You know, they often say that, no matter how much older you get, you never forget the most important memories of your childhood. And I have to admit, I'm no different.

Granted, I've forgotten few things here and there. But the single memory that I know I would never forget are those days then; back when things were so much simpler. When three village kids who grew up in the sleepy village at the very edge of the empire used to dream about the bigger world beyond their little place.

We'd joke and talk about all kinds of things. Of the kinds of sights we could have seen together, the food we could have eaten together, the things we could have done together.

That dream was a beloved one, short-lived as it was. And even if it can never be fulfilled… well, I guess there's nothing that can be done about that now, is there?

Hey, Alice. You probably can't hear me where you are now, but… we're actually here. We arrived in Centoria.

It's been three years, hasn't it, Alice? Crazy how long it's been, though not as insane as how large this city is. Living in Rulid for fourteen years simply didn't prepare any of us for this. I never expected such a place to have existed; it feels so different from everything we've ever seen so far.

There're all these shops that were never in Rulid. There are so many people left and right, and I'm kind of intimidated by that. There's bound to be a lot more stuff here that we hadn't seen in Zakkaria and Rulid too, so that'll be exciting to see for ourselves.

But more than anything, I wonder what you felt. When you first arrived here, what did you think? Did you think it was a beautiful place? Did you get the chance to see all the people here? Was your death a peaceful one?

…Right. I guess there's no point asking a dead person when they can't speak back.

I… I'm sorry.

…

Kirito snapped awake, emerging from the other side with a little gasp. His eyelids parted, and his room—with wooden interior, simple furniture and sunlight beaming through a curtained window—was nowhere to be seen.

Blinking, he slowly sat up, taking in the surroundings of his room. It was a bedroom of his very own complete with furniture much fancier than whatever he ever had in the church. While it did have a study and a wardrobe, and even a bathroom of its own, all of them were meticulously clean and whiter, with tiled floors and the like that made it clear this wasn't home.

It was only after a couple of minutes did his brain finally catch up with the situation that he was in, and a soft hum escapes his lips. "Right, I'm in Centoria" he whispered to himself, rubbing his face. "Damn… And here I thought I'd just spent a whole month in some weird dreamscape, yet here we are. Actual, honest-to-goodness Integrity Knights."

Trainees, though it was still a fact that the both of them were recognized by the pontifex and the church as knights of the armour, just as Fanatio and Bercouli were. It was a surreal thing to imagine, and all Kirito could do was laugh about it.

Honestly… What was she thinking? A bunch of village bumpkins who know absolutely nothing about sophistry or politics or anything beyond the walls of their little home, made into knights that the rest of the world would hold up as role models? Life would have been so much simpler if they'd just stayed home.

Ah well. No point regretting things now. They'd been at it for almost a whole month since they'd arrived at Centoria. Maybe this was simply how things were meant to be from the start.

He looked out his window, peeking through the curtain. He must have woken up in the middle of the night because the sky was a stark black filled with stars. Down below, the city was lit up by countless torches, resembling a sea of lights that made it feel alive in a way he hadn't thought of before. He doubted there were that many people up and about right now, and though he wanted to visit the city for a night stroll, Chudelkin had been strict about them not leaving the cathedral after ten, which he assumed was the time now.

Sighing, he got out of his bed and walked into the living room, which was a fairly sizable space with a couch, a coffee table and a small kitchenette near the entrance. He looked around, taking in how white the place looked, and spotted Eugeo already at the couch, polishing his Blue Rose Sword with a cloth.

"Hey," he greeted. Eugeo hummed back, not looking up from his work. "Were you up this entire time?"

"Mm. No, I just woke up. Couldn't go back to sleep. You?"

"Same here," he deposited himself on the other end of the couch, groaning. "Man… Training's been pretty rough, don'tcha think?"

"More or less. Granted, it's nothing difficult compared to when we first started out, but it's certainly… different."

Heh. Different definitely seemed like the appropriate thing to say. Back then, they had to drill the foundations and sword styles into their very being, picking up knowledge that kids would have learnt much younger than them—at six, if he wasn't mistaken, whereas both he and Eugeo had been double that age at the time.

Now, though, it was… what? Trying to cut a steel pillar with a sword?

He scoffed at that, but knew that it was a sign of achievement. After all, Lady Scheta had easily demonstrated such a feat on the very first day of their training (with a paper thin rapier, of all things), then decided that they would have to pull off the same thing as well if they hoped to remain under her guidance. Practically have a whole year left to accomplish that. Should be fine.

