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

Chapter 7: The Goddess' Chosen

Kirito, like most other people, had a morning routine. A relatively simple one in the grand scheme of things, but the purpose of such a thing was never meant to be convoluted or challenging; it was always meant to 'recharge' a person's psyche and mood for the coming day. It was a positive thing, and he liked to think that his had been good for him.

To put it simply, he would get up early in the morning (a little later if he could get away with it) and proceed to do some stretches—he wasn't the most active of people, but warming up the body with light physical activity always helped a bit. And then, he'd do a quick checklist of what he intended to do on that day, then proceed with a cold shower, get dressed, and get on to face whatever would come at him.

It really was simple as it could get, and Kirito liked to think that it had done him plenty of good throughout the years. It never took his mind off of what mattered—only reinforced his motivation to see things through to the end.

And that hadn't changed when he entered this brand-new world. If anything, his morning routines had become more necessary than ever. It was a constant that helped ease his mind in preparation to meet the day, and sometimes they helped him to let go of stress he accumulated prior.

Granted, he hadn't felt any close to being stressed for a pretty long time. If anything, life had been going incredibly well for him since the beginning, minus the almost-dying bit; they'd won the tournament in Zakkaria a month ago, they were all guards, and he was currently having the greatest sex in his life.

"A-Aahn..! R-Right there, Kirito-kun!"

"Aurgh..! A-Asuna, don't make too much noise..! Fuck, you're amazing!"

…That would be hard to say, actually. They've had a lot of great sex over the course of these months, and comparing any of them was impossible. This was just as amazing.

His mind came to a blank for a moment as her tunnel constricted around him. Feeling his lover above him, his dick ramming up into her and punching all the loveliest spots every time she bounced atop him, Kirito felt like he was melting. Hearing her moan his name without a care, breasts swinging up and down with every bounce and her supple ass in his hands, clenching each time she orgasmed—everything she was doing made him feel countless things.

One might wonder how it was that they were getting away with such heated sex, especially because they were in the barracks, where countless other guards were sleeping. And Eugeo was literally in the other side of the room separated by a thin wall, asleep without a care. With how loud she was screaming his name, wouldn't it make sense that he'd hear them at some point and wake up to the sight of their lovemaking?

"S-Silly… Haven't you forgotten? They can't hear us…"

"D-Damn..! Of course you'd have, aaah… sound-cancelling powers, because you're the goddess…"

"Hehe… W-Well, I wouldn't want to bother Eugeo-kun's sleep… Haaahn, just like that..! A little faster..! Aaah, he's worked so hard. He deserves his sleep…"

"O-Oh, sure. You're totally not trying to justify us having sex, because you're clearly horny like a bitch…"

The moment was getting to him. He knew that he would have never said such terrible words to her in any ordinary timing, if at all. Even in moments where he'd completely lost his temper, he just couldn't believe how willing he was to simply curse like this. A part of him was utterly revolted by the fact that he threw such words at Asuna, of all people.

And yet, there was no mistaking the way she clenched tighter around him, lips curling into a wide smile. "Y-Yes," she panted, rolling her hips into his with every upwards thrust he gave. "Hyaanh..! I just want you to fuck me so badly..!" Her hands found his chest, tracing figures into his skin that made him shudder. "W-We hadn't made love like this for days! I-I missed this!"

"Yeah… I missed this too…"

It had been pretty hard because, at times, their schedules simply didn't line up. Seeing that there were either the day or night shift of guard duty, being delegated to different times just gave them no opportunity to find time to spend together. And even before that, they'd mostly been training for the tournament with just a night every now and then.

It was only yesterday that they'd finally gotten put together on the same time and were allowed to return in unison, hence why she'd been so desperate to push her husband down on his bed and take his dick in her, getting off on his rough ministrations.

"O-Oouugh!" Another climax broke through her, her pussy practically sucking hard on him. With the head of his cock scraping along her cavern walls, electricity running up and down his spine, pleasure building in rapid spikes. "K-Kirito-kun… Aaah, how close are you?"

