Chapter 26

{ New Sights to Behold }

3rd day of the 5th Month – HEC, 375
Norlangarth – Sustnel Mountains

As a girl from a noble family, she had met all kinds of characters. Typically, those were because her father had to meet people for business, and she'd tagged along just to figure out how he did business. Those days were long past, but she'd already known that all sorts of personalities existed.

These three, though? They were peculiar.

That was the only thing that Medina could surmise, if she were to put it into one word, regarding these three travellers. Both boys were obviously from a village, judging by their basic wear, though the pretty woman was certainly a little more exquisite. She had an air about her that made her feel a lot bigger than what she looked like, and which left her feeling much intrigued.

More than that, however, they were incredibly simple and straightforward. From their first interaction, she couldn't sense any form of deceit from them, which was enough for her to know that they were just a bunch of honest people. They'd be so willing to accommodate her after helping her out of her fuss, and they'd been so patient and so understanding throughout that she felt bad.

But having company after such a long time is just really nice. And they were just really nice company. Still, they were really close to Zakkaria now. And that was… well, it was rather disappointing.

But the deal of their momentary togetherness would last only until they reach the town, of which they'd then split apart and they'd be able to go wherever they intend to go afterwards. She couldn't complain about things there.

'Kirito mentioned that they're heading to Centoria. I'd go with them, but it's not like I'd have business there…'

If she were to enrol as a student in one of the city's four academies, then perhaps she'd be able to go with them, but the minimum age to become a student was the age of fifteen—and that wasn't even talking about the necessity of getting a recommendation letter, which was only possible through a limited number of ways.

The girl sighed. Well, she supposed there wasn't much she could do there. She needed to prioritize her training, no matter what. And then…

"How much farther, Charlotte?"

"Not much, I would say. If anything, we can reach it in an hour."

"That so?" Kirito laughed, sounding pleased. "Cool. Can't wait to see the place."

"Have you never visited Zakkaria?" Medina opted to ask, receiving a shake of the head.

"Myself and Eugeo have never stepped foot outside of Rulid Village, since our calling has always kept us there. Literally been that way for years. But a few days ago, we actually completed it, and then we were allowed to change it. So we changed to becoming swordsmen, and we're on our way to Centoria."

"Wait, really?" She blinked. Completing a calling? She knew that such a criterion was possible, but had that ever happened before? "What was your previous calling?"

"Cutting down a big ass tree."

"It's not just a big tree," Eugeo sweat-dropped, ignoring his best friend's proud look. "It's the Gigas Cedar."

"Wait, what?!" The scream came out before she even thought about it, green eyes going wide as she stared between the two boys. "You two cut down the Gigas Cedar?"

"Oh? You know about it?"

"Of course I would know! Practically everyone living in Norlangarth does!" She shook her head. "The news travelled far—and quick. While it's still relatively new, so it certainly hasn't made its way out of this empire, you can literally see the tree from just about everywhere in the empire. And I literally watched it fall that day. Everyone was in a buzz about that!"

"Huh. Neat."

How they were able to act so relaxed was beyond her, though she supposed the novelty of the moment would have worn off with time. But still! That tree was Norlangarth's demon tree precisely because it had lasted throughout the centuries and had proven impossible to be cut down! Generations had failed to do so!

Yet here they were. The people previously assigned to the job, who had successfully seen it through. And they were probably just teenagers, maybe a little older than her.

She gulped. How had they accomplished it? Perhaps with some secret ability of sorts? It seemed far-fetched at first, but quickly remembering just how Kirito had easily disrupted the wolves to get her out, they were definitely a lot more knowledgeable and skilled than they looked.

"In case you're curious," Eugeo suddenly said. "We used the Blue Rose Sword to cut it down."

"…What?"

"W-Well, Kirito pointed out that there was no such rule that we were only to use the Dragon Bone Axe to cut it down, so we decided to just use the Blue Rose Sword, which was much stronger," he scratched his cheek, smiling weakly. "Honestly, I don't know how he notices all the little details. People call him absent-minded from time to time, and yet…"

"Hah, what can I say? I've just got an eye for—"

His words are cut off, converted into a sudden cry of panic as he slipped on a wet rock and fall to the ground. Medina, Eugeo and Charlotte watched him all the while, all three of them quiet for a moment…

"Snrk…"

"K-Kirito..!"

