit? I noticed when I arrived in this world that this place seems unscathed."
"It happened in the village of Lurolona which is south of this town. It was a Village inhabited mostly by Demi-Humans."
"Demi-Humans?"
"Your World doesn't have them? They are people who have a few animal features like ears, tails, and sometimes unusual eyes. They also have a bit of the enhanced instincts and senses of the animal they resemble. Like how Dog Demi-Humans have an extremely good sense of smell or Rabbit Demi-Humans have a sharp hearing."
"Wait a second, you don't have Demi-Humans in your world?" Princess Melty asked Yui in bafflement, unsurprisingly catching the attention of Filo, Raphtalia, Naofumi, and her mother.
"Technically we do, but we just refer to them differently compared to your world," Yui answered smoothly. Not wanting to confuse her friends with how complicated their real world was, Yui decided to simply misdirect them with ALO logic, subtly gesturing over to her feline aunty, "For example, we refer to the race my Aunt Alice belongs to as Caith Siths."
"I see, I suppose it's only natural for different worlds to have different classifications for other races," Princess Melty thought out loud, Yui's answer pretty much satisfying her and her world group's silent inquiry.
"If they are that good... why aren't there any Demi-Humans that volunteered to join us Heroes?"
It was here that Kirin showed a great deal of discomfort in answering. Knowing full well that Eugeo, a Hero who was said to have a strong distaste against abusers of power from her Mother's own spies' reports. Eugeo would not like what she was going to say.
"The few that tried were most likely imprisoned," Kirin grimly answered after a few seconds of hesitation.
"WHAT?!" [WHAT?!]
With the exemption of the Royal Mother and Daughter pair, practically everyone (even the three stooges) in the audience repeated the same furious words that the onscreen Eugeo and Alice roared upon hearing the volunteers' fate. As one, they all turned their heads toward the Queen, all but demanding her answers concerning the wellbeing of those Adventurers.
Averting her gaze in silent shame, the Queen sadly answered, "While I was still able to rescue some of those volunteers who were imprisoned that day, I regrettably wasn't able to save all of them."
It need not be said that both Kirito and Naofumi's parties were more than just livid with the despicable king's actions. And while the three stooges also looked upset, one could not truly be sure if they really meant it or were they simply displaying concern for convenience's sake.
With a heavy heart, Kirin explained the darker side of Melramarc, "Melramarc is a country that has a human Supremacist belief. Demi-Humans are treated very poorly here and have no rights whatsoever. It doesn't help that King Aultcray has a deep-rooted hatred for all Demi-Humans which is made even worse by this country's religion that supports this belief. Telling the citizens that Demi-Humans are hell spawns of the previous Wave cycles and that they should be enslaved before they got the chance to regain their monstrous strength."
"I beg your pardon for my rudeness your majesty but, why haven't you abolished these ludicrous teachings if you already know that they are detrimental to your country as a whole?" Alice asked with obviously restrained anger, memories of the Axiom Church's hypocrisy coming to the forefront of her mind.
"Believe me, I've tried," Queen Mirellia said with a heavy sigh of phantom exhaustion, recalling all the heartaches the Church had caused her all these years, up until Naofumi came along and unknowingly aided her in cleansing her country from the fanatical sect, "Unfortunately, despite my efforts, the Church's false doctrines and beliefs are so deeply ingrained into Melromarc's history and economy that completely ridding the country from its influence is going to take time and a lot of effort."
"As I feared," Alice also sighed alongside the Queen, acknowledging from some of Kirito and Asuna's leftover memories that changing centuries' worth of tradition and customs is a lot more difficult than it sounds, "But at least you've acknowledged your country's flaws and you're working hard to fix it. Unlike some people that I have the displeasure of learning about."
"Quite so Lady Alice."
Hearing the conversation's conclusion between the two women, the rest of the audience could only sigh in relief that the discussion ended on a more positive note. Especially in Kirito and Asuna's case, as they are more aware of how impulsive Alice could be if someone ever succeeded in riling her up. The corruption of religious groups that reminded her of the Axiom Church was one of Alice's biggest sore spots.
Eugeo's voice seemed to have gotten stuck as he processed this fact when he got hit by a dark realization, "What happened to the citizens of Lurolona?"
