WARNING: This story includes mature and sexual elements. Readers, proceed at your own discretion.


Chapter 4: A Goddess's Meeting with a Noble


Leaving home was not easy, especially when it was the only thing his best friend had known for seventeen years. He'd been so determined for it the day prior, but having to see his family one more time, no one could fault him for being pretty emotional. There were plenty of tearful goodbyes and get-well's, with some of their closest friends seeing them off at the gate.

Chief Gasupht, his wife and Selka had shown up to congratulate Eugeo, and to wish him well. Selka had even made them one final meal to take on the road; a pleasant assortment of sandwiches that would remind him of home the moment they left. She and Asuna, both of whom had grown rather close this past week, shared one final hug.

Sister Azalia had come as well, as did all the church children. That got him a little emotional, honestly shocked at how much they cared about him and Asuna that they were willing to see them off. And he didn't even rebuke their requests for hugs, which only reinforced how close they'd become despite their short time here.

"Don't be a stranger now," Sister Azalia said after he'd been done with the hugs. She had a soft smile on her elderly features, at odds with the usual stern look she usually had. "Though your journey will take you far, know that Rulid will always welcome you with open arms."

"We'll be sure to return someday," he nodded back, searching the words to say before settling on: "Thank you. For everything."

"Not at all. It was a delight to have both you and Asuna living with us. It's just a shame that you couldn't stay a little longer, but… well, everyone has their roads to walk. And it seems like you've found yours. All we can do now is pray for your safe journey."

"Take care of Eugeo while you're at it," his best friend's father said. They'd only met once yesterday, so there wasn't much opportunity to get to know each other a little better. But here and now, stood before him was a father who cared for his son, even if he didn't let it show. "You've been good to him all this while. As a father, I can hope you continue to watch after him."

"Father…"

Kirito nodded, smiling. "I promise. Rather, I've a feeling that Eugeo will be looking out for me instead."

Everyone laughed at that, and that only made the heat swelling in his chest stronger. These people were just too good for him, and he was glad that this was the village he'd ended up coming to when he woke up in that forest. It truly had become home.

Taking in a deep breath, he let it all out, and stared the other way; out beyond the southern gate, where familiar wheat fields stretched out. They'd always taken that path to go to the Gigas Cedar, which was now nowhere in sight.

And today, they won't be returning. Not for a very long time. That sure sounded lonely…

But it's as Sister Azalia said; someday, when they have the opportunity to, they could come back here. To come back home. He genuinely looked forward to it. But for now, they needed to fly from the nest to accomplish their goals.

Final words of farewells and wishes were exchanged before Kirito, Asuna and Eugeo stood outside of the gates. They looked back at everyone—waving their arms, screaming their names, some laughing while just a few hid their faces to keep their tears unseen. Even Jink was there, having not said much but making Eugeo promise him to make Rulid proud in his place. It was an unexpected delight, and Eugeo's conviction burned even brighter.

"So," he said, looking forwards once more. "You two ready?"

"I am."

"Mmhm."

"Alright," he nodded. "Let's go."

With the winds of the plains and the wishes of the villagers, the three teenagers departed from Rulid Village, and never looked back.


Okay, so the plan was simple; take part in Zakkaria's Sword Arts Tournament, get enrolled in Norlangarth's Swords Mastery Academy, ace their exams, participate in the Four Empires Unity Tournament, win that one, and get enlisted as Integrity Knights. Simple, right?

Well, he wasn't dumb enough not to recognize the fact that the plan would take years to see fruition. A really long time, so there was nothing that could be done but train as much as they could in preparation for each sequence of events. And the first obstacle was Zakkaria's tournament.

"It'll take a couple of days for us to reach Zakkaria on foot, so we might need to consider camping outdoors if it ever comes down to it."

"Should be fine. We've got ample access to nature's resources that way, so we'll be fine," afterwards, he frowned. "Though, it'll be difficult trying to hunt animals, since those who don't have the hunter calling aren't allowed to hunt animals. What're we supposed to do?"