…Well, he hoped it would be fine. It probably will be, right?

'She got to use her fancy sword, while mine's with the craftsman being worked on,' he thought glumly. 'But I don't want to just rely on Eugeo's sword. I'll just have to figure out something by myself.'

"At least the spars are nice," Eugeo commented. "Especially when we get to try our skills against Lady Scheta herself."

"They're not easy, though. Lady Scheta… she's fast in a different way. Almost like a lightning bolt. Hard to keep up with her movements at times."

"Trueee…" His friend drawled out. "Heavenly beings are on a whole 'nother level, huh? They're impossible to beat."

"Naaah. I wouldn't say that. I just think it'll take a lot of time and effort to get to their level. But knowing us?" Kirito met the other boy's gaze, a smile of his own that bared the confidence he had. "There's nothing to stop us from being just as good as her. We just need to keep it up."

Surprise dawned on Eugeo's face for a moment, only to turn into assurance. "You're right. Nothing's impossible."

"Mmhm. It's all just a matter of how far we're willing to go to achieve our goals."

He let that thought sit in his mind for a bit, thinking about just how genuine that conviction was. Was it merely spoken for the moment, intending to simply bolster his friend's confidence? Or was it a vocalization of his own inner feelings on the matter, truly promising to hold himself to that standard or do better as a person?

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the quiet motions of the cloth wiping down the Blue Rose Sword. Nary a thing besides that could be heard, and Kirito thought about how he missed home; where they could have listened to the sound of crickets in the dark of night, to the winds and the distant rivers and the rustling of the trees. Some people might still be up, and their voices could be heard as well, even if he was still in his room in the church.

All that noise was left back at home. And now, with a month long gone, he was already missing it.

Chapter 31

{ A Day in the Cathedral }

20th day of the 6th Month – HEC, 375
Centoria – Central Cathedral, Floor 28

Every morning back in Rulid Village consisted of an early cold bath (a warm one, if he was lucky), changing into some new clothes, a nice breakfast with the other kids in the church, and an immediate departure for the Gigas Cedar with Eugeo, Charlotte and Fanatio in tow. That hasn't changed since he's arrived here in Centoria, and he liked the similarities of it all.

And it was made even better by the fact that Eugeo was now his roommate, just like back then when he had to stay with his family to watch over him while his arm was healing.

And sure, it wasn't exactly sleeping in the same room, but hey? They were close enough.

Eyeing the miniature clock on the wall, of which the arms sat between six and seven, he called out to their draconic companion. "Hey Selena. Can you go wake Eugeo up?"

'Of course. Do give me a moment.'

In the meantime, Kirito grabbed a kettle and some tea bags, brewing a simple drink that would hopefully get both of their systems running. They'd be getting breakfast after this, but a little drink wouldn't hurt anyone.

Eventually, the man of the hour was at the ready, dressed in a nice blue training outfit with his sword strapped to his side, and a groggy look on his face. "I'm here…"

"Yup. Looking ready to meet the day, champ."

"Sure am…" He masked his yawn behind his hand. Kirito guided him to the couch, then handed him a cup of tea. "Thank you—Ow…"

"Dummy. It's still hot, you know. Blow on it a little before you take a sip."

"Right, right…"

Rolling his eyes, Kirito sipped at his drink, basking in the quaint moment and the fragrant scent of their drink. It was nice to know that their kitchenette had a stock of tea bags and water, which they could request for refills down in the Grand Dining Room. It would be too much of a hassle to walk downstairs every single time he got thirsty.

Finishing up in their room, the duo quickly made their way to floor ten, where the aforementioned Grand Dining Room was. There were plenty of long tables adorned by a white tablecloth, decorated with numerous candlesticks, silverware, and water jugs among other things. There was also a counter, where beyond they could hear sounds of orders and chopping, indicating the section beyond to be the kitchen.

Seeing that they weren't fully-fledged Integrity Knights, they would have to eat here. The others, on the other hand, could dine on ninety-four, which seemed like too daunting of a climb to really interest him.

Already, plenty of priests and guards were sat at the tables, eating from a selection of stews and breads, soft chatter in the air. It was still pretty early, after all, so most of them were probably still sleepy. At least the walk here helped Eugeo revitalize a little.

