Chapter 32

[ Ancient Technique ]

Medina blinked, pausing as she turned to look at him. She was just about to take a bite out of her cake until he spoke. "What? Kirito was called in for a meeting with Her Eminence?"

"Apparently so, yeah," the two women sitting in front of him looked back in surprise, and he simply shrugged in response. "Basically, we met Chudelkin to try and ask him if we could speak to the pontifex about something. He was adamant about denying us at first, but she gave us the clear, although apparently it turned into a one-on-one meeting…"

"A meeting with the pontifex alone… Sounds terrifying."

Well put. He still recalled the first time he met the silverette in their village. At the time, he had known that she was someone important; a person as beautiful and graceful as her, with a dragon of her very own, was certainly different than the rest.

To find out mere moments later that she was the Human Empire's ruler certainly magnified the scale of her presence, and he had felt like an ant in comparison to her.

That hasn't changed even now. If anything, he was much more aware of the aura she exuded. He almost felt like she wasn't human at times. He had to wonder if Kirito, for as casual as he manages to act around her, ever felt the same.

He supposed, in some way, it was inevitable. This is the woman overseeing the entirety of the Human Empire. They'd never dealt with a person like her. Even Uncle Gasupht back home, despite being the chieftain and all, had never felt this intimidating.

'And yet, for some reason, she seems really… friendly, towards Kirito.'

And he was sure it wasn't just his imagination going wild. It simply felt like, despite how different they were, she seemed to act a little… nicer to him. Most people would have assumed that, due to his brash attitude and their relatively awkward first meeting, she might have taken offense to him and treated him far less amicably. And yet, she seemed to take everything in stride, and seemed to favour him a bit more than others.

That could be the only explanation why she'd been willing to consider their request. Heck, that was probably why she didn't even think twice to rebuke Chudelkin's initial decision to punish the both of them. Kirito had simply won her over.

What he did, though, could only be likened to some kind of miracle—or some absurdity that only his best friend could pull off.

If there was one thing that Kirito liked to say differentiated humans from any other races, it was the fact that they were intelligent… which he was beginning to shrug off as irrelevant, considering his friend is a talking draconic spirit, and the goblins from three years ago had proven just as smart. So really, not much favour for mankind there.

But that did beg the question of what marked as intelligence in an entity. To that, he would believe it was the ability to socialize with others, which he acknowledged as a skill that almost any animal out there was just as capable of doing.

Birds, dogs, horses. Communication was simply an innate thing in every creature and person that comprised a way of living. And the first step to that was actually talking.

People often say that conversation could make or break things when dealing with another person, and he liked to think that he made for pretty good company. He was a natural chatter, and growing up in Rulid Village where everyone knew each other, he'd learnt enough social skills to comfortably call himself adequate in the matter.

As it turned out, however, that could only apply to situations where the other person was a fairly normal person. Even if they were a noble, he'd at least have some idea of how to work with them. It's just a matter of figuring out a possible topic and then starting from there.

But how does one realistically hold a conversation with the empire's ruler?

He sipped on his tea quietly, thinking if this was a mistake or something. It wasn't like they couldn't have just asked for a leave a little further down the line, but it'd already been a month. Not to say that it'd been a complete waste of time—Scheta's tutelage had helped them further refine their swordsmanship, and he felt even more confident in his ability compared to before—but he really did hope to get this matter done and dealt with already.

He recognized this as impatience, but, well… There just wasn't any particular reason to delay it either, was there? The sooner they finished this matter, the better. But that would all come down to whether or not this meeting ends up as a success or not.

'On the plus side, I got to visit this cool place. Never would've been able to otherwise.'

Maybe the pontifex frequented this floor often? He could understand why. Getting a bird eye's view of the empire's layout like this was breath-taking, and he could only imagine what it would be like to be an actual bird flying through the sky and seeing all of this down below. Fortunately, they weren't sitting too close to the edge. He could feel the nerves in his feet.