"…Ahah…"

"Grhaaa..! Seriously?! The world and its timings!" The black-haired boy yelled out, shooting to his feet and patting down his body with an annoyed grimace. "Goddesses damn it… I open my big mouth, and I get what I deserve."

"W-Well," Eugeo managed to say, lips wobbling. "I guess you've learnt a good lesson, eh? Gaha…"

"Yeah. The fact that I'm a comedian. Hope y'all are entertained."

As Kirito sulked off, the other three followed after him, Medina knowing she wasn't the only one who was trying her best to hold in her laughter. Thankfully, nothing else could go wrong; the path through the craggy plains was incredibly peaceful, and with the sky looking particularly clear, the weather should hold up throughout their journey. It really wouldn't be long now.

Honestly, thinking back on things before, she'd departed from her hometown all on her lonesome, which was kind of a bummer now that she thought about it. Not like there was anyone she could have invited to go with her, considering her situation, but it still kind of sucked.

She shook her head. Well, that little desire was being fulfilled right now, so all was well.

Then again, would this be considered as travelling with strangers, rather than with friends? They'd literally just met the day before, and though they talked, she didn't know all that much about her new companions. Her father told her that learning to talk with people was the first step to establish a rapport with them, after all.

"So hey," not the fanciest of convo openers, but she'll take anything. "You said before that you two have only ever been in Rulid your whole lives. What is it like there?"

"If I had to use one word to describe it, I'd call it 'homey'," Kirito began, smiling fondly. "Everyday is peaceful there… well, after everything that's happened, that is… and it's just great overall. It ain't the biggest of places, but it's fun to walk around and explore the area surrounding the village. Plus, the best thing is how everyone knows everyone, so we'd always be sharing food, greeting each other outside, and festivals are always lively. And everyone is nice to each other. Sure, you have the occasional kids being bullies, but overall, the overarching relationship between everyone is splendid."

"Wow… That sounds really nice."

"Yeah. Plus, because of how far up north it is, it gets really cold. The river is especially fun to go bathe in, and playing around the woods are fun."

"In case you're worried about there being wild animals out there, they usually don't wander too close to the village, so if we stick close to the village's borders, you should be fine."

"I see…"

A simple life out in the village… She'd never visited a village before, but Kirito and Eugeo painted a simplistic yet calming scenery. A place where everyone liked each other, and the concept of prejudices and discrimination didn't exist.

What a wonderful place.

"With how you describe such a place, I'm not surprised that the three of you ended up as such ideal people."

"Oh, I'm not from Rulid," Charlotte corrected. "I'm actually from Centoria, but I've lived in Rulid for three years to teach Kirito and Eugeo swordsmanship."

"Really? But it feels like you three have known each other for such a long time…"

"Well, we've sort of gone through a number of ordeals together in the past, and that just gave us the opportunity to bond together. At this point, Charlotte's family. And yeah, just like you said, it feels natural."

There was an awkward mood in the air now, albeit with a hint of warmth in it. The boys looked to be at utter peace, while Charlotte was pointedly refusing to look their way, a smile on her face that was certainly much bigger than Medina had ever seen it before.

Man… At least they had a great thing going on. Despite being a teacher and her students, their relationship felt much more closer than that, and it was clear as day that the three of them genuinely cared for one another. Three years had been long enough, certainly.

"So, um. I was curious about something. I get that you guys switched callings to become swordsmen after you finished your old one. Is there a specific reason why? Like, why are you guys going to Centoria?"

"Like I said, we have business there. And us becoming swordsmen was… well, it had nothing to do with this thing we've got. Just a means to make things easier," and then, his face turned into a deadpan. "And we sort of made a promise to someone, so we can't easily get out of it."

Huh. Most cases, people would have likely chosen to take up such a calling because it allowed someone to try for the position of an Integrity Knight. That was practically every swordsman's dream, as the prestige and benefits the family would gain was indescribable. Neither he nor Eugeo made mention of that at all, though she wanted to believe that was still a possible desire.

"And you, Medina? You mentioned wanting to become an Integrity Knight. Is that something that your family's decided for you, or something that you chose for yourself?"