"Fishing, I guess," Eugeo shrugged. "I don't think fishing counts as hunting, even if those two are the same… But yeah, we can do that."

"For real? Yosh!" He pumped one arm into the air. "Then I'll be able to show off my fishing skills!"

Eugeo blinked, surprised. "You can fish? I never knew."

Ack! He was supposed to be an amnesiac! Before he could say anything, it was Asuna who helped cover for him. "He enjoyed fishing as a hobby back then—and he's rather proficient at it, actually. Though, I suppose he must have suddenly remembered that to be this confident in his skills."

"Ahh, I see. That would be really helpful, then."

Oh, thank the goddesses—well, thank Asuna specifically. Had it not been for her quick thinking, he would have been in much worse trouble.

"In any case, let's go over our plans one more time," the other two nodded at his words, prompting him to continue. "As the chief told us, Zakkaria holds an annual tournament on the twenty-eighth day of the eighth month. It's a tournament for apprentice guards and swordsmen to duel against one another, and it consists of two brackets, and there'll be two winners at the end of the tournament—"

"—The two winners will then be chosen to become Zakkaria's guards, and if the chief guard thinks they're worthy, he'll write the both of them recommendation letters for eligibility of the entrance exam of the Sword Mastery Academy."

"Eligibility. Big word."

"Shush. I've got decent vocab, just so you know," Eugeo gave him a smirk, making him roll his eyes. "Either way, that's our first objective; winning Zakkaria's tournament. But that's only on the eighth month, which gives us five months to prepare. And just so you guys realize, there can only be two winners."

"Naturally, that should be the both of you," Asuna piped in, shrugging. "It's not like I have to pursue the same choice as you two do. I'll figure out some kind of alternative."

That was one thing about the tournament that he didn't appreciate. He'd hoped that all three of them could get into the academy together, but it seemed like such wasn't meant to be; only two people could be crowned the winners of the tournament, and Asuna had accepted that she wouldn't be able to join them. That was a little saddening.

"Guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, though, we need to find someplace where we can stay in the meantime. Maybe we can rent somewhere within Zakkaria?"

"Possible, but it's not like there's a lot of money between the three of us," Eugeo was right. Though they'd been supplied with some funds from the chief, it's not like it would be able to last them eight months. "Which means we'll have to find jobs."

That certainly sucked, but it was necessary for them. Maybe if there was someplace outside of town where they could work and hone their swordsmanship, then it'd be really convenient.

Ah well. That's another thing for the future them to discover. At the moment, they'd only passed the Gigas Cedar, which was still lying on the ground. Several woodsmen had arrived to chop it up into pieces, though that would be hard. They'll likely try and snap off the branches, which were still hard and useable.

"Say, is it too heavy? That branch looks pretty heavy."

"Nah, it's okay," he grinned back, adjusting the branch strapped to his back. "It's pretty big, sure, but nothing too bad."

"I wonder if it can be made into a sword," Asuna muttered. "Taking a tree branch… I can't imagine how one could fashion it into a sword to begin with."

"Perhaps they'll have to carve it down using tools until it takes the shape of a sword," he surmised. "Certainly more difficult than making a sword with metal, though, since all you'd have to do is melt down metal and pour it into the appropriate cast. This one is literally taking a big stick and shaping it into a sword by hand."

"Well, if Garitta believes in this… Sadore, was it? Then he's probably the right man for the job."

He sure hoped so. It'd be a shame if they carried this heavy-as-hell tree branch all the way to Centoria and got nothing out of it.

When Garitta spoke of Sadore, the master craftsman, he hadn't immediately connected the dots. But when he said that the man would be able to transform the tree branch into a sword for him to wield, he'd been really excited. A sword made from the Demon Tree? Talk about sick.

But of course, that wouldn't be anytime soon. They'll have to get to Centoria, and that'll be… who knows. Next year? Blegh.

The party of three travelled on, keeping track of the time as they made good progress. They had to make the occasional stop for a break or refilling their canteens, which gave them good opportunity to appreciate the beautiful environment. Norlangarth benefitted from bountiful plains and lush forests, and the landscape here was one that he doubted he would forget any time soon.

