Chapter 25

{ The Maiden of the Sword }

They were actually travelling outside of Rulid Village.

He wasn't sure when he first realized it, but it was probably the fact that he recognized none of the scenery. They had gone past the Gigas Cedar around thirty minutes ago, and from there, any form of familiarity was gone. This would all be new.

"So you've never actually explored around the Gigas Cedar for even a little?"

"Nah. We'd never been brave enough to go past the tree. And even if we wanted to explore, we'd just play around in the forest."

And man, just saying that was bringing back memories. He almost laughed to himself, remembering how he'd always just blaze ahead without a care. Eugeo and Alice would have to pick up after his pace, and most usually, he'd end up getting so dirty in the process because he'd land himself in a puddle of mud or something. Obviously, Sister Azalia would be utterly mad at him when he got back home, while the other kids would ask him to regale tales of his day to them.

Ahh… Good ol' days. Those moments had been really fun.

'But this is way cooler. This time, we're going all the way beyond Rulid,' and that meant entering unknown territory. Thankfully, they had a guide they could rely on. "So, Charlotte. What road do we take to go to Zakkaria?"

"We just need to follow the road. We'll move from the Lodend Mountains to Rivalier Forest. And then, we'll reach the Sustnel Mountains, where there should be a sizable lake of sorts. Zakkaria is right there."

"And how long should it take if we walk to Zakkaria?"

"Two days, at least."

'Well, you can all take your time going there. There's no reason for any of us to rush.'

"True that," Eugeo nodded, smiling. "Besides, I'd like to take in the scenery a little more. Everywhere just looks so peaceful…"

He got that right. Looking around, there was literally no sight of another human being for Mels. Nothing but nature all around them, with trees as far as the eye could see, mountains, a couple of curious critters watching them from a distance, and the gentle breeze and tweeting of birds in the background.

Man. He'd always known that travelling would be fun, but this was such a novel experience that he almost felt bad for not relishing earlier. His mind was so focused on the fact that they were going to Centoria that he didn't stop to just take in the environment.

Stopping in his tracks, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cold air fill his lungs. Slowly he exhaled, and felt lighter than ever.

'Feels wonderful, doesn't it?' Selena hummed. 'This is the natural beauty of the world that we guardians have long watched over. Even now, in our absence, this world remains so peaceful…'

"It is, though it doesn't feel right that you were killed when you did nothing wrong."

'Well, such is in the past. There is not much I can do about that,' she materialized once more as a floating blue orb of cold fire, excitement seemingly rolling off of her. 'And besides, I am now on a journey with my companions! I'd never experienced anything like this in my old life, so I like to think everything's worked out rather finely!'

"Always optimistic to the very end," Kirito chuckled. "Well, we've got plenty of days to make memories together, then. Hope you're prepared for that."

'Of course!'

Almost poetic in some way, their departure from the village had been done on a sunny moment. It was bright out, and with how everything felt, it really did feel like they were setting off on an epic adventure across the world.

And then it started to get darker. Clouds began to form, and the sky was just a little greyer compared to before. And that was enough to tell them that they'd better start looking for shelter.

Fortunately, Eugeo had the right idea to grab a couple of dry wood, leaves and sticks, he and Charlotte quick to do the same before they retreated to a cave carved into the side of a mountain. They were then left to watch as the seconds ticked down and rain eventually poured from the skies.

"Shoot. That was close. Good thinking to get materials for a campfire, Eugeo."

"Yeah, no. I just thought about it at the last minute because I was worried we'd be cold inside of here. And it is pretty chilly."

"I'd much prefer that to unbearable heat," shrugged the ravenette. "In any case, let's get that fire started."

With the use of a 'Thermal' spell, they were able to get the fire started. Kirito was practically glad for it, because with how cold the little cave was and the cold outside thanks to the rain, having something to warm up his hands with was really nice. A blanket would have made it even better, too. Actually…

"How long do you think the rain will last, Charlotte?"

The woman observed the outside for a moment before responding. "I would say it would last well into the night. If such is the case, we'd be better off sleeping here and wait for morning to set off again."

"That so, ehh..? And we probably haven't entered Rivalier Forest, so we'll definitely need three days or so to get to Zakkaria…" He shrugged. "Ah well. Nothing to worry about. It's like Selena said; we're not in a rush."