Kirin looked away with a very pained and ashamed face as she answered, "According to my mother's private spies, King Aultcray gave an order to the Castle Knights to stand down and allow the Wave to ravage Lurolona. This decision however came with a heavy price... not only is the village destroyed with many Demi-Humans dead, but hundreds of thousands of monsters from the wave were allowed to enter this world without any resistance. When the Knights finally moved, it was already too late to contain all of the monsters. Even now, the Guild that handles the Adventurer's jobs is working overtime to clean up the mess King Aultcray has made."
" " " " " " " " "HE DID WHAT?!?!?!" " " " " " " " "
With the exemption of Raphtalia – who couldn't help but shed a few tears and whimper in silent grief – and Naofumi, the rest of the audience roared in a furious rage.
Even the normally cheerful Yui and Filo along with the detached three stooges displayed a lot more emotion than they'd normally do as the former king's actions were just that horrific. This was also big news for Melromarc's matriarch and heiress. Although they were aware that their husband and father had a hand in Lurolona destruction, they never imagined that his depravity had already reached this level of low.
"I will be giving that colossal fool of a husband of mine a thorough affliction treatment as soon as we get back home," the wrathful Queen solemnly vowed as a freezing dark aura seemed to be permeating around her body despite not having dark affinity magic.
Her cold-blooded promise for some draconian retribution seemed to have pacified some of the rages that the rest of the audience was feeling.
With a hollow voice, Eugeo asked his most dreaded question, "What happened to the Demi-Humans that survived the Wave?"
Kirin's voice full of remorse, confirmed his fears, "The men are killed while the young women and children were forcibly taken to become slaves."
Eugeo was already hyperventilating at this point, but that final piece of information caused something in his mind to snap. It didn't take a genius to figure out what awaited the women, they were not only going to be slaves, but they're also going to be Sex slaves! The world around Eugeo suddenly darkened as the memory of how Raios and Humbert tried to rape Tiese and Ronie while he could do nothing but watch seeped into his mind.
Hate... anger... rage... greed...
"Eugeo! Snap out of it!"
[Eugeo! Snap out of it!]
The Sword Hero suddenly found himself back in the field with Kirin. The said girl holding his shoulders as if she had been shaking him, which she probably was.
"What just happened?" Kirito asked, dumbfounded and a tad bit concerned by the way Eugeo's vision seemed to have darkened for a brief moment.
"It looked kind of like what happens when the Seal of the Eye is triggered back in Underworld, though this looks to be far more sinister than that," Alice commented as she recalled the visual obstruction that she experienced back when she first broke free from the system's restraints through sheer force of will.
"It also doesn't help that it happened during his unpleasant flashbacks of those two despicable nobles that you two told me about," Asuna added whilst pondering in thought.
Meanwhile...
While the three stooges paid no mind to the shift of Eugeo's perception, writing it off as simply a dramatic effect to emphasize his anger, the same could not be said for Naofumi. Anxiety and dread were practically written all over the Shielder's face as it only took a second for him to realize what that brief disturbance meant. This sudden change of Naofumi's bearings was enough to alert Raphtalia and Filo that their beloved master must've noticed something was wrong.
Fortunately for him, the only one outside of his party who noticed the Shielder's small lapse of composure is Yui. And the young AI was nice and thoughtful enough to keep her questions to herself, deciding to simply wait for the answers to be revealed when they finally reach that point of the timeline.
"I'm sorry," he apologized to both Kirin and Alice as he started to regain his full senses. "I have an extremely bad experience with people like those, thus making it the easiest way for me to lose rationality. Sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me."
[It's okay...I understand Eugeo. But as much as it pains to say it, with this kingdom itself allowing this entire injustice to happen, we won't be able to do anything to help those victims as we are now. We simply lack the strength and the means to help them]
'For now... I will get stronger and set things right. Just like last time.'
[Just be careful ok... we finally had the chance to be together so don't be hasty.] Eugeo caressed the Sword softly to convey his answer.
"Aaaawww..." the females (with exception of Alice and Mirellia for obvious reasons) all squeed at the loving gesture the other Alice expressed to her beloved. Much to the Knight Alice's embarrassment as she purposely swiveled her head away from view to hide her furiously blushing face.
The guys wisely kept their mouths shut as they did not want to be on the receiving end of an embarrassed maiden's ire.
Kirin just smiled in the assurance that she also understood Eugeo's problem before asking, "Do you have any more questions, or is that everything you need to know?"