Back then, the pontifex told them that breakfast started at seven until nine in the morning, and then it was dinner at six in the evening. Their morning training was at nine, which technically gave them two hours for breakfast. Still, it would be smarter to take only one hour eating and spend the remaining time to freshen up and wait for their instructor on the training field.

Looking around, the boy eventually noticed someone waving his way. Medina, bright and cheery, sat with Charlotte, who was already partaking in what looked like mushroom soup. The ravenette paused to nod at them.

"Good morning, Kirito, Eugeo," she greeted. The boys opted to sit opposite of the two. "Did you two have a good sleep?"

Eugeo nodded back. "I did, yes."

Kirito certainly didn't, but some things didn't need to be said out loud. "More or less. You got here early."

"Mm! I just couldn't sleep last night, is all," she admitted. "I guess I'm just too excited about training to really doze off."

"That isn't good, Medina. You gotta' get enough sleep if you wanna' grow properly."

"I-I know! But, like, it was just the last night. I've been sleeping enough all the other nights."

Well, he supposed he could give her that. Medina was clearly mature enough to look out after herself, and at least she had Charlotte as a roommate to watch over her as well.

But first, breakfast. "Come on, Eugeo," he patted his friend on the shoulder. "Soup's at the counter. Gotta' fill our own bowls and all."

"Ahh, right. Okay. Coming."

The food here wasn't the best thing. Not to call the chefs here terrible or anything, but the quality of what they made here was certainly… well, higher than average? Nothing remotely close to what Sulinea makes on a daily basis, but even he knew it was unfair to compare anyone's cooking to his best friend's sister's.

The only plus side to this is that, on their lunch break, the chefs here were happy enough to make anything based on their requests. And those were always the highlight of the day.

Still, with a prayer to the goddesses and a silent word of gratitude to the people who made their meals, the group dug into their food and chatted about their upcoming day. Charlotte, being the only one uninvolved with the training, mentioned that she was going to head out for a bit to meet her benefactor. Probably lives somewhere here in Centoria too.

Once they were done with their food, the three swordsmen bade their friend farewell before climbing up to the fifty-first floor. Seriously, couldn't they just make that floating disc thing possible for all the floors? All this climbing was killing him.

Oh, and speaking of the floating disc. The first time they'd been on floor fifty, they got to check out the elevating disc, which was separated from the corridor in its own separate room. And there was a girl managing it, who called herself the Elevating Operator. He wasn't sure if that was because she didn't know her name, had forgotten it, or much preferred using her own title. Either way, she was young, yet was talented with «Sacred Arts», considering that she knew how to control the elevator's wind spell to move it.

But so far, they never had a need to use her services. The floor where they would be training was only one above the fiftieth, after all, and as much as he liked to complain about having to climb stairs, he supposed it would be better to just use the stairs than to bother her to take them up by one floor.

Floor fifty-one wasn't remarkable by any means, though it was certainly wide enough to host their numbers and more. Plenty of training dummies and practice swords to work with, and the steel pillar that stood off to the side. It had plenty of scratches littering its surface; a testament to all of their prior attempts to cut it down, yet each day proved no different from the last.

Urgh. It was the Gigas Cedar all over again. He could barely remember just how much he hated the damn thing before. To reexperience that feeling was something he could have gone without, not gonna' lie.

Before he could think about anything else, however, the sound of footsteps approached them. Kirito turned towards the source, spotting a tall and thin woman with long gray hair tied into a ponytail. Not an emotion could be seen from her, her face schooled into a neutral expression that gave away nothing, reminding him of Charlotte. Her armour was also unique in the sense that the matte-gray armour looked thinner than all the other knights he had met, likely for better manoeuvrability in combat.

"Ma'am!" Medina saluted. Eugeo and Kirito promptly did the same.

"Everyone," she nodded. "It seems that the three of you are looking sharper than before. Good. A month's worth of training has done you well, it seems."

"But it's a long way's away before we can even think to get on your level, Lady Scheta."

"Hm. Perhaps," the casual lilt in her response was almost miniscule, yet he could pick up the amusement in her voice. Years of having communicated with Charlotte had taught him how to pick up the littlest signs, it seems. "In any case, let us begin with our training. Kirito," the boy perked up. "I'd like to test your skills in a short spar. Will that be alright with you?"