'Indeed. If anything, this is a good opportunity to get used to this new experience. Perhaps learn a new skill useful for camping or so.'

"Then Eugeo's got us covered on that. He knows medical treatment, making medicine and cooking."

"You know as well as I do that my cooking skill could never hold up to Sulinea's," he deadpanned back. And wasn't that the truth? "Well, let's just try and get something started for now, yeah? Kirito, you'll have to help me."

"Would you like me to gather any ingredients in the meantime?"

"Uhh… I don't know? Maybe water, but we could just collect the rainwater. But we don't have anything to use—"

"«System Call. Generate 'Metallic' element, form pot shape»."

Per Kirito's instruction, a pot forms itself out of thin air, following the shape traced by his hand. Eventually, he has a sizable pot in his hand, and he holds it out to Charlotte, who takes it from him with a nod before moving close to the mouth of the cave to collect some rainwater.

'Ooh. Very crafty.'

"…I feel like, every time I say we don't have an item or can't do something, you end up coming in with the solution," despite his sigh, Eugeo was clearly smiling. That got him to snicker.

"You can count on me to have your back. But yeah, let's get started with dinner. Pull out the ingredients."

Rations wasn't something that they would have to worry about, since Sulinea had packed them with plenty to last them for at least three days. Even so, knowing that there were three of them, he had a feeling that they'd need to go out and scavenge for food to be safe. Not being able to hunt sucked, but there was no fighting it, he supposed.

It took some work to get there, considering the lack of proper culinary expertise between the three of them, but with (a lot of) patience and careful teamwork, they were able to get chicken stew cooking in the pot over the fire, plus some chunks of mushroom, garlic, carrots and potatoes. Charlotte handled the seasoning, thankfully knowing how much to put in because she helped Auntie Sadina in the kitchen before.

And man, did it smell good. He was already salivating just looking at the rich broth swirling in the pot. How the colours managed to look so pretty in that way was impressive.

"Oh, wait. How are we going to eat this? We don't exactly have anything to scoop it into…"

"Small metal bowls?"

"Metal conducts heat."

'Then allow me to handle that. I'll cast a spell on your hands to keep you from getting your hands burnt.'

"Aw yeah. Look at us go. Teamwork really makes the dream work, eh?"

Crafting some small metal bowls and spoons with «Sacred Arts» once again, and with Selena nullifying their hands to the heat, they scooped themselves full of chicken stew and began eating to the sound of the rain in the background. And dare he say, it was amazing. Not as great as Sulinea's meal, but for something that three people with little to no culinary experience managed to make, it was great. Everyone else agreed.

For a first time camping in the outdoors, this was going pretty great! And here he thought the worst that they would ever have to deal with was getting lost or being attacked by bears… which was a weird thought, but hey. You never know what could happen out in the wilderness.

Fortunately, their journey had been downright peaceful. Not a monster in sight, and not a need to worry about getting ambushed. At the very least, they agreed to rotate for night watch, so everything would be absolutely fine.

A thought came to mind. He chewed on his piece of chicken and swallowed before he spoke up again. "So, what's our plan after this?"

"We proceed onwards, sticking to the road, and take breaks when necessary," Charlotte answered. "There isn't much else to worry about. If we don't take any detours, we're bound to reach Zakkaria relatively early."

"You know, none of us actually know what Zakkaria is like," Eugeo cut in, making Kirito nod. "You must've been there before. What is it like there, Charlotte?"

"Zakkaria… Well, it's the town in the very centre of Norlangarth, so it's a relatively big deal. It is, after all, responsible for hosting the annual Norlangarth Swordsmanship Tournament, which I believe is held on… the twenty-eighth of the eighth month every year? Basically, all the guards of all the towns and villages in the vicinity compete for a chance to become guards of Zakkaria."

"That matters?"

"Indeed. As I said, with it being the central town of Norlangarth, it holds some level of importance. Plus, being a guard gains you more attention, and you earn the right to attend the Norlangarth Swords Mastery Academy, which is one way to become an Integrity Knight."

Ah, right. He recalled her telling him that long ago. Something about an annual tournament where people would compete, and the sole winner would be allowed to join the rank of Integrity Knights.