Their target destination would be the Sustnel Mountains, where Zakkaria was located. That would be somewhat closer to Rulid's craggy mountains up north, though it would benefit from warmer air and river water.

A part of him wondered if they should train on their way to Zakkaria, but seeing that it shouldn't take too long to reach there, he supposed they could get back to that once they reach the town. Eugeo especially would request him for more things to be taught, he was sure, which would be difficult because he'd picked up just about everything he had thought him.

Well, he could continue teaching Eugeo skills outside of combat. Stuff like learning to read the opponent's body language and knowing when to block and when to dodge, which Asuna helped from time to time. «Skill Connect» was also on the list, but it was difficult enough to pull off seeing that he only had one sword to work with. Still, judging by the way «Secret Techniques» worked in this world, it might not be so impossible to pull off with the appropriate timing and situation.

Now that he thought about it… Usually, in videogames, there'd be some kind of field event to spice things up. But their travels to Zakkaria had been utterly peaceful, which he definitely appreciated, but also went to show that this was what Underworld really is; a world where flora, fauna and humans coexisted with absolutely no form of conflict. It was nice.

In fact, the few animals they spotted out here would often flee from them, unlike mobs in games that would approach them and attack. This highlighted the fact that these creatures were just as alive and preferred distance, and Asuna and Eugeo would always excitedly point at them. He had to suppress laughter at that. Good to know that they were having a good time as well.

A single day passed and they camped near the river, particularly because it made access to freshwater easy. That stop had been particularly fun because they actually got to take a bath in there (taking turns, of course). It was cold—much colder than what he was used to, and though he shivered as he stepped out and dried himself, he'd be lying if he said that it wasn't the most refreshing bath.

They resumed their journey shortly after, and he felt like they'd made suitable progress. The path they were taking through the Lodend Mountains was clear and easy to follow, so as long as they kept to it, they wouldn't be having any trouble reaching Zakkaria.

A short break was taken to replenish their canteens. Just as they were about to resume their trek forwards, Kirito suddenly heard something in the distance. He paused, looking around in concentration.

His friends noticed, stopping midway to stare at him. "What's wrong, Kirito?"

"…I think I heard something. Like a wild animal or—" A powerful growl cut through the air, making all three of them perk up. "That! Where did it come from?"

"Seems like it's over the hill," Asuna said, expression suddenly serious. "Something, or someone, must have accidentally provoked the animals here if they're this restless. We should go check."

Good idea. Out in the middle of nowhere, there was no knowing if there was anyone living out here, which meant that the person being attacked was at risk of getting injured with no way of calling for help. There was no way he'd let that happen!

The three of them broke into sprints towards the source of roaring, which seemed to originate from the dishevelled shed in the distance. Was it some merchant whose carriage got broken down, and he was being attacked? Or some poacher—no, it couldn't be. Poaching was a serious crime, and the people of this world took the «Taboo Index» very seriously.

Reaching the shed, it was apparent that it wasn't just a single beast; a pack of mountain lions (or Leaping Lynx's, as he would later learn) had a single person surrounded. These things were definitely on the more aggressive side of things, with a great stature and reliance on teamwork to hunt down prey.

But a single sword cuts down a beast foolish to lunge at her, spraying blood into the air. The blade flicks to the side, and he realized that it was already crimson to begin with, sleek in its design and exuding a royal aura.

"Hmph! Did you really think your numbers would scare me? I'll fight as many of you as I must!"

And he realized that the sole fighter was actually a girl, with short red hair that was incredibly striking, and teal eyes that glimmered with determination. Her apparel was too intricate to be a commoner's, meaning that she must come from a noble family. But what was she doing all the way out of here without a bodyguard, then?

His thoughts are cut off by the beast's roar. The one in front of her charges her down, yet she has no difficulty in meeting its attack head-on, sweeping her massive blade in front of her to deflect its claws. Moving much faster than he'd expected her to be capable of, she cocks her sword back before thrusting it straight into its exposed belly, only to pull back in a wide arc and leave it bleeding out on the ground. It's as quick and graceful of a motion that he would have been unable to follow its trajectory had he blinked.