"G-Getting there."

"T-Then, go as hard on me as you want! I don't mind!"

Again with this. His wife had been very open about allowing herself to be used however he wanted. To surrender her entire body to him because she was just that submissive before his very whims, almost begging to be nothing more than his cock sleeve.

And goddesses, every single thing she said never failed to make him burn hotter with lust. It felt like he'd reverted into a starving beast, and she was nothing but her prey. When he met her eyes, he could see the way her breathing hastened, how her body shuddered in anticipation. Well, if she wanted more…

Without warning, he grabbed her by the waist and threw her off of him, a cry of surprise slipping past her lips. Her head struck his pillow and her back his damp mattress, and as both of his hands gripped tightly onto her hips, he could only be mesmerized by the way his goddess looked; hair splayed all around her, meticulous braids undone and sticking out everywhere, some loose strands sticking to her neck, her breasts heaving and skin littered with countless love bites, her face flushed bright red…

He knew he didn't deserve her in the slightest, but it was his duty to make her happy now that she was his, and he hers. Nothing else mattered.

And that was what reignited his vigour on his current task; as he pulled out in one quick swoop. Afterwards, he aligned himself with her entrance, rubbing his cock head against her slit a few times. Asuna mewled, begging hastily for him to take her. His grin came to him, not at all ignorant to her pleas.

And with a slight pull back, Kirito rammed his waist forward, burying himself inside her in a single powerful thrust.

"Y-YEEESSS!"

Spending his morning with his dick punching away at her womb, white filling his vision and his nerves electrified, was not a frequent routine he got up to. But precisely because of how sparse their moments together were that it made their time together incredibly pleasurable. Asuna was no less enjoying this, screaming herself hoarse at how desperately he pumped away inside of her. Damn it, she was so fucking hot..!

With three final thrusts, the last one being a strong push that hilted him deep into her, Asuna screamed for the umpteenth that time, her pussy walls squeezing him tight. He could feel that climax being her strongest one yet, timed perfectly with his balls spasming as rope after rope of cum was shot directly into her. Truly, nothing could have made this morning routine better.

Except it could be made better, and that was when Asuna enticed him with five more rounds before they decided to put an end to it because Eugeo (thankfully?) had already begun stirring by then. Otherwise, he feared that his wife would have ridden him for at least another hour, leaving both of them too exhausted to even get out of bed.

After quickly dispelling all traces of their previous lovemaking, Asuna had quickly snuck back to the women's room to get ready. Kirito sighed, putting on some undergarments and doing whatever he could to pretend that he hadn't just had mind-breaking sex with his wife mere moments ago. Easier said than done, when he could still feel his wife's lingering touch on his skin…

And that was the sight that Eugeo woke up to, smiling at first before looking confused. "Uh, Kirito? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"You look like you're constipating."

"…It's nothing."

He refused to say more as the two of them went ahead to get changed before meeting Asuna in the canteen—oh, right. Ever since they became Zakkaria's guards, they were offered living space in the barracks, which had its own medical centre, a canteen, a bathing area and an outdoor training field. Quite a nice place.

Not as homey as the Woldes or Rulid Village, but it was still something.

Arriving at the canteen, he caught his wife's features brightening as she waved at them. "Kirito-kun, Eugeo-kun! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Asuna."

"Hey Asuna. Hey Medina."

The redhead sitting beside his wife looked at him, frowned, then let out a sigh. "Good morning."

A part of him shouldn't have been surprised that even Medina had taken part in the tournament, though he definitely didn't expect her to win the tournament alongside the rest of them. Were it a two-block system as it was meant to be, he would have felt bad on account of needing to knock her out so that he and Eugeo would be elected as guards.

But hey? It felt nice to have the whole gang together, even when the girl's first reaction to seeing their face was utter bemusement.