"Anyways, as for the town itself… It's located in the middle of a field of sorts, and there is a river nearby. There's also supposed to be a swamp somewhere nearby. Anyways, you could say it's five times the size of Rulid Village, surrounded by a rectangular stone wall. The roads and buildings were all constructed from a kind of red-brown stone, and red seems to be their town's colour, since even the people like to dress up in that colour."

The more Charlotte spoke, the more it painted the scene of a completely different world than what he'd grown accustomed to. Rulid Village was just that much smaller and simpler when compared to the things that Charlotte was saying. Even the things back home like the church and the square sounded way grander and much bigger in Zakkaria, which sounded almost insane to him.

Still, he supposed that was just the difference between a village and a well-developed town. The culture shock might just get to him, he had a feeling, though with Eugeo and Charlotte to keep him in check, there was no way it could possibly go wrong.

…Maybe he should stop jinxing things for himself. He's done that way too many times, and he's quite frankly tired of it.

"Then it's up to us to see it for ourselves soon enough," Eugeo chuckled, adding more stew to his bowl. They were halfway through the entire pot, so that was both a good and bad sign; good because it meant the food wasn't going to waste, bad because that meant less for him. Urgh. Patience, Kirito. "But it's only just a temporary stop there, right?"

"Right. Ultimately, we only have business in Centoria, so when we reach Zakkaria, we'll only spend a night there at most before we move on to Centoria."

Aw. Well, he supposed there was no point in complaining. The fact that they would get to see the city at all was already a bonus.

Still, maybe someday when they're fully settled in and had time to spare, maybe they could go visit the places again. That thought had him smiling, and he chatted the night away with his friends as the rain continued.

2nd day of the 5th Month – HEC, 375
Norlangarth – Rivelier Mountains

Replenishing their water canteens by the river, Kirito took a moment to appreciate the sight of his reflection in the glistening waters before fastening it to his belt, standing back up and taking in the vast stretch of greens. Little hills rolled in waves, flowers-dotted patches scattered about and the animals scampering about with little care.

The boy hummed, stepping away from the river to join his companions, who were at the moment taking a little breather. They'd been walking for hours at this point, and though the light of Solus was still high up in the air, taking a break sounded pretty nice.

"How much further 'til we reach Zakkaria?"

"We should be able to reach there by the mid of tomorrow, if we keep at this pace. We don't even need to rush."

"That's good. And it's not like any of us want to get there quicker," he put his hands on his waist, grinning. "I'm enjoying the view, so the longer we're out, the better."

"Understandable. For the both of you who have never stepped foot outside of your village, getting to see all of this must be a kind of novel experience."

"It certainly is," chuckled Eugeo. "And it's made even better thanks to how peaceful it is. What wild animals we've ever come across, they've only been incredibly docile. A little timid, too, which is a shame. I wanted to hold one of those wild bunnies we saw."

"Maybe if we lure them in with some carrots…"

"I don't think we have a lot of those, so it's better if we keep them for ourselves."

"Aw. Well, alright then," Kirito sighed. "Guess we can't complain. Maybe we'll get to do that next time."

"Mmhm. So for the time being, let's continue moving—"

'Wait. I sense another presence in the vicinity,' Selena's words had everyone coming to a halt. 'It's coming from the forest. Another person.'

"Really? All the way out here? Is there a settlement nearby?"

"Not that I recall. Perhaps a new one had been established, though I am certain I never saw anything."

'No. It's just one person,' she said, worry lacing her tone. 'And it seems like they're cornered.'

Cornered? That wasn't good. "Do you know where they are?"

'West from our location. I also detect wild life, so you'll need to be careful.'

Damn it. Hunting animals would be breaking the «Taboo Index», and he doubted the higher-ups would care even if it was for an emergency. "Then we'll figure something out. Come on!"

Breaking into a sprint into the woods, Kirito squinted his eyes as he and his childhood friend lagged behind Charlotte, who ran a pace in front of them—both to protect them in case something jumped out at them and to better lead the. Selena, materialized as a wisp, moved a little further ahead to guide them to their destination.

As their steps ground the leaves and twigs underneath their boots into the ground, their breathing steady, all Kirito could think of was how a person managed to get themselves lost deep in the woods like this, let alone surrounded by wild animals. They should've at least brought another person with them.