'So, starting a conversation. I'd ask her about the weather, but she took that opener. Talk about turn disadvantage.'

'I certainly think there are plenty of things to talk about besides just the weather, you know. Try asking her about her day.'

Shit, Selena was right. And there goes all his supposed claim about being a good talker. "So," he began (quickly realizing that it was such a lame starter, but whatever), setting his cup down on its platter and doing his utmost best to remain calm. "How was your day, milady? Been busy?"

"You could say that," the huff she had was more relaxed than what he expected from someone of her position. He expected more posh, for a lack of a better term. Her disposition helped him feel a little more at ease. "Granted, most of my time is spent in studying «Sacred Arts», but there's been plenty of paperwork to deal with recently."

"Sounds rough. And you'd probably have to deal with matters from all the four empires."

"Aptly put. Thankfully, things have been relatively peaceful in the realm. The only thing of any importance thus far holds some relevance to you."

"Huh?"

"Zakkaria."

Ah. The nobility issue. He distantly recalled informing her about the matter back when they first arrived in Centoria. He hadn't received any updates on the matter since then, though it was clear now that she'd been busy handling things. He supposed she was worried about the people's safety just as much as he was. "What happened?"

"The heir of the household was officially reprimanded for his actions by the emperor of Norlangarth, whom I contacted to handle the matter," she said it so easily, yet he could only imagine just how severe the outcome had been. He held back a gulp. "Evidence of his past transgressions were also brought to light, which, I must say, is rather bold of him to repeatedly commit. He must be incredibly short-sighted if he didn't think it would all come back to bite him someday."

"Hah… Yeah, you're not wrong there. Um. Thanks. For, you know. Handling it."

"I would have to, eventually. Problems like this will only fester with time, and cause strife to grow amongst the people. It'll only disrupt management, in the sense that people are more like to revolt or throw tantrums. Can you imagine how annoying that would be?" A scoff escaped her. "And that's not to mention that the nobility faction would be a pain all of its own. If you think this particular issue with that Yureas brat was bad enough, it would only get worse if the higher nobles were involved. While there wouldn't be bloodshed, you can expect a lot of stubbornness and a lot of oppression towards the commoners. Raised prices, embargos, forced closure of trade routes—all that and more."

Freaking hell. He'd been annoyed enough with the Yureas heir going around thrashing shops, but hearing all those things made him acutely aware how much more vengeful the nobles could be. Stuff like those could have a drastic impact on the local economy, and while they wouldn't suffer much, it was the common people that would be left to bleed.

His fist tightened beneath the table. Bastards. Kirito didn't begrudge them for living in the lap of luxury; they'd been bestowed that position by the pontifex and her predecessors. He just couldn't stand them abusing that power to ruin the lives of so many others, just to get whatever they wanted. It was hard enough for commoners to make a living for themselves and their families. They didn't need richer people running roughshod over them.

'A good thing that she handled the problem, then. Someone like me with absolutely no power could have done nothing. Hell, I'd probably make matters worse.'

"Well, that's all over with, so we might as well leave it there," she hummed. "And what of you, boy? How fares your time here?"

"Huh? Oh, it's been fine," he nodded back. "Honestly, I expected things to be a lot more… busy, I guess. Like, whole day crammed with training and studying. Not to say our schedule now is absolutely free, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. And everyone here's been nice to us. Things have been going fine."

"I see, I see. And your training goes well?"

"Lady Scheta doesn't hold back against us, and it helps. Shows us plenty of things that we still have to work on that we never noticed during our three-years training."

Not to say that Lady Fanatio and Charlotte's tutelage had been lacking. Far from it. Without those two, he doubted he could have held his ground against the nobleman back in Zakkaria. They had turned him and Eugeo both into skilled swordsmen.

But every individual had different teaching styles, and having exposure to many instructors helped them learn all sorts of things. Where Fanatio and Charlotte helped him master his foundations, Scheta pushed him even further to shed bad habits and pick up brand new skills and techniques.