"Just two more... why has Naofumi been treated so poorly? Ever since we arrived here, almost everyone he meets looks at him like he is some kind of criminal. I noticed the hatred and disgust in the King's eyes along with many of the Nobles he brought along in the castle. Even those other Adventurers were no different."
Kirito, Asuna, Alice, and Yui, and to a lesser degree, Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Filo, couldn't help but lean forward upon hearing this little detail. All of them were eager to know why the King hated the Shield Hero so much.
While Queen Mirellia and Princess Melty were somewhat melancholic about the approaching reveals due to obvious reasons, the three so-called Heroes remained awkwardly silent. Whether or not the three stooges actually cared about the King's hostility towards Naofumi, was all up to debate.
"The reason is also involved with the King's deep hatred for Demi-Humans. You see... the previous Shield Heroes were known to show a soft spot for Demi-Humans. Although some of the other Heroes have also shown compassion for them, the Shield Heroes were the ones to have spent the most effort in convincing other countries to give them equal rights as humans. With this, the Shield Hero is worshiped as the Greatest Hero in Demi-Human countries."
'I see... so in Aultcray's eyes, Naofumi is the champion of the Demi-Humans he so hates. Demi-Human volunteers or any human who planned to join the Shield Hero's party were all sent to prison, probably with false charges.'
"Disgraceful... simply disgraceful," Alice practically seethed in her seat, completely disgusted by the heinous crimes and abuse of power the former king has done, all because of a misplaced grudge.
Kirito, Asuna, and Yui weren't that far behind as they also fumed at the previous patriarch's vile actions.
'But if that is the case, why did he allow his daughter to join his party?' Eugeo thought to himself, having a bad feeling about that fact before putting that matter aside for now.
The Queen and Princess pair could do nothing but hunch over in shame, feeling abashed while also dreading the coming conflict that will arise.
Asking the last question, "What is the Queen's stance over the treatment of Demi-Humans?"
"You don't have to worry; the Queen is the main reason why there has been a short time of peace between us and the Demi-Humans. She will be on our side when she finally returns. The same thing goes for the Toudou family, although it was agreed among my clan that we will act like we are in favor of the King's decisions, so he doesn't make us his targets. Only making subtle actions in opposing his very questionable use of his authority."
"That was quite clever of them," Melty commented with a somewhat happier tone, glad to see another positive divergence.
"Indeed," Queen Mirellia nodded in agreement before wistfully adding, "It's just unfortunate that the Toudou family doesn't seem to exist back in our world,"
"Yeah... very unfortunate," Naofumi also said ruefully.
"At least this gives me some peace of mind... I don't want you to get into trouble with your family because you don't seem to share this country's point of view," Eugeo sighed before reaching a decision, "For now, we have to get stronger and handle the King's hatred carefully. With the Queen away, we don't have anyone in power to back us up. So, helping Naofumi, the Demi-Humans and the other countries will have to be done very discretely, otherwise, the King and the Church will label us as enemies."
Kirin nodded in fierce resolve in doing this monumental task.
"That was a surprisingly well thought out plan," Queen Mirellia commended, causing a majority of the others to nod in agreement.
"As you already know, I helped Naofumi to not only get stronger but have given him much-needed information on how to use these Legendary Weapons. No doubt the King and Church didn't like that, but they could simply write it off as just me being helpful to a fellow Hero. With the King's hate along with the support of this Country's Nobilities and main Church, chances are high that they are going to make a move soon to impede Naofumi's growth."
"Do you really think they will go that far?"
"Trust me... I have firsthand experience of people like them who will go so far to get back at someone because of old grudges," Eugeo recalled how his conflict with Raios and Humbert all started simply because he showed that he and Kirito are the superior swordsmen. Something that they simply couldn't stomach to accept. Which was why they tried to get rid of them before the graduation exam arrives since they knew that they couldn't win in a fair fight.
"Wait..." Raphtalia's eyes shot up in surprise upon hearing this, turning her head towards Kirito as she and everyone else saw a glimpse of what Raios and Humbert did before, "You and Sir Eugeo were also framed for a crime that you didn't commit?!"
Needless to say, Raphtalia's outburst wasn't a silent one as she caught the attention of the rest of the audience, all turning to Kirito in a silent plea for a little more context.
"It's a lot worse than that I'm afraid," Kirito answered as he gave Alice a reassuring smile and a few pats on her head for good measure, much to the blonde's chagrin despite finding the sensation to be very pleasant, "I guess you can say it was a bad end on all sides for us at the time. Not only were those two born from so-called high-standing families, but the system itself was rigged to go against commoners like us. Especially those who were courageous enough to go against the status quo that they have indulged themselves in for so long."