Ohh? Well, isn't that interesting. So far, he'd only ever duelled Lady Scheta just the one time, and that had been a week ago—and to call it a duel was frankly off-the-mark, because it had mostly been a thrashing that left him utterly stumped by the end of it. Eugeo and Medina fared no better, proving her skills as a master swordswoman.

But if anyone expected him to feel down by that loss, then they clearly thought wrong. If anything, knowing that he'd get to fight against her again was enough to get his blood pumping, a grin surfacing.

Scheta must have noticed his excitement, for her own expression seemed to gain an edge of a smile. "It seems that you're not averse to a fight."

"Not at all. Let's do this."

It was with the Blue Rose Sword in his grasp that he found himself taking to one end of the sparring circle, the Integrity Knight at the other. Her blade, though fickle looking, belied unimaginable strength that would easily swat aside any and all of his attacks. And with her unparalleled speed, there'd be no matching her.

But even if he were to lose this fight, he still wanted to go ahead with it because he really just wanted a chance to fight someone strong. Fighting Fanatio or Charlotte back then had just been exhilarating in a way he couldn't describe, and fighting Scheta felt the same way.

'But don't underestimate her. She is a tough opponent. Give it your all, no matter what,' yeah. She didn't need to tell him twice.

Drawing the blade from its sheath, his heart drumming in his chest, Kirito met his instructor's gaze with a firm look. She nodded back, directing her weapon towards him in a simple hold, which he responded with a stance designed for a straight charge.

Catching anyone off-guard in a fight was key to gaining an edge, but Scheta had a sharp reflex that allowed her to react to any miniscule movement. In a way, these divine beings from the heavens were designed for immaculate combat ability, showcasing a level of dexterity that no normal human should be capable of.

But he'd been trained by the Integrity Knights' vice commander herself. Every skill, every technique, every knowledge that she passed down unto him…

He'll fight to win. Nothing else will change that.

"Now then. Begi—"

Scheta barely ended her declaration before Kirito charged straight at her, the Blue Rose Sword gleaming a beautiful sky blue that trailed in the air as he swung it towards her breastplate. The knightess wasn't fazed in the slightest, raising her weapon to block his attack with a simple backhand and swatting his attack away.

Stepping back, the ravenette was forced on the defensive this time when his opponent darted straight at him with a flurry of stabs. He gritted his teeth through it all, parrying every blow and dodging as best as he could, further moving back to put distance between them.

But Scheta was relentless, chasing him down. Kirito blocked her next attack, going in for an «Azure Wind Slash» that she easily ducks under. The glint of metal in his periphery keys him in on the incoming rapier, and quickly whips his sword leftwards to deflect it, a cry of metal making him wince and move away.

'Are my movements so obvious..? Fanatio's never had trouble reading me, and it seems like Lady Scheta's the same.'

'You're more or less direct in what you intend to do.'

'Doesn't really help me that much, then.'

And it certainly wasn't helping him now, with Scheta bearing down on him with no regard for safety. After all, a completely offensive manoeuvre can be useful in a situation where the opponent can't even retaliate in the slightest. And she was more than happy to do so on him, who can't even find a gap in her defense to strike back.

Kirito braced himself for every thrust into his sword, feeling his arms quiver with every impact. Yet he held on, reading every single movement of her limbs and eyes to ascertain her next action. Easier said than done in this moment, but he wasn't going to give in so easily.

Backing away, the two circled around one another. One step taken to his left was one she took to her left, and their eyes met, a quiet yet tense moment shared as they tried to predict the next movement.

Reading his opponent wasn't something he could boast of doing so far. Fanatio and Charlotte had drilled the importance of prediction in a fight to stay at least a step ahead of the opponent, which would grant him the opportunity to find an opening to win the fight.

Scheta gave him none of that.

Growling, Kirito charged back right at her, willing to give into his impatience to just test the waters directly. He slashed down once he was close, metal crashing into metal before a cacophony began as they traded blows. Every swing of his was met with a counterblow, and his body moved left and right as he bobbed between every thrust to find a slip of the foot or an extended arm.

Catching her attempt to parry, Kirito backed away, only to witness her draw her arm back for a straight-thrust technique. 'There!'

Body moving on instinct, Kirito leaned off to the right to allow Scheta to overshoot past him, missing his shoulder by a single hair's length. She was much faster, however, and she was able to spin on her feet and slash towards his chest, the feeling of the air parting from the speed of her attack weighing on him.