Movement in the corner of his vision has him spotting a lynx preparing to leap at her flank. "Hey, watch out!" He yelled, body moving on automatic as he rushed forwards with his borrowed iron sword angled upon his shoulder. It glowed blue behind him, energy being pumped into it before he leapt off the ground, sword cleaving through the air and right into the lynx's neck, severing its head.

Falling into a roll, he jumped back from another beast's attempt to swipe at him. His back hit Eugeo's. "You alright?" He asked. Kirito nodded back.

"Yeah," and then, raising his voice, he directed his words at the sole girl. "Hey, miss! You alright?

Her answer came with a click of the tongue. "Of course I am. And move out of the way; I don't need your assistance!"

"Yeah, no can do," he shook his head, Asuna finally convening with them. She had a basic rapier deployed, likely created with her powers, but it proved effecting at thwarting off the monsters' attacks. "No one can fend off these numbers all on their own, no matter how strong they are. So let's fight together instead!"

"Kirito-kun's right," Asuna hummed. "It's much safer that way. Hope you're alright with that."

Judging by the annoyed tone she used, she definitely minded. "Fine. Whatever. Do what you want. But don't get in my way, or you'll regret it."

Yeesh. She's a feisty one. Then again, he likened it to stress from being outnumbered. She'll probably cool off after this.

Thundering footballs approach their position, hungry beasts rearing to pick a fight. He shook off his concerns, directing his iron sword before him. Alright then. Time to get to fighting!


Wait a minute, doesn't all of this count as hunting?

Finishing off the last lynx and flicking his sword off to the side, the thought came to his mind after the adrenaline rush was over. Kirito blinked, scouting his surroundings to make sure there were no other creatures in sight. It was only when he was certain that they were in the clear that he let his guard down.

"Uhh. We're not getting into trouble for this, right?" When everyone else looked at him in confusion, he elaborated: "The «Taboo Index» forbids those who aren't hunters from hunting animals. Aren't we technically breaking the rules?"

"Don't be ridiculous. That only applies for when you're trying to hunt animals for food and materials," scoffed the redhead, sheathing her long katana. It was a beautifully ornate thing, though he didn't have enough time to appreciate it further before it disappeared into its sheath. "In a scenario like this where we're being attacked, it can be treated as self-defense."

Aaaah. Handy. "But it'd totally be against the rules if we skin them and take their materials, right?"

"Exactly. The best we can do is just bury them."

Well, how about that? Talk about convenient. And checking his Stacia Window, he noticed that his authority had slightly increased, confirming his earlier theory that killing something gave an increment to the person's authority.

Did people know about this? Because if they did, he feared that they'd be more active in hunting down animals to increase their strength. Then again, seeing that no one does, maybe they'd misunderstood the «Taboo Index» just as much as him.

"In any case, why did the three of you help me?" Everyone turned to look at the redhead, a little scowl on her face. "I told you that you didn't need to intervene."

"Whoa, come now. You didn't expect us to just let you fight all…" He paused to count the bodies around them. "…nine of them on your own, did you? That's just suicide."

"Well, sometimes it's the tough challenges such as those that'll provide the best opportunity to hone my strength. Ever thought of that?"

"Hone your strength?" Eugeo parroted. "Are you a swordsman too?"

"No, Eugeo. She's a swordswoman—ow!" He recoiled from the finger that poked between his sides. "Why?"

"No joking around, Kirito-kun. Time and place," uh, did this not count as a reasonable time and place for a joke? Asuna ignored him, smiling calmly at the other girl. "In any case, forgive us for not introducing ourselves earlier. I'm Asuna, this is Kirito-kun, and that's Eugeo-kun. They're from Rulid Village. I'm from Wesdarath."

"Rulid..? Ah, the one up north. And Wesdarath? That's far from where you are now."