"Well, my calling had always been to study the sword, but to become an Integrity Knight was my own choice," she answered, a hand resting on the hilt of Mirage Blade. Young as she was, and as terrifying as the idea felt, feeling the sturdy metal in her grip was calming. "It's… for personal reasons. Reasons I can't exactly tell you," she winced. "Sorry."

"That so? That's pretty impressive," Kirito rubbed the back of his head. "Say, how old are you?"

"Hm? Oh, I will be approaching my twelfth year in five months."

"Twelve..?" Both boys looked at her in surprise. "Damn. I thought we were close in age, but apparently not. We're two years older than you."

"Huh. I can sort of see it, yeah."

"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too much?" Eugeo frowned at her, concern in his eyes. "You're so young, and yet…"

"Not at all. It's like I said; I have to become an Integrity Knight. I have to. So no matter how difficult things will get, I'll persevere."

After all, where there was a will, there was a way. And even if she was this young, anything was possible. Age didn't dictate possibilities or achievements; all that mattered was, as Kirito put it, hard work and grit. Nothing less. And if it could serve her purpose…

She smiled, quickening her pace to keep up with her new friends, unknowing of the quiet, thoughtful look on the black-haired boy's face.

Norlangarth – Zakkaria

Once upon a time, as kids, the both of them used to dream about going places beyond Rulid. Of seeing the world that which awaited them outside of their village walls. The journey to Centoria had been that exact opportunity, and Kirito relished it.

Granted, it wasn't exactly a joy trip, but what harm was there in enjoying it a little? Plus, the pontifex never gave them an exact date or time to reach Centoria, so they could take it slow.

Here and now, standing before the single largest town in all of Norlangarth, Northern Centoria not counted, he was more than a little shocked.

"We're finally here!"

"By the goddesses, we really are…"

Laying eyes upon the single largest town of Norlangarth (that is, counting out the northern part of Centoria), Kirito was at a complete loss for words. Rulid couldn't hold a candle to the sheer size of this place, spanning a wide area and with tall walls that prevented people from really getting around unless they cut through to the forest to the side. It really cemented the giganticness of this town.

He gulped, suddenly feeling a little more intimidated than he expected himself to be. This would be the first settlement he'd ever visit outside of Rulid. And sure, it'd only been two days out on the road, but what if his communication skills had deteriorated in that short time? What if he made a fool of himself? It'd be too much!

'Oh, you're being silly. I'm sure everything is fine.'

'Easy for you to say. You don't have to communicate with them.'

'Just be at ease, and be yourself. The people won't gobble you up just because you're from a village. Besides, Zakkaria and Rulid have peaceful relations, and are known to trade resources and materials often,' that was true. In that, he could take relief in knowing that being a part of Rulid would like make things a little easier for him.

"Wow…" He nodded to Eugeo's gasp. He felt that too. "I know you already said it, Charlotte, but Rulid really doesn't compare to this place in the slightest."

"Indeed. Calculations-wise, Zakkaria's size and its population are more or less five times that of Rulid. In every sense possible, it is much more modern and well-equipped, so there will be much to see when you enter," a small smile slips onto her face. "Do take care not to let the culture shock get to you two."

"Guh… Well, Eugeo and I can keep calm through it. Right, Eugeo?"

"R-Right. Maybe. Hopefully."

"Dude, please. I need you to be the pillar of support."

"Me?!"

Medina giggled behind the both of them, as the group of four approached the town's gate. Two soldiers stood on either side of the massive arch, one taking a moment to ask Charlotte some questions before letting them through. And goodness, was the inside a completely different feel.

After having been out in the wilderness and seeing nothing but green, this place was the physical embodiment of the colour 'red'. From the sandstone road to the stone buildings and even the people's clothing, calling everything some shade of red wasn't off. There was just no end to the colour, and he supposed that was just their personal colour code.

Kirito took in the sights, amazed by how many more people there were. Caravans moved about, driven by horses, while able-bodied man hoisted logs or building materials on their shoulders. Some were simply enjoying the afternoon air, which was thankfully not all that terrible.