Clenching his left fist, Kirito felt energy pour into it, then quickly threw hit in an uppercut. The widening of his opponent's eyes indicated she hadn't seen it coming, unprepared for him to strike her weapon and blow her guard wide open. That was his cue to strike down upon her with the Blue Rose Sword, unleashing another fast «Azure Wind Slash».

"This is my win!"

"Hm. No it isn't."

What? His sword was on a clear trajectory straight for her chest. Her sword arm was off to the side and she was wide open. At this close range, there would be no way she could dodge—

Against all expectations, Scheta flicked her unarmed hand. A different weapon seemed to have materialized into existence, striking into the middle of his blade and disrupting the technique. Kirito was the one caught flat-footed this time, and she ended the fight by cutting into his shoulder with her rapier, drawing blood and making him hiss.

"The battle is over," she announced, stepping backwards with both rapiers in hands.

Kirito breathed slowly, relaxing his guard and clicking his tongue. He'd been so close, too. He felt it. "Didn't think you had another weapon on you."

"The pontifex suggested I switch up my fighting style. Suffice to say, it worked relatively well."

Damn it. It would certainly work in a practical setting, but to think he had to be unlucky enough to fall for that trick. The entire time he'd been duelling her, he hadn't even noticed a second sheath on her person. When she moved to put away her weapons, it was finally revealed to be on the back of her waist. Tch. So she'd purposely kept it hidden.

"Regardless, you performed rather well, though it seemed that it was easy to read your movements. You need to learn how to shake off such a habit."

"You got me there," he sighed.

"Hmm. Now then, Eugeo. You're up next."

"Ah! Right."

Handing the Blue Rose Sword back to his brother, Kirito promptly walked over to Medina, accepting the offered canteen of water. "You did really well," the redhead said, smiling. "That last technique was definitely interesting too! The last time you used it was back in Zakkaria, right?"

"Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about that."

"Where'd you even learn it from? I don't think I've even heard of a style focused remotely on martial arts."

"…Would you believe me if I said I don't know?" Her perplexed expression was one he completely understood. "In that moment, it just… sort of came to me, I guess. Like, I had an idea that I could do something like that, so I just did. And it somehow worked."

"That's… Well, certainly lucky for you then, huh?"

"You could say that. But if it worked, then it has to mean that there's an actual style out there that's focused on martial arts."

He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. Even the double variant of «Lightning Slash» that he supposedly 'invented' might exist in a sword style none of them had ever heard of before. Even Fanatio was unaware of its existence.

The problem, though, was the fact that, even though they perused the library here in the cathedral, they couldn't really find a style pertaining to bodily combat. Perhaps it was a well-hidden style, of which he'd accidentally stumbled into using the technique. Ah well. It probably exists out there. They'll just have to keep their eyes out.

Eugeo's duel with Scheta goes a little less in his favour than Kirito had hoped, ending much quicker than his had. Medina fared no better than either of them, holding on as best as she could but coming short at the very last moment when Scheta easily broke through her heavy-hitting technique and finished her off with one blow.

He sighed. He'd been hoping that one of his friends could earn a win, but the Integrity Knights were simply built different. It'll be a long road before any of them will be ready to take one down.

"Alright then. Let's take a short break. Afterwards, you may return to your objective."

As one, the three swordsmen looked at the steel pillar, and groaned in unison.

When lunch came around, the three met up in the dining room. As the chefs had been notified of their schedule since a month ago, they'd been the ones in charge of preparing their meal, which Kirito called a definite step up compared to their breakfast garb. Like, seriously, it felt like the people who made these were completely different from the morning staff!

A part of him felt a little bad for troubling them with the extra work, but since the head chef himself told them that neither him nor the other cooks minded, he supposed it was fine to rely on the extra service.

Kirito bit into his sandwich, humming in delight upon crunching down on fresh, wet vegetables. Even the condiments they added were great, and he couldn't help but think as if these were even better than all the things he'd gotten to taste back in Zakkaria.

…Sulinea's cooking still beats them, though. Just saying.

"Well, that was rather unsuccessful," he said out loud, earning hums of agreement from the others. "Guess it'll be a while before we can get any close to landing a hit on her, huh?"

"It certainly will be," grinned Eugeo. "It really did feel like she'd been reading our every move, didn't it?"

Medina nodded. "Indeed. I suppose it comes from countless years of experience and training. Then again, do they even need to train? Being heavenly beings and all, I mean."