The few days since had been relatively good going for all of them, though. And for Asuna, who was bunking in the same room with Medina, he was pleased to know that the girls were getting along. Not like he didn't expect the opposite; from their short trip together to Zakkaria, both them gelled with one another.

Grinning, he decided to focus on the day for now, grabbing their food and returning to their table with a whole serving of bread, vegetables and soup. None of it was as delectable as the food they used to eat at the Woldes' place, but he wasn't going to complain about free food.

He also had to refrain from calling out Asuna's weird shudder when she sat down on the bench. She had to be incredibly sore down there. Yeesh.

"So," Medina began, setting down her teacup. "What's the schedule for today?"

"Typical stuff like always. I'm gonna' go do some patrolling in the northern district," Kirito shrugged, pushing every other thought out of his mind. "Nothing usually happens around these parts. And with the tournament long behind us, Zakkaria won't be seeing a lot of visitors."

"True that. It'll mostly just be peaceful months ahead of us," Eugeo nodded in turn, setting his spoon down. "Though we'll obviously have to keep up with our training whenever we can."

"We've got, what? Six more months? Talk about a long time."

And just saying that made him feel bored. As Eugeo said, with nothing more happening in town, their patrols will end up just being them walking around and seeing the same thing over and over. He sort of wished time could go a little faster.

But maybe this was better than going back to school? That thought was an ironic one. Guess no one can escape the education system, no matter what world they're in.

Still, it was a necessity. If it would help them reach the cathedral, then he'll deal with two years of boring high school no matter what. Plus, with his friends by his side, everything will be okay.

"And what about you girls? What will you be doing today?"

"Hmm… Well, I checked in with the chief guard, and I have to patrol the southern district this time."

"And I've got the eastern side of town. Eugeo?"

"West this time," he chuckled. "Guess we'll all be going different directions today."

For real? He almost pouted at that. He'd much rather have had one of them with him. The patrols would have been less boring that way.

But only a fool would request a shift in posting on account of it annoying the chief. The last time a fellow guard had accidentally angered the chief guard, he'd gotten a severe punishment of having to run fifty laps around the town's perimeter. He'd returned in the evening only a shell of himself.

In any case, they spent a couple more minutes eating and chatting before finally prepping for their jobs. Asuna was the first to depart, having been told that there was some immediate trouble at the gates. Medina was next, wishing them well (in her typical gruff way). Then he and Eugeo left simultaneously, bidding each other farewell before heading off for their destinations.

Being Zakkaria's guards wasn't the most exciting jobs. They mostly went around doing a lot of patrolling, keeping a look-out around the streets to make sure nothing was wrong. At times, someone would need help with a mundane task—like trying to find a person's cat or sending packages. At least that meant there was something to occupy his time.

But crime? That was non-existent here. The people of this world took the church's laws very seriously. Unfortunately, there was often the case of classism that made things a little difficult for everyone, but thankfully even that was rare.

The rare times something actually happened was when merchants would enter town and he would have to keep a closer eye on things to make sure none of them were being harassed or no customer was being swindled. Eugeo had managed to stop a shady deal once, and everyone's played nicely ever since.

"Hmm. Well, it's not like I have to patrol the entire day. I just need to do twelve hours and then I can switch with the night shift."

Starting at seven in the morning to seven in the evening certainly feels like a slog and way too early, but he liked to think that he was good at that… which was a pretty bold lie. The number of times he'd given Eugeo trouble in waking him up made him sweat-drop.

So, for the remainder of the day, Kirito walked around the northern part of town, checking each street and seeing to the needs of the citizens whenever it was necessary. Mundane things ultimately; helping a child look for her friends, tracking down a cat, walking a granny to a bakery store, giving opinions to a shop owner which flowers looked nice outside of his building…

Yeah, not exactly the 'guard-liest' of duties. But hey? That was just how the dice rolled.

Now that he thought about it, one could say that they technically got more work when they were living with the Woldes. At the farm, the things they had to keep track of was certainly more numerous, and they had their fair share of labour here and there. Guard duty surprisingly couldn't compare.