'Well, whatever. What matters right now is rescuing them first.'

Breaking through the treeline, the three were quick to spot a clearing in the distance, light slipping through the canopy. Someone's back was to them, but he could make out some details; a head of middle-length red hair, height more or less shorter than him and Eugeo, and strange clothes that he couldn't put a finger on. The sword they weld was more curious, due to its intricate design.

However, what concerned him more was the state of the person, scratches apparent on their skin. Around them, wolves had them surrounded, forming a circumference around them and leaving no gaps for escape.

They stopped behind a tree, crouching low. "Five of them, surrounding one. It's no wonder she had trouble handling them."

"If only I could fight them back, but that won't go well, will it?"

"Yeah, no. We'll have to do this without attacking at all, which is easier said than done."

Of all situations to face, being in one where he couldn't fight his way out of was assuredly stressful. Even so, there was no need to worry about it. They had all the tricks necessary to flip things around for themselves.

"I'm gonna' rush in and force a flashbang on them. When that happens, I'll grab the girl and we'll immediately rush out," he told them, immediately muttering the necessary incantation to evoke small orbs of light in his right hand. "Can you two do the same?"

"Understood. We shall cover you."

"Mmhm. Be careful, though."

"Hah," he grinned, body coiled tight. "I've got you two to watch my back. What's there to worry about?"

Without even giving them a chance to reply, Kirito charged into the fray, hand tense. The sound of his rushing didn't fail to catch the beasts' attention as the five grey beasts turned their gaze towards him as one, snarling challengingly. The swordsman, apparently a girl, stared at him wide-eyed.

One of them broke formation to rush him, leaping at the very last second to catch his head. Kirito promptly threw himself into a roll, letting the beast sail over his head. "Hey! Shut your eyes!"

"What—"

Eyes clenched shut, he immediately threw his arm upwards and shouted: "«Burst»!"

Through his darkened vision, a great burst of light illuminated the forest, followed by pained whines and the girl's own shocked yelp surrounding him. Opening one eye, he immediately reached for the girl's arm, pulling her towards him before she could react.

"H-Hey..!"

"Hang on..! We're getting out of here!"

While the wolves were temporarily disoriented by his flashbang, Charlotte and Eugeo were quick to position themselves to guard his retreat. One of them tried to give chase, but Eugeo was quick to unleash a spell of his own, causing it to recoil backwards. Once they were certain the beasts weren't going to give chase, they immediately caught up with him and the redhead before they proceeded to exit the forest.

Seeing the plains once more was a relief. Even so, he didn't think to stop running, intending to put themselves at a distance away from the forest's border, so they continued moving until they reached the river.

He let out a short breath, turning back towards the forest to make sure that there were no pursuers. Once he was certain the coast was clear, only then did he finally sit the girl down on the ground, noticing how shaky she was.

"Calm down. We're out of the danger zone. And it looks like you caught that flash from earlier. Best you sit still and take time to recover."

"A-Ahh… Right…"

"Need some water?" He retrieved his canteen and slowly put it into the girl's hands, uncapping it. She winced, but when she had the mouth of the canteen to her lips, she took a small sip before beginning to drink a little faster. "Take it slowly. The water ain't running nowhere. Plus, we've got the river here to refill."

She heeded his instructions, slowing down her pace until she'd completely emptied his canteen. Breathing out a sigh, she returned him his canteen, taking a moment to rub her eyes before slowly squinting them open, revealing a pair of vibrant viridian orbs. They sort of remind him of Eugeo's eyes, but a little brighter.

"Hey. You feeling okay?"

"Umm… A little, yeah…" She massaged her temple. "Just a bit dizzy…"

"Well, taking a bright flash of light that up close would do that to anyone," he hummed. "Either way, just relax for now. Those wolves won't be coming near us, for sure."

"I-I see. That's good," she nodded meekly, head lowering after a while. "I… Thank you. For helping me earlier…"

"Don't worry 'bout that. It's just natural to help out someone in trouble," he grinned back, leaning back as he sat in front of her. Eugeo took his right while Charlotte sat a little ways away, perhaps wanting to keep watch just in case. "The name's Kirito, by the way. From Rulid."

"Rulid..?"