"Pretty sure they have to regardless. No matter how good someone is at a thing, it's no use if you don't really work to improve that part of yourself. With time, your skills will go dull if not polished."

He supposed, for the Integrity Knights, such a thing didn't really apply to them. Even hypothetically, if their sword skills were to go bad after a while, they'd have all the time in the world to get back into shape. They have all the time in the world, after all.

Compared to all the normal people like himself and his friends, though, who've only got a couple of years left in them before they eventually grow too old to lift their weapons, it's a rush for them to get better and do what they can to reach a satisfying point in life.

Heh… Thinking about all of this sort of reminded him of the talk he had with Sulinea that night. It's a shame that they can't live forever, but he supposed that was fine. Otherwise, who knows how they'll end up down the line. Jaded? Tired? Lost?

He shook that thought aside. Best not pursue that thought any further. All they could do now was focus on the present.

A whole hour solely for their lunch break was just the rest he needed to get himself back in the mood for training, starting at one o' clock until three in the afternoon. They had one more break lasting for fifteen minutes before finishing their training at five in the evening.

Certainly, they ended up using almost the entire day for their training, but he didn't really mind it. If anything, they still had plenty of time to do their own things afterwards. In fact, they'd gotten the opportunity to visit the cities and eat outside from time to time.

"Alright then. Training is over now," Scheta's announcement had all of them lowering their weapons and sighing in relief. "Before we proceed to end things, are there any questions that you have?"

"None, ma'am."

"I see. Very well. As usual, our training shall begin tomorrow at nine. Until then, have a good day."

They waited until she was gone before they let out sighs of relief. They had a whole month to get used to this new arrangement, and he liked to think that all of them had adjusted relatively well to it.

Didn't stop Eugeo from being a heavy sleeper at times and being a real pain to get up in the morning. Selena was a great help in those moments. Otherwise, he'd have been tearing his hair out just trying to drag him out of bed.

"So, what'cha guys up to?"

"I think I'll visit the library for a bit," Medina answered. "I want to see if there are any styles dedicated to katana. Perhaps it's time I expanded my skillset like you two."

"Uhh. I wouldn't call ourselves that diverse."

"Not at all! I mean, what other swordsman can you name who can even use his own body to fight another person?" He was about to say any sane person would, but remembered that most of the population were stuck in this dumb mindset of 'beauty of a single sword swing'. Plus, with him favouring one-handed sword styles unlike most people, he supposed he did stand out quite a bit. "Hence, I need to learn some new techniques that would give me the edge in a battle against other people."

"Alright. I'm thinking of just taking a break for a bit. Don't wanna' tear a muscle or anything."

Eugeo snorted, bumping his shoulder against his. "That's not the laziness talking?"

"How dare you. I'll have you know I am rather productive most of the time."

"Yes, yes, we all know that. It was a joke."

Medina didn't stick around for long afterwards, bidding them farewell to go and get a bath before heading to the library. Kirito watched her go before finally getting up, Eugeo watching him all the while.

"So, shall we continue where we left off?"

"Mmhm. Let's go."

With their training over at five and curfew at ten, it gave them approximately five hours of free time. Be it self-directed training or studying or purely for relaxation, the church or the pontifex didn't seem to have any strict demands of them. If anything, he thought it was relatively chill for them.

Not like he was going to complain. If anything, it gave them the opportunity they needed to fulfil their objective. Namely, finding the human woman Gabura asked them to reach out to.

Ophilia Grey. If she lived here in the cathedral, it meant that she was either a knight or a nun. Definitely not an Integrity Knight because Scheta had actually gone ahead and shared the list with them.

Thankfully, one of the cooks told them that he knew her to be a nun, though what they were told afterwards was a little more problematic. Apparently, she was stationed in a different town in Eastabarieth for her assignments, and there was no knowing when she'd return.

And while there wasn't an actual time limit for when they needed to find her, neither of them wanted to accidentally forget about it. The sooner they were done, the better. No need to keep a dying man's dying wishes on their person for any longer.

'The only option that we have, in that case, is to go to Treitis Pass ourselves.'

Easier said than done, of course, because the time needed to travel to that town would take more than three days to get there. And Chudelkin had already been strict about them staying only in Centoria. He didn't even want to imagine what the punishment for that would be.

But all of that would not be an issue if the pontifex gave them the clear, wouldn't it?

"I really don't know how we would even try to convince her to give us leave."