Then again, with the river that cut through the town—he'd noticed the metal floodgate cut into the wall earlier—the area around here did feel somewhat cold. Some kids were even sitting by the side and dipping their feet inside, chatting together all the while. That looked really nice…

"Well, looks like we've arrived…" He breathed out, almost in disbelief. "Goddesses, I really want to go explore…"

"Same here…"

"Goodness. You two are excited just like children."

"Well, excuse us for never having travelled outside of Rulid before," he pouted back. "It's a first for us, okay? Of course we'd be excited!"

"It's fine, it's fine. I meant no insult with my words," of course she didn't. But that didn't make it feel any better, especially when he could see that little smirk on her face! "And I suppose that it would be fine if we stay here for a night," Kirito and Eugeo cheered, Medina giggling. "As such, finding an inn first and foremost should be our primary objective for the time being. Once we've registered two rooms for ourselves—"

"Wait, two?"

"One for the boys and one for the two of us. You will be staying with us, will you not?"

Medina blinked back, taken aback with surprise. "Um. I thought I'd only be staying with you until we reach Zakkaria?"

"Indeed, but it hasn't been all that long. Having a little more company would indeed be splendid. Unless you have to leave early?"

"N-No! Not at all!" She shook her head, smiling so brightly that she was sure even her heart was dancing. "I'd be happy to join you, if you would have me."

"Then it's decided," grinned Kirito. "Well then, let's go looking for this inn. There's no way it'd be too hard."

Contrary to his words, it had indeed been difficult to find the town's inn, on account of it being much larger than any of them had been used to. For a country bumpkin like him, the general largeness of the roads evoked a strange sense of confusing…ness? He wasn't sure how to put it into words, but it felt hard to navigate the place.

And damn, did they have a lot of stores that Rulid didn't. Jewellery, clothing from other regions, exotic foods that he was definitely going to try out despite Eugeo's pleas, and even smitheries—and not like Rulid's basic smitheries, but the kinds that had so many craftsmen and was sweltering hot even from afar.

Thankfully, the people had been happy to point them in the right direction, which took them to eastern side of town, considered to be the business district. Shops lined up either sides of the road, plenty of people walking around. Kirito noticed a couple of stares, perhaps curious of their group. Eugeo, with his peculiar sword, definitely drew the gaze of a couple of veterans.

Eventually, they managed to find their inn, which was situated close to one of their town squares, complete with a hanging signboard (even the wood used to make that was red) and a potted flowers lining the windowsills. Stepping inside, it seemed like a rickety old thing, but the lack of a woody smell indicated appropriate maintenance and care.

"Welcome, welcome," the old granny at the counter said, back hunched but her smile wide. "I've never seen you folks from here before. Travellers?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Charlotte nodded. "We're travelling to Centoria in five days' time—" He and Eugeo exchanged delighted looks at that. Five whole days to explore Zakkaria? Nice! "—And we'd like to book two rooms here in the meantime."

"I see, I see… Well, taking all of you into account, a stay of five days and nights would be… Five hundred Shia."

"Wait, what?" He blurted out. "Ain't that a lot?"

Eugeo hummed. "So… That would mean each night would be a hundred Shia, and since there are four of us… one head is twenty-five Shia."

"Correct you are, boy. And don't worry, that's the set price we put out for all of our customers here."

"Still, five hundred Shia is quite a lot," Medina frowned. "You don't need to pay for my stay, then. That seems way too expensive."

"You needn't worry about that," at Charlotte's words, everyone watched as she pulled out a little tied sack, depositing five shiny coins on the counter. "Will this be enough?"

"Indeed they are enough," she nodded, taking the coins and handing them two keys. "Your rooms are upstairs. Turn right at the corridor, and just go straight down. Should be simple enough to find. Have a wonderful stay."

"Understood. Thank you."

As the three teenagers (well, two teenagers and one child, though he couldn't really see Medina as a kid at this point) followed her up, they took a right and moved forwards until they found their rooms, which had signs labelled with numbers lining up with the ones provided on the keys. Charlotte provided Eugeo with one key while she held onto the other.

Unlocking the door, they stepped inside to what was a basic setup for an inn room; a small cube-shaped room with two beds separated by a nightstand, and a window to the wall opposite of the door that gave view of the street below. Thankfully, not everything was red; only the walls and the ceiling, while the floor was a rugged brown and the beds had white sheets. There was also a small kitchenette opposite of the beds, a wardrobe, and a door that lead to a bathroom.