And he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss them. The evening before they moved into Zakkaria's barracks, they had a hearty dinner for them as a send-off, and he'd gotten a little emotional at the time, especially when Telin and Telulu pleaded them not to leave. Damn, he was weak in the heart!

Nevertheless, they'd made good with the Woldes (and Asuna left behind a blessing to make sure their crops would grow well and their horses healthy) and had gone to Zakkaria to enlist as guards the next day, thus beginning their days of guard duty for the next seven months.

Kirito actually paused mid-walk. Seven months. Holy crap, that sounds like a really long time when thought out loud…

"Ah well. Time flies, and we won't even notice it," he shrugged, continuing on his way. "And since we've got a lot of time before we get into the academy, there'd probably be other things to do. Like, maybe on our off-shifts, we can go visit the Woldes. I'll see if there's anything I could bring as a souvenir. Until then, today will just be an ordinary, boring ol'—Ack!" A grunt escaped his lips as someone collided with him, pushing past him to make a break down the crowded road. People screamed as they moved away to give them passage, their hood trailing behind them. "Hey! God damn it. What the hell was that about?"

Someone was in a real rush, it seemed. He would have let it slide if it was a little kid, but that was clearly someone big enough to be considered an adult, or at least an old teenager. Still, with all the ruckus he was causing…

"H-Help! Someone, please help!" An old merchant yelled, panting. Kirito looked to the source. The poor soul bent over, gripping at his knees, staring at the fleeing stranger. "That thief stole my necklace! Please, stop him!"

What.

It was a pause in thought. And then, Kirito's head snapped towards the fleeing thief, legs already moving. "Oi! Stop!"

The thief did not, in fact, stop at his call. If anything, he simply ran faster, forcing the ravenette to break into a sprint and chase after him, their footballs drumming on the cobblestone and people shouting in surprise as they moved out of their way.

Of all things for today to end up being, it becoming a cat-and-mouse chase was not it. Still, Kirito pushed forwards with a growl, manoeuvring left and right past the other citizens to keep up with the hooded bastard.

The thief leapt over a wagon of fruit with utter ease. Kirito grimaced, having only a second to consider doing the same but choosing to sidestep it instead, the other bystanders staring at them in confusion. "Sorry, sorry! Just having a little problem!" He shouted, resuming the chase. 'If only I had my acrobatics skill..!'

When the thief turned right into an alley, Kirito followed, entering and finding his target emerging on the other side, a momentary daze of shifting from darkness to light. He continued to follow him, relying on the loud footsteps to lead him.

Throughout the run, his mind whirled endlessly. None of this made sense. The people of this world were loyal to the «Taboo Index». There was no way any of them would resort to thievery! They knew what the consequences of such a thing was! Even the nobility who bully the common folk never do anything to the extent of what would count as a crime.

What if it wasn't an Underworld resident?

The thought sent a cold shudder down his spine. Was it really not just him and his friends who dived into this world? Had other people infiltrated Underworld alongside them? Or had the people found some loophole to break the «Taboo Index», similar to how Asuna had managed to bypass it?

He shook his head. That was a mystery he could focus on later. Right now, he had to focus on catching the thief. "Hey!" He shouted. "Return that necklace already, or I'll have to use force!"

The thief didn't answer. Fine. He was just asking for it.

They continued to run down the street, Kirito keeping pace with the hooded figure as best as he could. Someone screamed in fear as the thief pushed her aside, and the boy barely managed to catch her in his arms before dropping her gently, chasing him once more. And with time, he noticed how there were almost no one blocking their path.

It was only when he was confident that he was in range did he finally will the energy of the world into his fingertips, chanting: "«System Call: Generate 'metallic' element, form chain»!" Iron was forged out of thin air, weaving chains according to his will that he gripped with one hand, flailing it like a lasso and feeling the momentum in every rotation. "You aren't getting away from this! Hah!"