"With sweets, obviously. What lady hates sweets?"

"That… I… You know what? Sure. I won't argue with that."

Really, that was just logic. Alice liked sweets, and so did her sister and mom. Even Sulinea did too. All the girls back in the church enjoy eating sweets too. And that obviously meant that the pontifex would appreciate sweets as well.

Wait a minute. Would it be okay to gift her something? That wasn't against the rules or anything, right?

…Naaah. It's probably fine.

Heading downstairs to the Grand Dining Room, the lack of occupants meant that dinner hadn't started. That was at six, so that gave them a whole hour. What for? Heh. Well, it was obviously to bake something!

…That was, well, kind of silly when thought out loud, but that was the plan; make the pontifex something good to convince her to give them temporary leave from the cathedral. At least for a week or so to go to Treitis Pass, find Ophilia Grey, deliver the message, then return to Centoria.

"You know, this would be so much easier if we just, like, asked someone to make it for us. Neither you nor I could bake, Kirito."

"Well, it would be pointless if it's anyone else doing it, man," he retorted. "It'd be easier to just head down to the city and buy a delicious cake from a store and give that to her. But if we want it to really mean something, then we've got to make it with our own hands."

"Our hands have only lifted axes and swords for fourteen years, Kirito. They're not delicate enough for the kitchen."

"Shush, you. We got this."

They did not, in fact, got it.

As Eugeo so helpfully pointed out, neither of them were ever suited for the kitchen. In fact, all that they succeeded in doing two hours down the line was come up with things that no sane person would call 'food'. Either burnt to a crisp or smelling so foul it must have come from the swamps, none of their efforts bore fruit in the slightest.

For one month. One month (well, technically two weeks) that they've been experimenting, yet nothing came out of it. All that they'd done was simply waste valuable resources, for which they always apologized profusely to the cooks. None of them minded, though, happy to give up spare ingredients that they wouldn't need. Goddesses bless them for their kindness.

Still, it was frustrating to know that he was simply not meant for this kind of work. He thought that helping Charlotte back when they were camping in the outdoors would have been enough. Guess stirring stew in a pot couldn't compare to making cake, of all things.

"I… am not suggesting that we should give up," Eugeo said. "But I think we should give up."

"Yeah, I guess we should," he sighed. "It's not like we had much time to practise either. We're practically working with nothing, and most times, we tend to just tend to do our training instead. Guess it was inevitable that we'd be shit at this."

"Yeah… Maybe we should just ask the pontifex what we could do for her to give us leave," Kirito promptly stared at his friend, who quirked a brow in response. "What?"

"That's… a really good idea, actually," he groaned into his hand afterwards. "Why didn't we think of that earlier..?"

"Ehh, it's fine, it's fine. This sort of thing happens."

"I swear to the goddesses, we could have saved so much time…"

"It's fiiine, Kirito. Come on. Let's go see if we can request an audience with her."

As per usual, these sorts of things didn't reach a satisfying conclusion in the end, namely because one person was adamant on being the one to stop them in the tracks. And that was…

"Hohii! As if mere trainees like youuu would be allowed to speak to Her Eminence!"

"Please, Chudelkin, we really need this!" Kirito wished he didn't need to beg on his knees, but that was exactly what he started doing. He was too desperate right now to actually feel embarrassed. "We have a really important thing we need to do, but we can't do it without her permission!"

"Hehhh? And what's so important?"

"We need to travel to Eastabarieth."

"Huhhh?! Not a chance!"

"But can't we at least ask her? Please?"

"Not. A. Chance!" He repeated, and Kirito held himself from giving him the stink eye. "You should know your place, boy! You are but a trainee, and she is the divine pontifex! She is far too busy to entertain mere children like yourselves!"

Ah, damn it. This was really going nowhere. Credit given where credit was due; Chudelkin was no pushover in the slightest. A good thing since it meant that he was being very dedicated to his job. Not helping him at all.

He looked to Eugeo out of the corner of his vision, mentally begging. 'Dude, say something to help or something.'

'What am I meant to say?' He didn't physically shrug, but Kirito could well imagine him doing it. 'If he says no, it's a no. Can't do anything about it.'

'Urgh. You and your defeatism.'

'Wha—It is not defeatism!'

'Totally is! Come ooon, help me out here.'

The look on his face was a cross between regret and exhaustion. 'Just… tell him you'd do anything or something. I don't know.'