Although the three stooges were left a bit confused about what Kirito meant, Naofumi and his party along with the Queen and Princess were a different story. They were all surprised at just how much Eugeo's predicament seemed to mirror the Shielder's own.
"Hey Kirin, did you already know that we are being watched?" Eugeo asked as he stood up, beckoning Kirin to follow suit.
"I had my suspicions. After all, the Church strongly implied to all of us Adventurers to keep sensitive information secret from all four Heroes," Kirin confirmed while trying and failing to spot the Three Heroes Church spies that were watching them.
"Wait, what?!" Motoyasu responded in disbelief at the noble girl's accusation.
While Ren and Itsuki were a bit irked that their respective parties kept secrets from them, at the bottom line, they were not overly upset about it; as they were not really interested in learning more about this world than strictly necessary.
"Of course, they would do something like that," Naofumi grumbled at another addition to his already long list of reasons why he hated Trash so much.
"We have to pretend that everything we discussed up to this point is just about my world's version of magic. This barrier was created simply because of my desire to keep my brand of magic between just the two of us. So, let's get some actual Sacred Art training to support this deception."
"Right!"
With the sun now setting on the horizon, Eugeo and Kirin were on their way to the Dragon Hourglass so the Legendary Sword can synchronize with it. Kirin felt embarrassed that she forgot to mention that this was required so that they will be teleported to the Wave's location the moment it starts.
During their Sacred Arts training, Eugeo discovered how Kirin's highest magic proficiency was with the Dark element and Wind Element. For now, she can only do the one-shot bullet of both elements, which was remarkable for only a day of effort. Then again, Kirin admitted that she also knew a few basic magic spells of this world which probably helped in her progress with his method of magic. Eugeo decided then and there that he will also try to learn this World's method and see if he can merge it with his own.
"Now that's an idea," Naofumi perked up by this idea, finding the concept of merging two systems of magic into one to be very fascinating and possibly a worthwhile endeavor. Something the royal mother and daughter agreed with wholeheartedly, both of them being very interested in the idea.
For a brief moment, the three stooges seemed to be interested in also dabbling into the mystic arts but unfortunately decided that it was too much work for them to bother with.
Meanwhile...
"Astounding..." Alice said in amazement at the thought. After all, this was something that has never been precedented, largely because of how the natural laws of one world differ greatly from another. She herself had tried something like this when she first arrived in the world of Alfheim. But she ultimately failed, simply because of how that world doesn't see the Sacred Arts as part of its magic system.
"Interesting."
"Yes, very interesting indeed."
Kirito and Asuna remarked in thought, imagining in their heads what a fusion between two mystical systems would look like if they interacted with one another.
"I think it is possible," Yui voiced out as she calculated the many intricacies of the magical systems in her mind. Just like her parents, she also found this concept to be a very interesting endeavor before adding, "Although, I have a feeling that Uncle Eugeo will run into some trouble before he uses it in battle. Perfecting a balance between two magic systems can't be easy."
Those of the audience who had shown an interest in Eugeo's idea could only nod in agreement, all the while causing Filo's head to spin as her Filolial mind just couldn't process all of this complicated magic stuff yet.
It was also during this time that Alice mentioned that he unlocked something called the [Companion's Sword 1]. It added the stat gains of a Hero's companions for every Level up by a small amount. Alice theorized that this was because of the bonding moment he had with Kirin. Kirin no longer saw him as just the Heroic Sword Hero in the making, but as a fellow human and friend who also had his own problems and mental issues to deal with. This bought a smile to his face that he was right in letting her join him and that Kirin will not be left behind in terms of strength. Putting on his to-do list to try experimenting with how to upgrade this Companion Series to help Kirin and any future companions to grow stronger quickly.
"A Companion Series? I never heard about that."
"Me neither."
"Same here."
Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu simultaneously remarked as they were all left confused on why they never unlocked this weapon series considering its usefulness.
Naofumi on the other hand is barely holding his laughter back at this discovery, it's just too rich for words to describe how hilarious the tables have turned between him and the three stooges. This was just further proof, that even after all this time, they never had a genuine bond with their parties to begin with! Even Motoyasu's so-called harem, one that he proudly pranced around all over the place for everyone to see, never truly had a legitimate relationship with him at all!