Then again, it wasn't like he'd fixed his aggressive fighting style. Eugeo and Medina, in contrast, were more tempered and focused in their strikes, whereas he prioritized the idea of giving the opponent no breathing room by simply fighting unendingly. Mindless offense was not ideal, however. He knew that. He needed to make himself less predictable and understand just when it is necessary to slow down.

Kirito let out a quiet breath. A village boy who'd only ever known the feel of an axe in his hands, becoming a knight? It was such a fantastical thing to imagine that he almost laughed at the thought. It seemed more like a fairy tale than reality. Then again, he was sitting with the Human Empire's ruler, and that said a lot…

"So then. Let's talk about your little trip, if you may," he perked up, focusing on the silverette once more. "I didn't really get the full gist of what it is you're trying to do. Perhaps you could enlighten me on the matter."

"Well… Story ain't too complicated, but I guess I can recount it," he shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "This was three whole years ago, roughly a few days after… after Alice was arrested. A real long time ago. Not much that I can remember, but Eugeo and I met someone in the forest one night. And he was dying. Tried to save him, but we couldn't."

If Gabura could hear him now, he'd probably call him out for his bullshit. He felt a little bad for lying to her, but he couldn't really find any other way to tell the story. He did regret killing him, but if it was between him or his friends' safety, he would have done the same every single time. He'd lost Alice already. He wouldn't have allowed anyone to take Eugeo, or Selka, or any of the other kids away from him.

"He was attacked. Wolves, from the shape of the flesh wounds. Bled too much and way too quickly for us to stem the flow," he paused, fighting off the rising nausea. "Knowing he wasn't going to survive, he told us to go to Centoria and find a woman. Tell her of his passing," he met the pontifex's gaze, seeing her expression turn into curiosity. "I don't know why her, of all people, but it's likely that they knew each other for a long time. Maybe she's family. I don't know. He never got to tell us. Either way, that's why we came here."

"I see… And who is that?"

"Ophilia Grey."

"Hmm… I don't recognize the name."

He didn't blame her. She probably had more important things than to remember some worker's name. "Well, someone told us that she's a nun who works here. And that she'd been assigned to Treitis Pass, so we thought of visiting there. That's why I wanted to get your permission."

"Is that so? Well, a dying man's wishes… I can understand your desire to respect his final wishes, though there isn't any particular rush, is there? You could just wait for her to return here."

"We could," he shrugged. "Honestly, we just don't have a really good reason to rush things. We could just wait for her return. I mean, we've pretty much waited for three whole years. But we're just excited. Wanna' close the curtains on this."

"Understandable. Well, if there's nothing stopping you, I suppose you would want to get it over with."

"Yeah, something like that."

The pontifex hummed, tapping her chin with a dainty finger. Kirito took that moment to take another sip of his drink. Perhaps she was preparing to deny his request, which he understood. It just wasn't super important. Had he made it seem even more urgent, perhaps she would have agreed to it, but he knew that would have been abusing her authority. He couldn't really do that.

A part of him considered sending a letter to the… town? Village? He wasn't familiar with what Treitis Pass counted as. Anyways, he did think about sending a letter there to request for a meeting upon her return, though even he didn't know when she'd be done there.

Ultimately, there were just no issues. They could just wait it out. Wouldn't even be a hassle to do.

"Well… I suppose I don't have any particular reason not to let you go."

"…Eh? Really?"

"Certainly," at his surprised expression, she shrugged. "Both you and your friend are just trainees, so you aren't exactly strained with duty or time. Granted, you have your one-year quota to finish Scheta's little assignment, but I doubt that would be too much trouble for you, is it?"

"Ahh… That's a little too much faith on us. Lady Scheta expects us to cut a literal beam of metal with our swords," he sighed. "Talk about insane. Granted, we'll both do our best to get there, but it sure does feel like a hard job."