Lashing forwards, the iron chain darted right at him with beautiful, pinpoint accuracy, striking the thief in the back. A pained scream broke from the person as it struck his waist, knocking him to the ground with a loud thud. Something golden flew out of his grip, clattering on the ground while the man rolled on the ground in pain.

With this kind of commotion, it made sense that they were drawing a lot of attention. Everyone from all around them had just stopped to stare, some whispering to one another and more than a few trying to put distance between them and the downed guy.

Kirito released his hold over the chain and drew his sword, aiming it at the downed individual. With slow steps, he moved towards the necklace while his eyes lasered on the downed individual. "Alright, that's enough," he breathed out. "Don't even think about running. I'll be returning this necklace to the poor guy. And then, I'm turning you in for your crime."

"A-Aah, wait, please!" The thief turned around so that he was lying on his back, raising his arms. His hood fell away, revealing a chiselled face and neatly-trimmed blond hair. The expression on his face, however, was one of terror. "I yield, I yield! Please don't hurt me!"

"Well, if you'd just agreed not to run, I wouldn't've had to do any of this. Could've just saved me the time."

"I-I'm sorry. I was just…"

"Was just?"

Hesitation crossed his expression. And something akin to fear, he realized, when he rapidly shook his head. "I just… thought I could've lost you, is all…"

He was lying. That much was clear, though why that was, perhaps it was because someone had forced him into it. That was a concerning notion. It meant that he wasn't working alone, or that someone else was playing him like a puppet on the strings.

'And here I thought today would just be like any other day,' he dropped to one knee to grab the necklace, pocketing it. Then, he tapped the man's knee with his sword, making him twitch. "Get up. I'm turning you in."

"P-Please, I don't want to—"

"Up!" He yelled. "Or I'll drag your bloody ass to the station!" The threat worked to get him to stand up. Even the bystanders looked positively terrified. "Good. Now walk, right in front of me with your hands behind your back. And I'll remind you, don't think about running away, or else I'll do so much worse."

For the first time in many years, someone had actually attempted a robbery in broad daylight. The fact that such a criminal was a noble made things even worse, and Kirito didn't know which of those two details was what the people were going to focus on.

And knowing that there were too many people back there to have witnessed the incident, he had no doubt that news would spread quickly within Zakkaria. It would be a commotion for sure, as people debated on how and why a person would have willingly tried to break the «Taboo Index». He, just like every person who lives in this world, would know the consequences.

Or did he not know..? Hard to say. It was a possibility. If people had generations to live without witnessing a single wrongdoing, and someone had the bright idea to give it a shot, not knowing what the consequences of such a thing was, then perhaps that was enough motivation for him to try.

But again, every citizen in the Human Empire had been taught every single clause of the «Taboo Index». It mattered little if he was noble-bred or of common blood; every single person should know the rules. And none of them would have any desire to do anything that would go against the church's will.

Until today, it seemed. And it looks like he was about to find out the reason why.

Kirito stepped into the chieftain's office. Sitting behind his desk, the man looked older than he had any right to be, frowning enough that his forehead creased. He was genuinely perturbed, and Kirito couldn't fault him for that; this was something far beyond their expectations, and he was likely trying to wrap his head around things.

Even he had been thinking about it all, though he admittedly didn't have much of an idea as to what could have possibly happened. He'd just hoped it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"You can't be serious."

"If only I wasn't, but here we are. The matter at hand is a lot more serious than we could have possibly expected."

And with just a few pieces of paper on the desk, and a couple of words from the chieftain, all of that came crashing down.

A nobleman.

Harry Antinous. Comes from a third-class noble family. Has two parents and a younger brother, who was apparently deigning to study in the Swords Mastery Academy. Harry was supposed to inherit his family's title, but after today, he doubted such a thing would happen. Once the news of his crimes get publicized, his entire prestige would be in tatters.