"The furthest village you'll ever find in Norlangarth. Practically out in the middle of nowhere… which is wrong since it's not in the middle, but eh," he chuckled. And then, he gestured to his friends. "In any case, this guy here is Eugeo, and this here is Charlotte."

"Ah… Nice to meet all of you," she touched a hand to her chest. "My name is Medina. Medina Orthinanos."

"Oh, you have a surname," Eugeo pointed out. "You must be a noble then, right? Or maybe the daughter of a town's chief."

"Um, yeah. I'm from a noble family," she nodded again. If he was going by physical appearances alone, he supposed he could see it; her outfit was fancy, complete with a cape, gloves and thigh-high boots. The golden accentuation of her outfit was definitely a give-away, though from another perspective, she could have been a well-dressed traveller. "Are you three… travelling, or something?"

"We are. Headed for Centoria, actually, because we've got stuff to do there. You?" He was quick to notice hesitation in her gaze. "You don't have to tell us if it's personal, though. No one's forcing you to spill anything."

"No, no, it's fine. It's just… I was training."

Eugeo frowned at her answer. "Training? All alone in the woods like that?"

"I know, I know. It's reckless, but I didn't exactly have anyone I could've asked to accompany me," she responded, trying not to sound too upset. "And I thought these parts are safe, so I came here alone. Didn't think I'd be chased by wildlife…"

The boys exchanged glances. Well, there was no helping it. As long as she's fine now, then there wasn't any reason to be too hung up on things. Though her situation was curious.

"So hey, are you alone right now?"

"Mm. I travelled far from home. I didn't exactly have a set destination in mind; just wanted somewhere I could go to train in peace," Medina sighed afterwards. "That didn't really go smoothly, but again, it's thanks to all of you that I'm okay now," her head was lowered once more. "Again, I thank you."

"Hey, hey, enough of that. You don't need to bow your head or anything. It's like I said; it's natural to help one another."

"True that. Besides, if the alternative is just leaving you behind, then the choice we'd make is much more obvious. Nothing in the world could convince us to decide on doing nothing and letting an innocent get hurt."

"Ah…" She seemed surprised, but it didn't take long for a little smile to surface on her expression. Unsurprisingly, that look on her face was much better than earlier. "You people are so kind… You're amazing."

"Hah. Laying it on a little thick, aren't you?"

"No, really! I've never met such selfless people as the three of you!"

"Oh, we're nice now, but if you knew what we—I mean, I —was like back in the village, then you'd be getting a headache," he snickered at the exasperated expressions on his friends' faces, while Medina tilted her head cutely. "In any case, Medina… or Lady Orthinanos?"

"Oh, it's okay! You can just call me Medina."

"Right. So Medina, what do you plan to do now? The three of us are still going to head for Centoria, though we'll make a quick stop by Zakkaria first. How about you?"

"Um. Well, I don't exactly want to bother the two of you, so I think it's better if I go—"

Something cut through their conversation. The group of four froze up, but with the slowly reddening of the young girl's face, realization was quick to set in the minds of the three as to what was going on. When she refused to meet their gaze, it just confirmed their thoughts.

Well, she did say that she'd travelled from home, though there hadn't been any mention of when she'd left. Weeks ago? Months? And by then, she might have run through her rations, which meant that she'd probably been forced to scrounge around the area for fruits and vegetables. That must have been hard.

He looked up. It won't be long before evening comes at this point, so they'll definitely have to set up camp soon enough.

"Alright then. Medina, mind coming with us for a bit?"

"Huh?"

The four travelled on the road to Centoria for a little more before they stopped by the river. They were still in the area of Rivelier, it seemed, but judging from the map, they would be able to reach Zakkaria in at least half a day of walking, so that was good.

Nevertheless, for now, they'd decided it was an opportune moment to set up camp. It took half an hour to get everything done, and as Kirito watched the fire glow, he arranged the skewered fish around it. He did his best not to let his amusement show when seeing the drooling excitement on the young noble's face, attention focused solely on the cooking meat.

"We've some dried meat left, and some sauces and vegetables. Afterwards, we'll officially have nothing," Eugeo informed them, cutting some cakes into little pieces. Conjuring a metal plate, he arranged some on the plate before handing it to Charlotte, who then gave it to Medina. The girl stared at the treats with wide eyes.