"Heh. Well, you've gone above and beyond before. I don't doubt that you'll be able to achieve something as measly as this," true that. There would be nothing to stop them from cutting down one single pillar if they managed everything else thus far. "Nevertheless, I shall be willing to grant your request, but on one condition."

"Yeah?"

"Of all fighters that I've met in my life, you're certainly an interesting case study. Fanatio reported to me that you actually invented a couple new techniques, did you not?"

"I doubt it. Maybe they already exist in a different style, and we just don't know of 'em."

"Perhaps, though I would love to see for myself just what you've picked up over the years. Therefore, how would you feel to a little duel? We could even do it now."

"Oh? Sure. That sounds good," any opportunity to fight another knight was a nice one. Scheta was already such an exemplary training partner, and Fanatio had been such a fantastic fighter. He would love to test himself against another person. "Who will I be fighting?"

The mysterious smile she gave him in turn did not fill him with much confidence. She didn't give him much time to think, either, as she proceeded to stand up. A couple servants a distance away promptly approached their table to take everything away. "Come with me. We shall make for the Grand Corridor."

The boy was young. Eager. Confident. And above all else, he was… refreshing.

It was hard to put it into words. He was a relatively simple person in every way possible, and that made it simple to… well, it just meant that he wasn't someone she couldn't distrust. He didn't have any nefarious secrets or plans. Every fibre of his being radiated honesty, blunt as he may be, and she appreciated that.

The only thing curious about him was that he was a child of Vector. That left her wondering if he came from a family of swordsmen, considering his odd naturality with the blade. That was the only explanation as to why he's so talented with it despite never having weld one prior to the incident.

The two took the elevating platform, descending to the fiftieth floor. The operator remained quiet all throughout. Kirito did the same, though he did occasionally look around, interested in the mechanism of the device. He even peered over the edge, perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of the resources, though there wasn't anything there.

"Hey, uhh… Man, I know you told us to call you Operator, but it's kind of weird. Don't you have another name we could use?"

"There is none. And even if I did, I've forgotten, as it has been far too long."

"Ya' see, that's weird. I don't know how the hell you managed to prolong your life until that long, but beyond a hundred years? You're being way too chill about this. That's terrifying."

"Such is how advanced the «Sacred Arts» are. And I had had my «Life» halted so that I may devote my services to the church and the people. So long as my services are required, I will always be present to help."

"«Sacred Arts», huh..? Never thought there'd be one so powerful that it could make you immortal…"

They certainly were. After all, she was the one who discovered the list of commands many years ago, in that desperate search for endless vitality. A good thing, too. Otherwise, she dreaded to imagine just what would have happened to the Human Empire without her guidance.

Honestly, it had been far too long. More than three hundred years, in fact, and she could hardly believe just how fast time had flown for her. Everything that should have felt familiar to her could no longer hold the same standard in her eyes when compared to the current modernity at hand, though… she knew there would be far greater things outside of this world.

Her glance shifted sideways. Were they still watching them? Still wondering just what were their creations doing? It left a sour taste in her tongue.

"Gah, screw it. We're coming up with a name for you. You mind if we do that?"

Kirito's voice drew her out of her thoughts. The operator considered his words for a moment. Eventually, she nodded. "Of course. That would be fine."

"Cool."

"You two seem rather friendly with one another."

The two children looked at one another. And then, the operator looked to her and nodded. "Kirito has been kind in visiting me during his downtime. He even went out of his way to buy treats from the city to share with me."

"Oh?" A grin crept onto her face. Kirito rolled his eyes in turn.

"It's the least we can do for her since she doesn't really get to leave the elevating disc all that much. Plus, we sometimes ask her about other stuff like this tower's history, the other Integrity Knights… She even taught us some moderately good «Sacred Arts»."

"It is the least I can do to return the favour I owe you."

"It's fine. Ain't even a hassle. Since we get to visit the city on our days off, we might as well grab some stuff from them."