And it just felt so random that he would go out of his way to steal a meagre necklace from some random merchant—sure, the actual trinket looked nice and wealthy, but there was no way he wouldn't have been able to afford it. His family was already loaded. Something like that would have been easy to purchase.

'Harry Antinous… You're a human who's lived in this world like anyone else. You wouldn't break the laws. So why did you..?'

Kirito crossed his arms, frowning. None of this made sense. And as he had been dragging Antinous to the station, he refused to say anything. Not out of stubborn determination and genuine hatred, but actual fear.

And what could have possibly cowed him to the point of keeping his mouth shut about things no matter what?

'Could mean that there's an evil force or a syndicate in the background. Are they perpetuating crimes around the empires?'

It was made worse by the fact that there was just absolutely no news or prior accidents like this to refer to. Was it simply happening in the shadows, where none of them aware of anything?

That genuinely scared him. Meant that there could be even worse things happening to other people in places where even he wouldn't know of.

Kirito shook his head. He was letting his mind run wild. There was nothing he could do. This matter would be better handled by the guards and, if necessary, the Integrity Knights—they probably would be, considering how this might be a threat on national security.

Eventually, he spoke up. "Sir. What now?"

"Obviously, we need to properly investigate this matter," the chieftain said, humming. "And the only place we can reasonably go to would be his mansion in the western side of Zakkaria. The rest of his family, as far as I know, is uninvolved with this entire matter… though we can't rule that out unless we properly meet them and discuss the matter."

"Will the pontifex be involved in this?"

"She might be," he shrugged. "After all, there's never been a crime in decades… Hell, I've been working this job for fifty-four years, and nothing remotely close to this has ever transpired," holy shit, he's even older than he expected. And yet, the man was as spry as if he was twenty. "This might draw her attention, so I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to get involved in this."

Kirito couldn't tell whether or not that was a good thing. Probably not. After all, if someone as important as her was forced to intervene, then it might draw a lot of unnecessary attention towards Zakkaria. The people all across the empire would find out, and there would be plenty of scrutiny aimed here.

While he wasn't attached to this place as he was with Rulid, he still felt that it would have been unfair to the people of the town to be saddled with negative reception because of the actions of just a single nobleman.

He sighed. Things were going to get complicated. Now, it was just a matter of bracing themselves for a coming storm.

"In any case, it's time we get to why I brought you here," the boy looked back to the chieftain. "By tonight, we will have Harry Antinous' mansion investigated from top to bottom. And then, tomorrow, I might have you assigned to follow up. There's no knowing what we might find."

"I see… Yeah—I mean, yes sir. I'm more than okay with that."

"And you're sure you're okay with that?"

"I am. Plus, I… I'm admittedly curious about what's going on here, so I'd be glad to get to the bottom of things."

Because the curious part of his mind just refused to die down. If anything, it simply kept burning, demanding that he learn the truth behind everything going on here. So anything he could do to that end would really be appreciated.

"I see. Very well. Then I'll have you ready tomorrow morning. Report by my office by seven, if you will."

"Sir!"

Saluting him, he proceeded to take his leave, body tense all the while until he finally reached the cafeteria. He sagged the moment he sat down, head falling onto the wooden table.

To think that a single day of catching a thief would somehow snowball into all of this insanity… well, he supposed it's good for them, since they managed to rescue all the people in need of help. Though it still baffled him that such a practice was happening here.

Was there something in the «Taboo Index» that maybe favoured the noble class? He understood that the existence of the imperial laws allowed them to get away with some of the less savoury acts like bullying lower-ranking people and ordering them to do things, but could it actually let them commit crimes like this?

…No. That was ridiculous. The «Taboo Index» had been very straightforward regarding thievery; that no one was allowed to steal from humans, and that no one could harm another person's life. And that those who've committed a crime are not permitted from running away.

And Harry Antinous had done exactly that.

'There's no chance in hell that he'll get away with this just because he's blue-blooded,' he thought worriedly. 'If so, then every single noble would have just done those things already. The fact that they haven't clearly means that something is off about Harry.'