"Heh, so it is," she grinned. "And you are…"

She didn't seem like she wanted to give away her name, but eventually caved in with a scoff. "Medina. Medina Orthinanos."

"Medina-chan, then!" The girl in question winced at the familiarity in her calling. Asuna pressed on regardless. "In any case, it seems that you're on the way to Zakkaria, right? If so, then the three of us are heading in the same direction. So why don't we go together?"

"Don't even think about it. I have things that I need to do—and I'd prefer to do them without any hindrances."

Ouch. Talk about having a barbed tongue. She sure knew how to be sharp. "Yeah, well, the three of us have things we need to do too. But the reason we want to stick together is because it'd be much safer that way. There's no telling when something like this could happen again."

"If it does, then I'll handle them on my own. I'm not weak."

"No one's saying you are. After that display earlier? I can definitely say that you're hella' strong. But there's nothing to lose from teaming up—at least until we reach Zakkaria. Watch each other's backs. Afterwards, we can split off to do our own thing. Isn't that good enough?"

Medina didn't seem particularly thrilled with his suggestion, looking like she was sucking on lemon. Eventually, though, she relented with a nod. "Fine… I can tell my words won't get through to you. But only on several conditions."

"Such as?"

"We work together only until we reach Zakkaria, you don't pry into my affairs, and stay out of my way," she crossed her arms, heated tone making it clear she wouldn't accept anything less. "I plan on fighting beasts on our travel to train my swordsmanship, so don't think about interfering. And I refuse to take orders from any of you, so don't even try."

She didn't bother waiting for any of them before turning around and walking off. Kirito, Asuna and Eugeo exchanged looks of exasperation. This was going to be quite the trip, wasn't it?


A trip out in the wilderness sounded like that kind of thing she felt like no teenagers would get to experience unless it was a drive out in the city or off to the countryside. Here in Underworld, though, there were no such vehicles, and actually meant walking out in the forests and plains. And what a fun trip it has been thus far.

Some people categorized a trip as successful according to several factors; the destination, the environment and, most importantly, the company. In that, Asuna acknowledged the fact that some people might have pitied her for traveling with two boys, citing that it was probably awkward for her to be the only girl.

Honestly, she didn't mind it one bit! Having Kirito alone was the greatest thing in her life. And though she could have been annoyed at having a 'third wheel', Eugeo was anything but. She really liked Eugeo and was so glad to have him with them. They were pretty good friends at this point, sharing common ground in their woes when dealing with Kirito's silliness.

So yeah, this trip had been utterly fine for her. Even thinking about sleeping arrangements didn't worry her, because she was fine with sleeping on one side while the boys took the other. She knew Eugeo was too innocent to try anything, and she trusted Kirito to be a gentleman and not try anything (even if she was more than okay with that).

Now, however? They'd come across another girl out in the fields, and that was great! She always loved to make more friends, especially if they were of the same gender. The only thing that could make her at least a little more tolerable was if she could at least be a little nicer.

'There she goes, marching at least ten steps in front of us in search of a monster to cut down,' she thought to herself, sighing. 'I can understand the want to improve, but would it kill her to be pleasant to us?'

Then again, she'd probably had some experiences that made it hard for her to be friendly to others. That was excusable, she supposed, and maybe time will let her warm up to them.

"So this road leads further south? Cool. Then let's use it."

"But there were reports of there being a nest of wasps here—large ones, mind you. Should we proceed?"

"Hmm… Well, maybe we can take them out?"

"I'll do it myself," Medina said, already walking forwards. Kirito quirked a brow.

"Whoa, what? Hang on, let us come with you—"

"You don't need to," she barked back, whipping her head around with a heated glare. "I told you that I'm trying to train, and that you aren't to bother me when I do. I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain."

"Medina, look, I know you're really capable. But it's still really reckless to go off and fight so many all on your own. At the very least, take someone with you. Maaaybe… Asuna, perhaps?" The girl in question perked up. "I mean, you're both girls, so maybe you'd feel more comfortable with her."

"And what will we be doing?" Eugeo asked, prompting him to shrug his shoulders.