Hmm. The ultimate promise, then? Well, if nothing else worked, then he supposed that was the only thing that might have a guaranteed shot at success. And if even that didn't work?

…He really didn't want to imagine that possibility. He was going to hope that this might actually work.

Gulping, he stared Chudelkin right in the eyes, putting on what he hoped to be an expression filled with nothing but honesty. "I'll do anything."

"Hah? For what?"

"To speak to the pontifex."

Chudelkin managed to look like he was having an aneurysm. "Boy, how many times must I repeat myself?! The pontifex is extremely busy! I won't have you bother her whatsoever!"

"But I—"

"No buts!"

"What is happening here?"

All three boys (well, two boys and whatever Chudelkin counted as) froze. As one, their heads slowly shifted towards the source of the voice. And lo and behold, the woman of the conversation stood there, watching them with a quirked brow and no small amount of confusion.

"Y-Your Eminence!" Her right hand cried out in surprise, bowing deep before her. "Forgive us for bothering you! I will reprimand these children right away!"

"Heeey! We didn't even do anything!"

"I swear, if you don't close your mouth, I will—"

"At ease, Chudelkin. I am not troubled in the slightest. I was merely taking a walk when I happened upon you lot," she said calmly. Chudelkin didn't seem willing to let up, but he obeyed her and nodded. "Now then," her eyes moved towards him. "What seems to be the matter? Chudelkin is rather flustered, it seems."

"Uhh," he looked to Eugeo, who just cocked his head towards the woman. "Well, we want to make a request."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah. We want to travel to Eastabarieth."

"To Eastabarieth, you say," the fact that she didn't immediately reject his request was a promising sign. If anything, she looked more curious than anything else. "Why so?"

"There's a place we want to visit. Treitis Pass. There's someone there that we want to meet, and we've got to deliver a message to them."

"I see. Well, why don't you ask for a messenger to just deliver a written letter? Much easier than travelling all the way out there."

"It's… personal," at her confusion, he continued. "Remember when we told you that we'd only go to Centoria because we needed to do something? It's related to this."

It took a while for understanding to dawn on her, those beautiful silvery eyes widening slightly. "Ahh… So you're dead set on this, then?"

Both he and Eugeo nodded back. Goblin or no, he would be a bastard to ignore his dying wishes. The least he could do was fulfil them, no matter what it took.

"Hmm. Well, I'll at least take your request into consideration," so that wasn't an immediate yes. Guess he couldn't expect it to be that easy. But it was far better than a definitive no. "But I do have something that you could help me with in the meantime. Perhaps I might consider it then. Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Well, we've only got training."

"Very well. Then tomorrow, come to floor fifty at six in the evening. Alone," both he and Eugeo blinked at that. "I expect you not to be late."

Shit. A one-on-one meeting? That didn't sound very comforting. Maybe she would use that moment to interrogate him on the details behind the meeting? That was rather concerning.

Still, this was at least an opportunity, and he'd be a fool to pass up on it. Maybe, if he played his cards right, he'd be able to get that pass from her. "Understood, ma'am."

"Good. Tomorrow it is, then."

When she left, Chudelkin reminded him to be early once more before also leaving them to their own devices. He and Eugeo opted to return to their room, stewing in relief and worry. After all, who knows what she might ask him to do tomorrow?

'But this is better than nothing. Now, I just need to mentally prepare myself for whatever comes.'

That's right. For the sake of their mission, he'll just get through whatever ordeals would come tomorrow. He's probably just overthinking things right now. Not like it'll actually be the death of him, right?

…Right?

21st day of the 6th Month – HEC, 375
Centoria – Central Cathedral, Floor 95

"It's a lovely morning, isn't it? Clear blue skies and the gentle breeze on your skin. Makes this a lovely place for teatime."

"Uhh."

She wasn't wrong. From up high like this, they got a beautiful view of the Human Empire and the wilderness beyond the walls. That each empire had distinctly different geographical details and terrain made it really insane to see all of them like this.

His attention then shifted to the pontifex, sat in front of him. She took a delicate sip from her cup, and he couldn't but feel like he was watching a work of art before his very eyes. Every single action she took and every word she spoke was immaculate.

He then looked down to the cup in front of him. He lifted it to his lips, and though the blend was a fine one, he didn't find himself enjoying it as much as he would have liked to. If anything, his mind was more plagued by a single question.

Namely, what the heck was going on?