"It is much appreciated. The treats you bring are always a delight."

She had assumed it was just the makings of her imagination, but she could hear a slight inflection of joy in her words, faint as it was. It was a stark difference from her typical personality that a part of her could not help but find amusing.

Likely the boy's influence. There was something about him that made it possible to draw out all sorts of things from other people, be it good or bad. After all, were it not for him, Fanatio would have lived her whole life behind her helmet, putting on her intimidating façade of a male knight.

Now? Well, the first time she'd opted to go without her helmet had been rather surprising. That she'd proceeded to nurture her own femininity and apply makeup on herself was doubly so.

Chuckling to herself, the three waited for the complete descent of the disc before stepping off, Kirito and the operator bidding one another farewell (and a promise from the boy to bring her something another time, eliciting a quiet yet excited look from her). They marched into the Grand Corridor, pristine as it has always been and the wonderful crystal-like murals of the three goddesses staring down upon them from the ceiling.

The footsteps accompanying her sped up a little as he tried to walk side-by-side with her. "So, Your Eminence, you still didn't tell me who I'll be fighting. Did you already arrange for someone earlier?"

She fought the urge to smirk, shrugging back. "More or less. I'd always been hoping for the opportunity to see you in action, considering how busy I've been for the past few days. Fanatio would not stop singing praise of you."

"Ehh? You're kidding, right?"

"Not at all. On the day that she returned to the cathedral and delivered her report, she was always mentioning just how much progress you and your friend had made over the years. In fact, she was of the opinion that you were a prodigy."

And honestly? She believed it. No child could have possibly gone up against an Integrity Knight, of all people. And after three whole years of training underneath one's tutelage, it stood to reason that his skill had been further polished than it ever had. Even the recent news of his duel with that nobleman's vassal had reached her ears. Many commended him for his performance.

But most of all, it was the use of an unknown technique that caught her attention.

Fanatio had reported about it to her. One of them was a double-hit variant of «Lightning Slash», which she had found strange. There was simply no other sword style that had ever invented multi-hitting techniques. The other one that he used was just as curious, as was his utilization of his own body to fight.

Truly, the boy seemed to know far more techniques than he would have ever thought possible. Or perhaps he tapped into an unknown technique that had yet been assigned a particular sword style. Now wouldn't that be interesting?

"Regardless, your duel today will be a little different than usual. After all, there aren't any knights available at the moment for me to call upon; Bercouli is patrolling Wesdarath, Fanatio's checking in on Norlangarth, and the other knights are assigned to other locations as well."

"Oh, okay. Then, uhh… who am I fighting?"

The sharp whistle of metal cutting through the air resounds across the empty corridor. The boy promptly stiffens, only to gasp at the sight of the beautiful rapier in her hand. Its almost flowery in its presentation, with an elegant and slim form that reflected the user's status. Despite its looks, however, it was powerful, and such was a weapon that she had crafted with her own two hands.

The pontifex smirks, turning back to look at him with her weapon drawn. "It would be far more interesting to see for myself just how much you've learned throughout these three years. And what better way than a duel?"

"Wha—Hold on a minute! You're asking me to fight you?"

"That is precisely it."

"I… I didn't even know you could fight."

Somehow, that comment left her feeling a little annoyed, a pout forming on her face. "Why? Do I look so dainty that I can't lift a weapon?"

"Not that. Well, a little," he admitted with a sheepish look. "You certainly don't look like the kind of person who fights physically. I mean, aren't you a master of «Sacred Arts»? I didn't think it would have been necessary for you to pick up fencing as well."

She hadn't, though throughout her years of extensive studying and training, the pontifex had never been satisfied with being good at just one thing. She strived for perfection, and what better way to prove it to herself than to achieve excellence in every single thing?