They soon reached their destination, this is where Eugeo discovered that the Dragon Hourglass was being held inside a church. The Three Heroes Church that Kirin told him about during their training session. Saying how the Sword, Spear, and Bow Heroes are worshiped and respected while the Shield Hero is looked upon as the Devil.
The massive church had a tell-tale decorated window below the red roof. It was at this moment that Eugeo noticed another piece of evidence of how the Shield Hero is discriminated against in this country. Three spires extended from the top of the church, each decorated with a single Weapon. The left spire had the Bow, the right spire had the Spear and the middle spire had the Sword. At the main entrance, it had a massive symbol with the Bow, Spear, and Sword overlapping each other to form a cross emblem. There was no sign of the Shield anywhere!
"Well, that's just rude," Yui angrily growled (though the others couldn't help but find her growl to be absolutely adorable) at the blatant display of disrespect this church has shown to the Shield Hero. An opinion that her parents and aunty also shared as they all leered at another religious sect that had been corrupted from within by hatred and greed.
Upon entering the church, Eugeo and Kirin were met with a small group of young nuns, all wearing white robes and the rosary of the Three Heroes around their necks.
"Greetings Sir Sword Hero. Have you come to synchronize with the Dragon Hourglass as the other Heroes did?" The leading nun spoke with the utmost respect while the other nuns bowed toward him.
"Well... Yes, I did. That and a few other things that you might be able to help me with, if it's not much trouble," Because of his humble origins, Eugeo felt very awkward about being treated this way.
Eugeo and Kirin were soon led to the chamber where the Dragon Hourglass is being kept. The duo moved forward as several metal stairs rose mechanically to allow them entry. Inside is indeed an hourglass, a 30-foot-tall hourglass that is being held by a golden frame with two dragon statues constantly spinning around it. It was also decorated with four red jewels that surrounded the hourglass itself. All in all, it was a breathtaking sight.
"So that's the Dragon Hourglass," Alice's eyes shined in awe.
"I have to admit, that's a pretty impressive sight," Kirito remarked as he and his girls admired the ancient elegance the Dragon Hourglass was exuding.
"I wonder how much time they have before the next Wave arrives," Asuna asked as her long ingrained Vice-Commander persona reared its head once again.
"Fortunately, judging by how much sand is still left in the top half of the hourglass, I surmise that Uncle Eugeo still has some time to adjust to this new world and master his new abilities," Yui said as she focused her eyes on the grains of sand within the hourglass.
As Eugeo stepped forward, a burst of light suddenly emitted from the Legendary Sword's gem and a beam shot into the center of the hourglass. A timer appeared at the top of his Stacia Hud with a countdown that roughly translated to 3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours, and 32 minutes.
"Well, that's convenient," Kirito couldn't help but chuckle at how handy the Legendary Weapons are despite the restrictions that came along with them.
Asuna and Alice both nodded with a giggle as they gave their daughter/niece proud smiles at how she figuratively hit the nail right on the head.
"Well, that helps... now we don't have to worry about how to keep track of our time to prepare for the Wave," Eugeo mumbled before turning to the nuns, "Is it possible for you to bring me your weakest holy water all the way up to your strongest one? There's something I wish to try with this sword."
The nuns blinked in slight surprise, as both the Bow and Spear Heroes asked for some of the sand from the hourglass, not Holy water. They obeyed nonetheless and left to get what Eugeo asked for whilst he sat and waited at one of the tables. The nuns soon returned, 5 of them carrying a bottle of Holy water of a different quality.
"Why didn't I think of that?!" Naofumi groaned at the wasted opportunity upon realizing what the other Sword Hero planned to do.
While it's true that it was for a good cause, him being more focused on healing Raphtalia from her curse burns instead of thinking about strengthening himself. But it was still a little vexing that he failed to take advantage of the situation and absorb even just a tiny bit of the Holy Water.
Although the three stooges remained silent throughout Naofumi's self-contemplation, they too were also kicking themselves for not absorbing any Holy Water when they had the chance.
While the Heroes lamented over their own shortcomings, the rest of the audience was more curious about what Eugeo would get upon absorbing all the Holy Water that he requested.
Kirin and the Nuns all watched in slight amazement as Eugeo poured the bottles of Holy water into the Legendary Sword one by one.