"All in all, pretty nice," he hummed. "I mean, it won't beat home, but this sure looks comfy."

"Feels comfy too," Eugeo commented, taking a seat on his bed, which was closer to the window. Drat, he wanted that one. Oh well.

"I mean, the customers would complain if the rooms ain't good enough."

"True."

"So hey, I was wondering. I know the cost of our stay here is five hundred Shia, but Charlotte only gave her five coins. Was that how it worked?"

"Wait, you don't know how our currency works?"

"Bro, I've never bought anything my whole life."

"…True. We don't really use money in our village, since we can just make them or a neighbour gives them," he hummed. "Well, okay. So basically, the currency in the Human Empire works like this; we call it Shia, and they are represented by coins with differing values—"

"—There are four of them, which are bronze, silver, gold and platinum coins. Bronze coins are worth one Shia, silver coins are worth twenty, and gold coins are worth fifty. Platinum coins have the highest value, which is one hundred Shia."

"Ahh. So what she gave back there were five platinum coins."

"Mmhm. Although, I do wonder where she managed to get them in the first place. Platinum coins aren't always produced, since it's hard to find the ore out there. Maybe she carried them over from when she moved here from Centoria?"

"Not at all," their heads swivelled over to the door, whereby Charlotte had just stepped in. He tried to look behind her, and found no Medina. "She's currently taking a bath, so I'd opted to leave her be for the time being."

"Oh, okay. So wait, going back to what you said…"

"Three years ago, did you recall that time when I momentarily left Rulid Village to return to Centoria?" Both boys nodded at that. "Essentially, I had two purposes; one, to visit my benefactor and earn her permission to remain with you in Rulid. The other, to meet the pontifex, who requested my presence in the cathedral."

"Wait, she did? Why?"

"To reward us, apparently," she shrugged back. "Apparently, she wasn't all too keen that we walked out of that entire ordeal completely empty-handed, so to make some form of compensation, she decided to pay me a sum of money."

"Oh yeah? And how much did you receive?"

"I've counted a total of fifty platinum coins and fifty gold coins."

"…What in the world? That's seven thousand and five hundred Shia."

Kirito's mind practically shut down from the ungodly amount whispered from Eugeo's lips. Seven thousand? That was a big number. And one that made his throat drier than the desert.

"She… gave us that much? Is she insane?"

"To be fair, we did kill a world-ending monster, so the reward seems to line up."

"Charlotte, for two country boys like us who have never touched a single coin, suddenly having that much is just..!"

"Well, we know have one hundred Shia less."

"Still doesn't change things!" Goddesses, how is she always so calm?! "Oh man, oh man… That's so much… We need to be careful that we don't end up accidentally spending everything…"

"On the contrary, the pontifex gave us permission to make full use of it on our trip to Centoria, so it should be fine to indulge ourselves a little."

Uuurgh. She was tempting him so bad. Even Eugeo, saint that he is, wasn't completely immune to her words. His brain and heart were probably warring with one another, his green eyes angled low and muttering to himself regarding the logistics of things. Was he trying to convince himself to approach this cautiously, or to accept the fall?

But then he started thinking about just how serious of a threat that worm had been, to the point that the pontifex herself deemed it appropriate to have them paid that much money right from the get-go. Sure, it could be considered travelling expenses, but that was just insane!

A couple of minutes later, Medina walked in on them with a cheerful look on her face, unaware of the fact that two village boys had just suffered their first ever monetary dilemma, all as Charlotte just shrugged her shoulders with her typical calm.

Taking after Medina's example, the rest of them had their baths and proceeded to exit the building, leaving all their stuff in their rooms. Although, Eugeo and Medina opted to keep their swords on their persons. "I don't really feel safe leaving it behind," he said.

"Same here," she nodded, Mirage Blade sheathed to her hip. "I know no one's gonna' steal it or anything, but I'd rather be sure."

"Fair enough. So, where are we headed now? The town is massive, and with all sorts of facilities, exploring is a must," the ravenette said, grinning as he patted his stomach. "But now that we've got a place for the night, let's talk lunch."

"That sounds good. We've only had breakfast before we got moving, and we hadn't eaten all the way up until now."