"Guess we'll figure out how to find more ingredients in the future."

Medina tore her eyes away from the cakes on her plate, looking worried. "Are you three alright with sharing your food with me? Like I said, I don't want to bother you."

"Nah, we'll be fine," he waved her off. "Besides, if we reach Zakkaria by tomorrow, we can purchase more ingredients there. We'd be set for life then."

"And though it seems like our rations are running out now, rest assured, we have enough to last us for the remainder of this trip," Charlotte said. "Although that still leaves the question as to what you intend to do."

"Well…"

"We'd be happy to have you join us on our travels. However, you did say that you're out here for training, and none of us intend to distract you from it. Perhaps it is your calling."

"It's not," oh? He'd expected it to be so. Judging from her reservation, he'd thought it was entrusted to her by her parents or chieftain. "It's more of that… I've got a goal to achieve. And I think that training will help me get there."

"Training… Do you intend to become a guard? Or, perhaps, an Integrity Knight?"

"…Yeah. I want to be an Integrity Knight."

For just that brief moment, she seemed a lot more serious. Kirito could sense her conviction, suddenly thinking about how she was just the same as the rest of them. They had goals of their own too. Goals that were just too important compared to everything else, and it looks like this mattered more to her more than anything else.

A part of him was hesitant. Integrity Knights… Even to this day, he still hadn't gotten over that single day. Hadn't forgotten that gleam of metal and his intimidating presence.

And yet, that small tinge of discomfort was wiped away by happier memories of Fanatio; of a woman who was both a knight of her people and just a kind, beautiful person he was proud to call a friend. So if Medina sought to become someone like that…

"That's a pretty big dream," he grinned, grabbing a skewer and offering it to their new companion. She blinked, accepting it. "Work hard for it, then. As far as I know, nothing in life comes for free. Ya' gotta' work for it."

From where he'd just returned after collecting water, Eugeo aimed an amused look his way. "Why are you suddenly trying to sound like the wise one here?"

"What're you talking about? I'm always sagely."

"Pfft, sure. All your reference being the travellers and merchants that come to our village."

"Guilty as charged!" He snickered. "In any case, Medina, this is just my opinion, but I think it's much better if we stick together for now. At the very least, until we reach Zakkaria. For no particular reason," he admitted. "Outside of having some extra company. For, like, a day. You can then go on and do your own thing afterwards."

"Just until Zakkaria, huh..?" Contemplating the thought, she eventually came to her decision with a smile, making him grin back. "You know what? Sure. If you don't mind having me, I'd be happy to travel with you."

"Great! It's good to have you with us. We'd be interested in knowing more about the lands, since this is our first time going outside of the village. Maybe you've got stories to share."

Medina didn't seem to hesitate in her answer, nodding happily. "Sure! My home was far from here, so I've definitely seen aplenty. I'd be happy to tell you everything that I know of."

"Great! Now then, let's eat these before they get cold. Oh, Charlotte, pass me an apricot, would you?"

For being a noble, she didn't seem to act all that differently. He wasn't even sure if there was any difference to begin with, since none had ever travelled to Rulid. As far as he could tell, from the way she talked and behaved, she was, even if a little professional-sounding and polite, just the same like the rest of them.

Perhaps, he supposed, that was the ultimatum to accept at this point. Despite everyone's backgrounds, underneath the night sky in this moment, they were all the same. And the thought had him feeling a lot more excited to keep going and see the rest of the world.

As the bonfire crackled and the food was traded, their laughter filled the night air.

Author's Notes:

A bit of a short chapter. In between working on my original novel as well as revision for my exams next week, things have certainly been busy. But hey, guess that's what being productive is all about.

So yeah. You won't be seeing me for a while, at least until next Friday. So be seeing y'all then.

And yes, before everyone points it out, I do realize that I'm making Medina slightly out of character in comparison to her Alicization Lycoris counterpart. I'll just use the excuse of her being slightly younger than her canon age to justify that; apparently, in the game, she was fifteen when she met the boys, who would have been seventeen at that time. Two years younger than our two bois, it seemed, which was honestly surprising to me. As such, with our characters in this story being fourteen now, Medina would be thirteen. Talk about young.