[Valkyrie's Blade 1 Unlocked]
[Valkyrie's Blade 2 Unlocked]
[Valkyrie's Blade 3 Unlocked]
[Valkyrie's Blade 4 Unlocked]
[Valkyrie's Blade 5 Unlocked]
¥
{Holy Series Complete}
[? ? ? ? ? Unlocked]
[Quality: Mystical - Base Attack: 350]
[Mastery: 0/380 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Luminous Mana Burst]
Level 170 Required
Eugeo's eyes widened at the final form of the completed Holy Series. While he expected to get a powerful Sword with a Light Element, he didn't expect to get one SOOOO out of his current reach that he couldn't even see the Sword's name!
There were no words that needed to be said as the entire audience was left utterly speechless. Seeing just how powerful the final product of Eugeo's Holy Water absorption turned out to be, all the Heroes made a vow. Promising that they will definitely complete the Holy Series as soon as they get the chance once they get sent back to their home world.
He then remembered something important and asked for 5 bottles of the highest quality Holy water and placed them in his Item Storage.
[What are you going to do with all that Holy water?]
'You just have to wait and see Alice,' Eugeo mentally snickered.
"I wonder what he plans to do with all of that Holy Water," Alice asked out loud.
"Beats me," Kirito answered honestly, genuinely clueless on why his best friend would request such a large amount of Holy Water.
"Sir Sword Hero, you still have not yet absorbed any of the sand from the hourglass, have you?" the leading nun that had guided him to the hourglass asked.
"No... I haven't," Eugeo replied
"The other Heroes passed by here earlier this morning to synchronize and also asked for some of the Dragon Hourglass sand. From what they said, it granted them a useful ability," She finished.
"I didn't know that. If that's true, will you be so kind as to also give me some?" Eugeo asked politely, causing the young nuns to feel flustered before briskly collecting some sand for Eugeo to absorb. Holding out the Legendary Sword, the nun poured the sand into the blue jewel.
"Of course, they would freely tell Eugeo about this information while they actively kept it from me," Naofumi grumbled at another injustice that the church has committed towards him, all because of his title as the Shield Hero.
[Dragon Era Sword Unlocked]
[Quality: Unique - Base Attack: 70]
[Mastery: 0/90 - Resonance: 0%]
[Equip Bonus: Dimensional Scar]
[Exclusive Ability: Transport Sword]
[Level 50 Required]
"This REALLY is going to be useful in the future," Eugeo chuckled at how convenient this ability is, simply teleporting to previously visited places that he registered as landmarks. Although he still has to work hard to reach the level requirement. The 3-person limit wasn't an issue for the time being since his companion was just Kirin.
"I agree," Kirito said as he grinned widely at the familiar teleportation mechanic, a timeless gamer function that SAO and countless other games have used for so long, "That skill will definitely be extremely useful in the future once he reaches the Level Requirement."
"Now, if only some people here had the decency to inform me about these things instead of keeping it all to themselves..." Naofumi once again grumbled while staring daggers at his fellow Heroes.
"W-Well better late than never! Right?" Motoyasu weakly defended. Not that it helped him or their case at all as he, Ren, and Itsuki all winced under the combined glares of all the others.
Turning to the group of extremely helpful nuns, "Thank you so much for all of your help. How much do I have to pay for all the materials you gave me?"
"I-it's no problem, Sir Sword Hero! It is our duty to serve you. As for the price, your Sacred duty of combating the waves is more than enough payment for our services," the leading nun barely managed to speak on behalf of all the nuns there.
"Of course, it's free of charge," Naofumi groaned after seeing another brazen display of favoritism compared to how he was treated the second time he visited the church. Not only did they attempt to charge him a sizable amount of money for the Holy water that he needed, but they also had the gall to try giving him a very low-quality one!
"Is that so... then you all have my gratitude," Eugeo said in genuine sincerity while bowing toward them. In his mind, there was a possibility that some in the Three Heroes Church were only being forced to cooperate and can still be redeemed. Just like Knight Alice, who decided to rebel and switch sides when she realized the corrupted nature of the Axiom Church back in Underworld.
All the young nuns are now left completely speechless with nuclear levels of heat on their faces as Eugeo unknowingly gained their favor. They lost a bit of their respect for the other two Heroes because how the Spear hero is a shameless flirt and the Bow hero is simply being young. Both of them lacked the Heroic disposition that they expected from a Legendary Hero. Eugeo on the other hand seemed to possess some of those traits.