"We're more or less used to northern cuisine, though I wonder if there're any differences in different towns and the like," Kirito mused. "So let's get a move on, peeps! I'm starving!"

Honestly, they didn't have to go that far. The inn itself was situated very closely to all the shops and restaurants, likely to make it easier for visitors to find someplace to eat right away and not have to walk too far. And the variety of options at hand were enough to have them mulling over which shop to go to.

Fortunately, there weren't any crazy, out-of-the-world foods. Most of them were prepared with typical ingredients that you'd find in Norlangarth. Other places like Southacroith, which doesn't have all that much farmland, would use a lot more exotic ingredients like spices and even insects like grasshoppers. Urgh.

Eventually, they settled for what looked to be a family's diner of sorts, which was open-air and had plenty of benches and tables arranged. There were already a couple of people there, but thankfully it wasn't so busy that they wouldn't have been able to get a place for themselves.

"Welcome to Jay's. In case you were curious, Jay's my brother, who founded this little thing. Hope it's to your liking."

"Oh, no need to worry. I think it's pretty comfy already."

The bearded man chuckled at Eugeo's words. "Good to hear, good to hear. So then, let me take your order. Unless you'd like to take a look at what we have and I'll get back to you later?"

"Yes please."

"Got'cha. Just give me a holler when you're ready!"

The menus were actual sheets of paper. That in itself was a surprise, considering just how valuable paper was. Then again, with this being a business, they probably earned enough to be able to purchase paper for their work.

Also, it turned out that a lot of the meals here were cheap. Like, dead ass cheap.

He peered over Eugeo's shoulder, wanting to make sure if he ended up getting the wrong menu, but it turned out that he had the same thing too. All of the numbers were less than a hundred, so that was good, right? Maybe that made sense, he didn't know.

He decided to ignore the confusing aspect of prices and instead focused on what he was going to eat. And, looking back at his menu, he realized one thing.

He didn't know what the hell to eat.

'I mean, the fish filet sandwich looks good, but so does the chicken and rice. And those drumsticks! Daaamn, they've got a variety…'

Not enough to beat out Sulinea's cooking, though. Her cooking? Muah. Confirmed, best in the entire world, hands down.

"Psst. What you getting?"

"I… don't know."

"Same. Wanna' both get one thing and share?"

Eugeo looked as if he wanted to disregard that, but eventually nodded. "Actually, sure. Let's go with that. What are you planning to get then?"

"No idea. How about we narrow down our options first? Meat or fish?" The both of them said fish in unison. "Okay. Then how about… this one? River bass sauté. Sounds fancy. And it's not that expensive."

"Forty Shia… Yeah, let's get one, then. We could just split it into two later."

"Mmhm. Hey, Charlotte, Medina. What about you two?"

"I will be getting what looks to be a mushroom pasta of sorts," Charlotte said.

"A-And, um… I want the meat stew…"

"An excellent choice. Now then, water."

That was easy—nope. Nope it wasn't. Taking a look at the other side of the menu (how fancy), there was a list of all kinds of drinks made with all kinds of berries and fruits he'd never heard of. He decided to go for barley tea, which was likely the only thing he felt comfortable in having. Everyone agreed to have the same.

After calling for the waiter from earlier and having their orders taken, the four promptly fell into comfortable chatter, watching the people walk by the road as they took in the sights around them.

So far, everything had been great. Even if everything was almost larger by three times than what he was used to, it wasn't so drastically out-of-there that made it feel utterly foreign. For what it was worth, he chalked that up to having all his friends here as company. Otherwise, the pressure really might have gotten to him.

The sound of the river nearby made things all the more better, as did the occasional bird and the gust of wind. Unlike Rulid, there weren't a lot of trees, but the flowers planted in the cracks of the walls and in vases added touches of colour to this otherwise scarlet town.

'Man. If only you could see this place too, Alice. You'd love it for sure.'

'Had she ever travelled outside of Rulid? Perhaps with her father for work purposes?'

'Uhh… Not sure. Yo, Eugeo. Has Alice ever been outside of Rulid before?'

'Hmm… I'm not sure,' the boy thought back, putting his chin on steepled fingers. 'Her own parents never went out before. Usually, if there was anything important, officials would come to our village.'