What that was, guess he'll find out tomorrow. The other guards will investigate the noble's home, and once they could get some more clues to work with, then it'd be up to him to continue where that left off.

Kirito sighed. Well, he'd best get an early sleep, then. He'll hope Asuna would be fine with going a night without any of their… ahaha, nightly fun, to put it simply.

Finally released from his meeting, he noticed that it had gotten late into the night. His friends hadn't returned yet, though from what he heard, they're probably on their way back. So, with some time to spare, he went ahead and grabbed a bite from the cooks and a book from his room. He wouldn't have minded sitting in their room, but the cafeteria just felt nicer to be in.

It was around half an hour later that his friends finally returned, their presence made known when the doors to the cafeteria swung open. He looked behind him and found Eugeo, Asuna and Medina together, looking at him in surprise. "Kirito?"

"Yo. You three done with your shifts?"

"Yeah. We already rotated with the other guards."

"And I noticed how all the guards looked a bit antsy," Asuna said. "I wonder why."

"Ah, that… Well, it's because something went down outside of town earlier this morning. Something serious."

He wondered if he could tell his friends about this. Sure, he hadn't been explicitly told to keep hush about this new piece of information, but he supposed it would be fine with just the three of them.

Kirito proceeded to recount the events that transpired this morning, along with whatever the chief guard had told him recently. And with every passing second, the shock on their faces grew.

"W-Wait, seriously?"

"Precisely," he nodded, grim-faced. "I didn't think there would be anyone in the Human Empire who'd have the balls to do something that clearly violates the «Taboo Index». I could have never expected anyone to be capable of such a thing."

"That's… Well, I guess there's just little about the world that we know of, then," Asuna sighed, her hands on top of the table clenching. "Still, you did great at catching him, Kirito-kun. At the right place at the right time, huh?"

"You could say that, though I'm sure anyone would've been capable of catching him," Kirito shrugged. "Ah well. What's done is done. Now I just need to be ready for tomorrow. Hopefully, things'll be settled by then."

Everyone made noises of agreement. Things were silent for a while before Asuna suddenly spoke up again. "Oh, boys. I wanted to tell you something, but I'll have to leave after this."

"Extra work?"

"Oh, no, this isn't work-related. I was invited for a meeting," her words had both him and Eugeo interested. Even Medina quirked a brow in her direction. "Basically, I'm heading over to Kelgam Zakkarite's manor tonight."

"Eh?" Eugeo blinked. "You mean Kelgam Zakkarite, the fifth-class noble who rules over Zakkaria? You mean that Kelgam Zakkarite?"

"Apparently so."

Both boys made sounds of surprise. "Wait, did he extend an invitation to you?"

"Nope. One of his workers reached out to me earlier while I was patrolling town, and she told me to go there for a meeting. What for, she never specified, so I guess I'll find out later."

Typically, Kirito wouldn't call himself the paranoid sort… which he totally was. At this point, he had to admit that he'd become that kind of person, because hearing her say that set off all kinds of alarms in his head.

First the a noble being involved in robbery, and now the owner of this town was calling her over to their manor. A bad feeling curdled in his gut, a frown coming forth. "Are you sure this is a good idea? All of this smack of coincidental timing, and I don't like it."

"True, but it's not like I can reject his invitation regardless."

"Wait," Eugeo looked at him. "You think they're trying to silence us..?"

"That's…" He wanted to say that they wouldn't even consider such a thing, but after all that's happened, who knew? He looked at Asuna, frowning. "Come up with an excuse. I really don't think it's a good idea for you to go."

"Don't worry, Kirito-kun. I can watch over myself. I'm pretty sure it's nothing serious; maybe they want to talk about something. Plus, if they think that I'm some wallflower they can push left and right, they'll have one thing coming."

Yeah, well, he desperately hoped she wouldn't be forced to rely on her goddess powers to get her out of any sticky situation. If it did come down to that, he had a feeling that they'd be waking up to the news of the Zakkarite's manor being burnt to a crips.