" " " " " " "Seriously?" " " " " " "
Nothing more needed to be said as all the females in the audience had deadpanned looks on their faces due to what they just witnessed.
Both for the brief flashbacks of the Spear and Bow Heroes' less-than-stellar personalities, and also for the instant attraction some of the younger nuns felt for the other Sword Hero.
Turning to Kirin, who decided to stay completely silent the entire time so she won't accidentally alert the Church's spies, "Do you know any nearby inns where we can have something to eat and a room to sleep in?"
That night, Eugeo and Kirin stayed in a more moderate quality inn and had their dinner before going to bed. Their place had two beds on opposite sides of the room. Eugeo then removed his armor and placed them on the table and chair before laying on his bed.
After making sure that Kirin is already asleep, Eugeo held the Legendary Sword in his bed for the awaited first try of the Mindscape Ability,'Alright Alice, let's give it a shot.'
[Right!]
In a flash of light, both literally and figuratively, Eugeo once again found himself back in the meadow of Rulid where he had his most cherished memories of Alice.
"My word!"
"It really worked!"
"Incredible!"
"Amazing!"
While the majority of the audience was left awestruck at the amazing display of Eugeo's newfound ability, the same could not be said for the two of them...
"I-Is this...?"
"It is...!"
Alice stuttered out as she and Kirito immediately recognized the scenery that Eugeo now found himself in. Foggy it might be, but the memories that they once shared in this seemingly forgettable neck of the woods, will always be so very precious for this trio of friends.
"It's the very same forest clearing where we used to play back when we were kids," Kirito said with a very wistful sigh.
"Over here Eugeo," Alice called from behind with a weirdly mischievous tone.
Turning around...
Eugeo blushes as hot as a volcano as he saw Alice in all her Angelic Glory!
In front of him was Alice with a pair of pure white and silver Angel wings completed with a halo floating above her head! Her hair gained some kind of sparkling shine and now donning pure white robes that you would expect a real angel to wear!
"So, what do you think Eugeo?" Alice asked with a slightly seductive tone as she gave him a curtsy completed with a flatter of her feathers.
After gathering his wits and clearing his throat, "You look beyond beautiful Alice," Eugeo replies with all his heart.
"Duuuuhhhhhhhh..." Motoyasu is left in a dumbly drooling daze as barely restrained lust clouded his mind upon seeing the angel-garbed Alice. Going so far as to eclipse Filo in his list of desirable women that he wants for himself.
Even the usually indifferent Ren and the dismissive Itsuki couldn't deny that they agreed with the other Sword Hero's assessment. The angel appareled Alice truly was beyond beautiful.
But much to Raphtalia's and secretly Princess Melty's relief, Naofumi didn't seem to be enamored by the other Alice's angelic looks. Although the Shielder did acknowledge that the other Alice looked very beautiful in her angel-themed clothing, his deeply seeded trauma towards nearly all women prevented him from being charmed.
"I got to admit, you do look incredibly good in white~" Kirito teasingly remarked at the currently embarrassed Alice for seeing herself in such an attire.
"Hmm-hmm! Aunty Alice really does look good great in that dress," Yui added.
"Maybe we should ask someone to sew us a dress that looks like that once we get back home," Asuna joined in.
"B-B-Be silent!" Alice shrieked in her fluster as she covered her face with her palms.
Alice giggled in appreciation before grabbing one of his arms and dragging him to take a seat beside a nearby tree. There, they spent the remaining 3 minutes cuddling and just enjoying each other's warmth. She explained that her Angelic form came from the "Valkyrie's Blade" that he unlocked earlier that day. Alice also mentioned the unexpected side effect of this ability. Since the time within the Mindscape was only happening inside their heads, only a fraction of a second passes in the outside world.
The happy couple couldn't help but groan when they saw the countdown on the Stacia Hud almost reaching zero. Eugeo once again promised that he will work hard to make sure she gets a real human body with Alice saying that she will be waiting.
"I really hope Sir Eugeo succeeds," Raphtalia optimistically said as she felt very touched by the dedication the other Sword Hero had for his beloved Alice.
"I'm sure he will," Naofumi said reassuringly while patting the Demi-Raccoon's head before gesturing toward Kirito's world group, "After all, by the looks on their faces, they seem to have complete faith that their friend will pull through in keeping his promise."