Still, there had never been an occasion where she ever needed to draw her blade. The Human Empire thrived in peace, after all, so it could have been considered unnecessary. But… well…

"Self-defense is always a good thing to pursue, regardless of your status or occupation," it was both a lie and the truth, considering that it wasn't all that important for her. "Now then, I shall have you fighting me with everything you've got. I intend to see just what is it that's awed both Fanatio and Bercouli, both of whom are easily the most capable fighters amongst the knights," Silvery Eternity was pointed towards him. Challenging him. "Can you do that?"

If he'd been hesitant in the start, she could have forgiven him. Anyone would have felt worried about fighting another person right off the bat, especially considering the gap in their skills. While her body had simply absorbed every possible techniques in the world, he was still young and inexperienced, knowing next to nothing in comparison with her wealth of knowledge and ingrained skills.

And yet, the fire of excitation was clear within his gaze, his basic sword drawn from its scabbard as he set himself into a salute. He was eager, and it was infectious, her own smile coming easily to her.

"I would be honoured for the opportunity."

"You are eager… Very good. Then let us."

Nodding, the boy settled himself into a posture, sword at the ready and eyes staring right at her. The pontifex responded in kind, cocking her arm back and letting Silvery Eternity hang parallel to the floor, light flicking off its glass-like surface. Purple eyes settled on him, waiting with bated breath for what he could possibly do.

It was a strange situation; to be dragging him into a fight simply because she'd gotten curious about him… she'd never felt this way. She'd been obsessed with chasing knowledge and power, yes, but this was a different kind of feeling. It was much less carnal. It lacked the ever-burning heat, but she wanted to know all the same.

She needed to know if the techniques he had were truly the same as—

Something swiped across the air before it lunged right at her, fast reflexes allowing her to draw her weapon in time to deflect the coming thrust. Metal screeched as sparks showered across the area, the impact reverberating across her arm making her wince a little as she stepped backwards, hoping for him to back away as well.

But Fanatio's reports spun a story of a boy who fought like no other swordsmen who'd ever existed. She described him as unorthodox at times, with an unpredictable streak in combat and a level of vigour not many others could boast of.

And she was allowed a first-hand experience of such when he continued to lunge at her, swiping for her head with a horizontal cut. She parried it with a vertical, quickly capitalizing on the opportunity to rush in with a double swing. Kirito moved faster than she could, ducking the first hit and shifting her weapon away with a quick flick of his wrist. He followed the flow and unleashed a fast «Azure Wind Slash» to push her away, only to move forwards and begin swinging at her in a rapid flurry.

There was no hesitation in his movements, let alone any signs of exhaustion. His gaze was firm and focused, almost burning her as he parried each blow and moved for every gap in her defenses. She was fortunate that he was still an amateur, but the relentless assault was clearly working in giving her no opportunity to retaliate.

Metal smashed into her weapon and forced her into a stagger. Her foot shifted backwards, yet right before she allowed herself to trip and fall, she quickly twisted her momentum into a spin before cutting at his weapon, then thrusting at his chest to force him into defense. He moved left and right to let each hit miss him, and deflecting her attacks by readjusting their trajectory by slipping the flat edge of his weapon against the tip of her rapier.

A glint in his vision allows her to catch the subtle shift in his posture, his weapon drawn back for a quick draw. True to expectation, the «Azure Wind Slash» is a fast one, and a diagonal slash from Silvery Eternity is enough to deflect it, pushing him backwards by a little and forcing his sword arm upwards.

And then it happened.

A bluish glow consumed the metal of his sword, and, judging by its position, signalled the execution of «Lightning Slash». The boy roared as he slashed down at her, and the pontifex was able to move backwards and away from the expected technique, ready to push into his defense—

And only her heightened reflexes allowed her to raise her sword in front of her to protect herself from the second swing which came so fast from the bottom, the illumination never having died from the initial swing. Her arm rattled from taking the blunt of the attack, yet all she could focus on was that single moment, frozen in her mind's eyes.