"Look, I'll head on over, see what it is that they want to talk about, and then I'll come back right after. I promise, I won't do anything unnecessary."

"That's…" A part of him considered tailing her, just to make sure. But he knew that that could get him in trouble, especially if the chief guard finds out. Sure, he'd done a good service, but that wouldn't necessarily excuse him from any misbehaviour down the line. He ended up relenting. "Fine… But you'd better watch out for yourself! I really don't want you doing anything that could get you hurt."

"Mm. I promise."

The four stayed to eat for a little more after that before Asuna eventually took her leave, promising them (him, specifically) that she would take good care of herself. It took everything in him not to stand up and pursue her, but after some words of comfort from his best friend, he stuck to holding his ground.

"She'll be okay," Medina rolled her eyes. "Sheesh… For not being a couple, you're such a worrywart when it comes to Asuna. What's up with that?"

"Uhh… I'm strange like that?"

"Strange is an understatement. You're the single most strangest person in the whole world."

Eugeo didn't seem to disagree, though he tried to save his feelings by patting him on the shoulder. "It's fine, Kirito. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Gee. Thanks for the save."

Still, he was worried about Asuna. Because after everything they had gone through—the battles, the arguments, the heartbreaks and near-death moments (even with the moments when she scared the literal life out of him with that twisted side of hers)—it went without question that he loved her dearly, enough so that he would give up his life for hers in a heartbeat. And if anything ever happened to her, then so help him, goddesses, he will tear this world asunder to save her.

He desperately prayed that it will never come to that, yet the paranoid part of him—tempered by so many moments of betrayal and worst fears coming to life—refused to stop conjuring all the possibilities. Her being abducted, punished for his sins, or something worse… Who knows. Even now, as she's headed towards their manor, who knows what horrors await her in the territory of the noblemen?

Asuna was no stranger to mansions. Or castles, really. She'd seen plenty of gargantuan buildings, and the Zakkarite manor was just as imposing of a thing, towering over her and casting a large silhouette over the evening-sunken land. With this being the home of the ruling lords, it made sense that this was the biggest and grandest building there is. Countless guards would be stationed outside, and she could only imagine just how strict they would be with their security to prevent any commoners from walking in willy-nilly. Any wrongdoing, and she would be in trouble.

And yet, not a single ounce of fear was within her system. Asuna knew these people. Knew that, even with their guards and knights, none of them could hope to hurt her if it came down to it. She knew what she was, how powerful she was, and it would be all too easy to wipe them off the face of the world if they tried anything.

Especially if they tried to hurt her husband. At which point, their only salvation would be through fire.

But tonight was going to be none of that. Not at all! That was why she was able to walk up to the massive gate with a bright smile on her face, greeting the guards stationed there. They met her gaze and nodded, then allowed her to step foot on the Zakkarite grounds, moving towards the door.

Before she was able to reach for it, however, the door swung wide open—

And a cheerful voice called out. "Asuna!" She was already rushing out of the door and towards her. "Oh man, it's so good to see you! You actually came!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Yuuki," giggled the older giggle, accepting the hug from her friend. Her being thrummed with joy, what with not having seen her for months. Being able to do so now was utterly relieving. "Are the others already inside?"

"Yep! We've all been waiting for you!"

"Oh dear. Was I late?"

The purplette pulled back, tongue sticking out. "Naaah! It's just that the girls didn't want to be late. Like Lisbeth and Silica. They actually got here from Centoria!"

"Oh? Guess there's much to talk about then!"

"Then come on, let's go in already!"

The door shut behind her back, Yuuki's laughter drawing out her own. With her friend's hand in hers, Asuna couldn't put her happiness into words, simply looking forward to what would come next.

Author's Notes:

The official fandom says that Raios is the eldest son of a third-class noble family, but hey. Not every detail about unimportant side characters needs to be so specific and true-to-canon. Personally, why not, am I right?