Turning in the direction Naofumi was pointing, Raphtalia saw that her master was telling the truth. They all looked confident that their friend will succeed in fulfilling his promise.
The two then went to sleep with high hopes for the future... unaware that the turbulent times that Eugeo predicted to come would arrive far earlier than he thought.
In the very early morning of the next day, Eugeo and Kirin were abruptly woken up by the loud knocking on their door by someone calling for the Sword Hero to wake up. Rubbing his eyes awake with a yawn, Eugeo was quick to get up as he is already used to waking up early. Partly because of his previous calling to chop down the Demon tree back in Rulid. Even when he left and moved to Centoria, he still stayed an early riser with him being Kirito's alarm clock.
"And so it begins," Naofumi all but growled when he recognized the erratic knocking and even the voice of the knocker who shouted for the occupants to wake up.
This shift in tone was felt by everyone as Naofumi's world group all realized (even the somewhat airheaded Filo) where this scenario was ultimately going to lead. Leaving Kirito and his girls confused about what Naofumi meant.
Quickly opening the door, Eugeo answered, "What's the big emergency, good sir."
The one who was knocking on the door was a soldier, "I'm sorry to disturb you, Sir Sword Hero, but his Highness called for an emergency meeting."
"Why? What happened?"
"Well... I only heard rumors, but apparently the Shield Hero is being brought in, on the charges of sexually assaulting his party member!!"
"WHAT?!" "WHAT?!"
Eugeo suddenly froze, just barely able to reply to the guard that he will go to see the King after getting dressed. Everything clicked inside Eugeo's head as to why Myne aka Malty joined Naofumi's party and why King Aultcray allowed it despite his hatred for the Shield Hero.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid!! Why didn't I realize this sooner?! I thought they were still setting some kind of elaborate trap for Naofumi to do something that they can paint in a bad light. The same way Raios and Humbert did to me and Kirito. But I completely forgot that since only a few involved people know about Malty's twisted nature, her lies against Naofumi's truths are going to blow this mess out of the water! The King will no doubt believe his spoiled and lying daughter and this will give him the perfect excuse to make Naofumi's life as miserable as he can possibly can! With the nobles hating the Shield Hero from the start, it would be so easy to influence even the commoners to believe this entire facade,'Eugeo lamented to himself, fighting the urge to bang his head against the wall.
"Of course, they would do something like that," Kirito groaned with a facepalm as he too realized where all of this would be leading to. Something his wife, daughter, and friend were quick to follow as they braced themselves for what is likely to be a very upsetting chain of events.
"What do we do Eugeo?" Kirin's voice filled with worry as she knew that all of this is just another big ugly mess that King Aultcray and Malty are making once again. With the Queen away and her own mother forced into pretending to be all into this to protect the clan, she couldn't think of anything to help the poor Shield Hero.
"We'll do what we CAN do," Eugeo replied with a new wave of determination on his face as he threw together the best plan that he could think of to at least lighten Naofumi's burden. Especially now that the Shield Hero's reputation is being plunged to rock bottom!
'Are there any spies?'
[None at the moment] Alice checked.
'Good.'
Eugeo quickly opened his Item Storage and took several monster parts that he doesn't need anymore, about 200 silver coins and 2 of his highest quality Holy water. He placed them all inside a pouch and quickly handed it over to Kirin's hands.
"Get to Erhard's Blacksmith shop as fast as you can and very discreetly tell him the truth about this entire mess. Then ask him to make a convincing act that he's going to beat Naofumi to a pulp and drag him to the Blacksmith shop to do it, wait for them there. The moment Naofumi enters, act like you are now scared that he might rape you too and accidentally leave all of these items on one of Erhard's displays," Eugeo explained his last-minute plan.
Kirin nodded with newfound purpose as they got dressed and quickly went to their respective destinations.
"As much as this coming chain of events is going to be incredibly unpleasant for all of us... well, besides a few inept Heroes," Queen Mirellia said as she coldly leered at the three stooges in question, causing them to wince at the obvious jab of their so-called competency or lack thereof, before the matriarch continued, "It brings me great comfort that this other Sword Hero was already able to take the steps needed in order to aid Sir Naofumi in the coming conflict. What he just did at the last possible moment is truly the best alternative that he could've formulated given the deranged state my Melromarc is during my absence."
Finding solace in what the voluptuous queen has graciously pointed out, both Kirito and Naofumi's parties were now more than invigorated to witness the trials ahead.
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