'Even though it's so far out?'

'Yeah, that's a little weird. But no, as far as I can recall, Alice has never went out before.'

He sighed at that, catching Charlotte's gaze. She had an understanding look on her face, already used to the fact that he and Eugeo often fell into their own little moments of communication. 'A shame. I think she would have liked this place. She doesn't strike me as a city girl, per se, but she'd definitely like it here.'

'True. It has its own brand of peacefulness.'

'Perhaps someday, you could bring Selka here in her stead.'

That… would be nice. A little saddening that Alice herself wouldn't be able to see any of this for herself, but if it was through her sister at least…

His thoughts are cut off by the sound of their table rattling when countless plates and bowls are set atop it, followed suit by a couple glasses. "Your food has arrived!" Their waiter boisterously declared. "Hope you have a good one now!"

As far as first times go, this was a resounding success. Experts had made their meals, after all, and it was reflected in just how mouth-watering they were simply from their scents and presentation. And actually digging into them… goddesses!

Sulinea was still number one, don't get him wrong, but damn this was great!

The fish was smoked to perfection, and the sauce drizzled on the meat was the right amounts of salty and sweet that got him really going. He was careful not to cut into Eugeo's portion, unwilling to break the code of brotherhood, great food be damned!

"Wait, Kirito, eat slowly! You'll choke otherwise—" He began choking right as Eugeo said that. "Oh, for crying out loud… Here, drink this."

"Glub..! Aaah!" He let out a breath. "Thanks man… You're a lifesaver…"

"Sheesh. You don't have to eat so fast. It's not like the food would go anywhere."

"But it tastes best while it's still fresh out of the oven!" He argued. "Food can cool quickly, and by then, it won't taste the same!"

"You know, there are times where you always seem so wise and so amazing. And then there are times like now, where you have the mindset of a ten-year-old."

"Nuh-uh I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"Yes you do!"

Lunch was equally as loud as everything else had been. Through sheer luck, none of them got kicked out of the shop; if anything, the shop owner enjoyed watching them.

Time hadn't gone by quickly, and they'd used all the spare time to wander around town and take in the sights. Admittedly, he was ashamed of being so giddy in front of Medina, who was younger than them, but cut him some slack! This was a first in fourteen years!

From window-shopping to even dipping their feet in the river, to listening to some ballad being played on the street and trying out street food, everything had been done together, and Medina looked sleepy at the end of it all. That was a good cue for them to retire for the night.

"A good hot bath and a nice, soft bed. Nothing could be better."

"You could say that again," Eugeo said from where he was seated on his bed, a towel wrapped around his neck. "And you sure took your sweet time in there, didn't you?"

"It's been almost three entire days where we went without warm baths. You'd have to forgive me for taking some enjoyment out of it."

"Fair."

Kirito hung up his towel on a wooden hook fixed to the wall, catching Eugeo's when he threw it at him and hanging it beside his own. "Five days. There'll be all sorts of things to do," he fell onto his bed, sighing in relief. "I want to go see the meeting venue, though."

"Ah, the place where they have all their tournaments?"

"Yep'pers. You know there's bound to be plenty of strong people there, so I'm sort of interested in challenging them to a spar or two."

"That…" A thoughtful expression came over his features. "That's a good idea, actually. We've never exactly practised with one another, since we don't have two swords, so we always took turns against Charlotte and Fanatio. It'd be nice to test ourselves against someone else."

"Yeah. And I'd be interested in seeing Medina's swordplay," he rested his head behind his folded arms, looking up to the ceiling. Not a single crack, and no cobwebs. "That sword of hers… We never got a good look on it before, but I'm pretty sure that it was curved. Maybe single-edged?"

"A single-edged sword… That would be something like a katana. How would they differ from double-edged swords?"

"I'd imagine a katana would be much better at slashing and cutting."

"True… Huh. Judging by that look on your face, I imagine you'd want to spar with her, don't you?"

Kirito chuckled. "I wouldn't be against it. She doesn't strike me as an expert, but she said before that she's been practising sword-fighting since she was little, so I expect her to be fairly good."

After all, for someone who's had the calling of swordsman from the very start, that basically gave her an early start—way, way different compared to him and Eugeo, who only have three years of training under their belt. Plus, her finesse and technique might be a lot smoother compared to theirs.