"Dunno'. Stand back and keep watch in case there's an even worse monster in the area? You two can clean up the road and we'll make sure nothing shows up. We might be forced to fight it off, though."

"Don't. I'll kill it myself."

"But you're already… Well, alright. If you say so."

Asuna took a deep breath, quickly following after her red-headed companion and reminding herself that she couldn't just murder her. That would be wrong. Even if she really wanted to.

No one could blame her. The girl was just too unreasonable. Again, she reasoned that there'd probably been several circumstances that have resulted in her behaviour, and a level of wariness around strangers was perfectly reasonable. But she liked to think that they'd proven their trustworthiness already! Medina didn't have to be so stubborn.

Regardless, as she and Medina took out the wasps (more like she stood in the sidelines while Medina handled all of them), they returned to find the boys staying at the same spot from earlier. Once they were certain there was nothing left, they resumed their travel.

Hours into the journey, with it being close to nightfall, Kirito called for them to stop to camp. Medina had tried to leave, but after some insistence, she relented with great reluctance.

And so, upon finding a suitable spot beside a river out in the open, she and Eugeo made to prepare dinner while Kirito went around searching for firewood. Medina simply sat back, not really in the mood to do anything to help or deter them.

"Be careful," she said, serving a bowl to the redhead. "It's rather hot."

"Mm, it's fine. Thank you."

Sitting beside his best friend, Kirito whistled. "You're actually thanking her? Colour me surprised."

The redhead merely scoffed in response. "Don't be absurd. Courtesy is just expected in response to a kind gesture. My father would be disappointed in anything less."

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to sound insulting."

Those teal eyes watched him for a moment, only to soften after a while, sigh expelled. "It's alright. And I suppose I have to apologise for being so hard to deal with. I just need to work hard on pursuing my goals."

"Are you in a rush of sorts?" Eugeo, still keeping his eyes on the fire, asked. Medina shook her head.

"Nothing of the sort, but I simply refuse to waste time doing nothing useful. I want to make sure that I can make full use of everything at my disposal to become a better swordsman."

As she talked, Asuna had to consider if she really deserved some sympathy. While she understood that need to become perfect, perhaps influenced by past events or her family's expectations, did she have to be so difficult to work with?

Ah well. At least she recognized her poor attitude and even apologized for that. It was a mature thing that not many people could tolerate doing, so she got some points for that.

"Well, whatever it is you've got to do, make sure you don't push yourself too much, alright?" Despite the smile on his face, Kirito looked… tired. Burdened. His words carried a weight of a man pushed to the brink. "When you try too hard to do something, you might yourself falling over the edge—and it gets so difficult to pull yourself out of that hole. And even if it doesn't bother you, it's all the people that love you that get hurt the most, so take care of yourself. If not for you, then for your family, alright?"

"Ah…" Medina looked taken aback by his words, eyes wide. Eventually, she nodded. "Okay… I'll be careful."

"Did you… remember something, Kirito?"

"I don't actually know," he shrugged back at Eugeo's question. "But hearing Medina talk that way, I just had that feeling in my chest that I did something similar. It felt like I was relieving that, and it was… suffocating."

The Moonlit Black Cats. He had told her the story of them—of a group of friends who welcomed him into their guild, spending every day with cheer and hope for the future. This was sometime after she'd left his side to join the KoB. These were the first people outside of her, Klein and Argo that he'd gotten emotionally attached to, and had said that he would have wanted to meet them once the game ended.

But bad decisions on his part had brought about their inevitable end, the members dying in a room when a trap went off and their leader throwing himself off the edge in grief.

Kirito carried that burden for many days, spending every waking day only as a husk of himself. She'd heard Argo told him of an item that could resurrect a player, and how desperate he must have been to try and reach out for it, going so far as to almost lose his life in a solo battle against a boss.

She remembered that dark moment. Even when she'd messaged him every day (as she always did), remembering how jealous she was that he ended up in a guild but happy regardless because he talked with her through their messages, her messaged ended up getting no responses at some point. She'd even wanted to go out and search for him on her own, but her duties had kept her busy.