Stepping back from that failed attempt, the boy grunted. "Damn… I really did think I could have gotten you with that. You're really skilled—"

Before he could finish his sentence, the pontifex found herself marching right at him, feet padding loudly on the tiles. Her hand snatched his by the wrist. It caught him off-guard, any semblance of competitive spirit sapped away. Black eyes widened in surprise as her own bore down upon him with what she could only imagine was a visage of utter seriousness, her voice coming out firm.

"Boy, where did you learn that technique?"

"W-What? Did I do something wrong?"

"Answer the question," she hissed. "Where did you learn that secret technique from?"

"I-I made it up," he replied nervously. "Fanatio should've told you, right? The day before we left Rulid, I tried making a 'new' technique," he shook his head. "I don't know if that's true or not, but like I said, it might have existed in a different sword style before this, and we just never heard of it."

"And what made you think to try?"

"I… don't have an answer to that," the honest inflection in her tone gave her pause. "I just did it because I wanted to do something to prove that all that training meant something. And I'd thought that it was easy, but it really wasn't. And yet, it worked out in the end."

Searching his gaze, she found no semblance of deceit. As if he would have. Kirito had always been the kind of person to speak the truth in any sort of situation, blunt as he may be at times. And that hadn't changed even now.

Eventually, she released her grip, stepping back with a sigh. The boy watched her cautiously, almost timid by the way his shoulders seemed hunched, and she found herself chewing the inside of her lips with an odd swelling of guilt.

How foolish of her. Despite all his skills and accomplishments, he was just a child. Fourteen, technically, but he was still incredibly young. It made sense that he would have been intimidated. Just seeing him this way felt incredibly wrong.

"There's nothing wrong," she said, voice a little softer. "It's just… I have seen that technique before. A very, very long time ago."

"Oh? Really? So it's not something I invented. That's… kind of a bummer."

The genuine disappointment in his tone made her snort. "I can imagine," after a while, she found herself speaking almost immediately. "And I… hope you don't mind the suddenness of my curiosity. I never thought that was the technique that Fanatio had been talking of."

In truth, she was the fool for not thinking that way. Fanatio had been extremely clear in her description of the supposedly invented technique; of which that Kirito first executed «Lightning Slash» before quickly reversing the trajectory of the swing, practically pulling off two swings in a single technique's execution.

She should have known. Yet here she was, caught off-guard when she shouldn't have.

"No, it's okay. I was just... surprised."

"Right, yes. I suppose anyone would be in your situation."

"So…" She perked up. Looking back at the boy, he seemed curious as well now. "What technique is it? And what sword style is that, Your Eminence? The one that this technique came from?"

For a moment, she found herself clamming up, unwilling to let the words slip through. This felt familiar, reminding her of countless moments in her life when countless others had approached her with the same question. Driven either by desire to grow stronger or simply to amass all techniques in the world, they would continue to seek the answer from her, for the sword style had faded with the passing of time.

And every single time she was asked, she would refuse. It was an ugly feeling that she recognized as a possessive streak. It always demanded her to reject their question, for what reason would they need to know of it? They had done nothing to earn that right.

But looking at him now, and duelling him mere moments ago, and seeing that technique…

The pontifex—no, Quinella—released a shaky breath. She warred with herself, wondering if it would be right to even tell him. He seemed like the kind of person who would have been okay with being denied the answer, yet the thought of such felt shameful. And if he was still here, she knew what she would have told him.

Silver eyes stared into black ones.

"It is «Vertical Arc», belonging to the Aincrad style; the sword style invented by my mentor."

Author's Notes:

Wowee, haven't been writing in some time. Talk about busy.

I miss this story. I was agonizing over how long I hadn't touched it, so to come back to it feels so nice. Literally the best feeling in the world; publishing a story before I can head to bed, which seems like an odd take, lmao. But hey, to each our own.

Also, Sword Art Online getting a new season for GGO and a new videogame? Talk about nuts.