He sighed. Honestly, what were the odds that they'd meet someone like her out in the wilderness? He wasn't sure if that was fate's machinations, since it seemed too random to be anything meaningful. Plus, he wasn't sure if they had any form of connection to her prior to yesterday.

'Well, it doesn't matter. She's just a friend, and that's all that matters.'

"Hey Kirito. You still up?"

"Yep. What's up?"

"Can't really fall asleep yet, so I was thinking about talking with you for a little bit."

Kirito didn't have the same problem; Sister Azalia had complained plenty of times of just how much of a sleeper that he was. Even so, he wasn't too keen on revisiting the same nightmare too early. A talk with his brother sounded nice. "Sure thing. What's on your mind?"

"I know I might have given you some pain, but in all honesty… this entire trip has been so much fun. I'm enjoying myself."

Neither of them said anything for a while, broken by the sound of his hum. Yeah, he knew. He'd known all this time. After all, with the way his eyes shone up every time they gazed upon something new, and the muted excitement that thrummed in his being as they departed from Rulid to enter the wilderness…

Kirito chuckled shortly after. His best friend was infinitely much more mature than him, he'd readily admit, but for two boys who've never seen anything but home, all of these things had been so awesome to see. And certainly too memorable to forget anytime soon.

"Do you think… we'll be able to do this again in the future?"

"Of course we can. I mean, we still need to go to Centoria, so there'll be an opportunity to do this all over again. And then, we'll enter a brand new city, so there will be even more to see. We might be seeing so much that we'll be sick of it at some point."

"True, true…" His laughter is gentle, elated. "Remember what you said earlier today? It really is a shame that Alice isn't here with us. She'd definitely love visiting new places."

"Always a bit of a tomboy, she is," the two exchanged snickers at that. Seriously, for how much she could come off as a proper girl, she had some rambunctious tendencies from time to time. After all, she'd always joined them on all their wilder adventures, so that was saying something.

"Then again, would she be allowed to travel? That calling of hers…"

"It just requires her to study «Sacred Arts». There's nothing tying her down to Rulid, so she could definitely go outside of it if she wanted to."

"…Always, you bring up all the good points," he shook his head, sounding bemused. "Fine eye that you have. But still not fine enough to avoid tripping on your face."

"Har-har-har. So funny."

"It was. Didn't you hear us laughing at you?"

Despite how badly he wanted to pout, he ended up grinning so widely as he narrowed his eyes at his best friend, who softly laughed back at him. Well, if he had to be the butt of the joke to give them a chuckle or two, he might as well take the fall.

For another hour or so, the two friends who are so far from home ended up talking to one another under a moonless night. Talk about their day—from all that they ate to what they saw—and even about their future. It jumped from here to there, at times meaningful and sometimes completely inconsequential, but the conversation just kept going and going until Eugeo was the first to fall asleep. And Kirito watched him for the first few minutes, relaxing only when he didn't seem to act up in any concerning manner.

It was strange, but also a blessing that Eugeo wasn't haunted by the dangers of his prior encounters with the goblins that night. What a fool he'd been, deciding to leave him on his own while he drew the attention of the goblins. He hadn't thought that one would remain behind to keep watch, and that had ended up with his brother almost unable to use his right arm.

Still, he'd recovered well from that night. He'd switched handedness and gotten used to it already, and he hadn't had a single nightmare of that, let alone anything else. He couldn't put to words just how relieved he was, and hoped dearly that it would stay that way.

Kirito reached over to his friend's face, brushing aside some hair before it got stuck in his mouth, and drew his hand back. 'Goddesses, if you could hear me... at least for my best friend's sake, I hope you'd be willing to protect him from all dangers in the world. That's all I ask. And...'

He paused, wondering if he could muster the strength to ask for one more thing, and decided to see it through.

'And I hope that Alice is at peace. If she's by your side, please give her lots of love. She deserves it.'

Prayers said, he lets his head fall onto his pillow, pullign the sheets over his body. He sighs in relief and, as he slowly loses consciousness, thinks of all the good things in the world. His home greets him in his dreams like every single night.

Thirty minutes later, and he screams Alice's name once more.