At least now, he'd found some solace, even if that grief hadn't completely faded. He admitted that several nights of sleep had been difficult since memories of his days with them would always end up resurfacing, and she always wished she could do something to help him.

'He's getting a little better. That's all I can ask for.'

"Wait, you don't know? What, are you a child of Vector or something?" When Kirito simply nodded at that, the redhead's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

"I literally met him in the forest almost a couple of weeks ago," Eugeo said. "I was working on my calling at the time, and we just happened to meet each other there. He only knew his name and his calling, but nothing else. But," his gaze moved towards Asuna, who perked up. "Apparently, both Kirito and Asuna have history."

"We were friends in the past," she said, smiling warmly. "Really good friends."

"I see…" A conflicted expression crossed her features as she looked at the ravenette, who tilted his head back. Eventually, she spoke with a quiet voice. "Sorry to hear that. Hope you get your memories back."

"Ah. Thanks. But you don't need to worry even if I don't; I've got the greatest friends in the world a guy could ask for. I can make more memories with them in turn."

The redhead snorted, amused by his response. Asuna smiled too, noticing just how she was a little more at ease compared to the entirety of today. Progress was made it seems.

Eventually, the four had ate and talked long enough that they were beginning to feel tired, so they bade each other a good night and slept under the starlit sky. Yet another day outside of Rulid comes to an end.


When the party of four woke up the next morning, Kirito had quickly left to go do some fishing, Eugeo requesting Asuna to follow him and make sure that he didn't get lost. His best friend had taken offense to that but relented regardless against his friend's pressure.

"Breakfast..? This is ridiculous."

"We really can't stop Kirito when it comes to eating," chuckled the flaxen-haired boy. "I don't know where all the food goes to. It's like his stomach has compartments or something."

"Hmm. Probably."

Lightly seasoned and grilled to perfection, fish had never tasted greater. They packed up afterwards, getting ready to make their way for Zakkaria once more. Not much stood in their path, so the journey was relatively calm and pleasant. They spent much of their hours simply taking in the sights once more.

At some point, however, they continued once more. Chatter helped keep their spirits up, Kirito's banter with his brother figure more than giving off the upbeat atmosphere that made the travel way more bearable. Even if Medina oft complained about how loud he was, there was no missing how relaxed she was, which he'd take as a win.

Breaking out of the forested path and climbing a crest of a hill, they had officially entered the Sustnel Mountains region, where they could spot a large number of mountains to their left and right, a river cutting forwards. The sky was dyed in sleepy oranges, indicating how close it was to nightfall. A soft breeze greets them, and he couldn't help but enjoy it.

"Alright… So, how much further do we have to go?"

"Huh? Don't you have the map?"

"Nope. I asked Asuna to hold it because I don't trust myself to read maps."

"The last time you tried to, you actually read it upside-down."

Medina snorted while Eugeo facepalmed. Kirito winced in return. "H-Hey now. Do you really gotta' bring up things that even I don't remember?"

"Relieving past moments can be fun from time to time," yeah, at his expense. And he knew she was referring to that time in 'SAO' when they had to use a handheld map to navigate a labyrinth, and actually got lost because he literally read it upside-down. She refused to let it go for a week. "But we don't even need a map to know we've arrived. See? It's right there."

"Hmm? Where is—Woah!"

It had been just two days and a half's worth of travelling, but even that had felt pretty long. Yet now, gazing upon the great walls of the city located smack-dab in the middle of Norlangarth, all he could think of was how easily it put Rulid to shame.

Looks like they've arrived at Zakkaria.


Author's Notes:

I've made a mention of the «Taboo Index» regarding hunting in my other story, Of Crowns and Swords, and it still bugs me that they go around killing enemy mobs just like that.

And before anyone asks me, yes, I'm pretty sure fishing counts as hunting. Most people categorize them differently on the account that fish can then be released into the wild, but what if you take it to eat it? Isn't that essentially hunting? I dunno'. Just trying to point out the fundamental similarities.