Chapter 33

[ Ancient Style ]

'Kirito is back.'

'Oh, Selena. Welcome back—'

The door creaked open as the knob was twisted, his brother walking in. Eugeo had half a mind to tease him on the fact that their meeting had taken so long. In fact, it was already evening by now, so there was no knowing what he'd been up to. That he'd been with the pontifex might have been seen as a scandal to some, but he had a feeling she'd just been driving him around like a slave.

His greeting died in his throat upon noticing the troubled expression on his face, however, and Eugeo was quick to stand up and approach him. "Kirito, hey. Is everything okay?"

"Ah… I'm not sure."

Could be good, could be terrible. It was the uncertainty that needed to be addressed. Eugeo went over to prepare some drinks for the both of them, seated at the table with his friend opposite of him, who took a cup with a quiet word of thanks before sipping at his drink.

It took a bit of time, though when he was finally ready, he started it off with the worst thing he could have possibly said: "I may or may not have accidentally pissed off the pontifex."

"Wha—How?"

"I don't know!" He cried out, somehow managing to slowly lower his cup on the platter and not drop it on the floor. "We were having tea, then we had a duel, and suddenly things just got really awkward."

Eugeo blinked. That was a whole lot of things said without context, but there was one thing there that stood out. "Wait. A duel?"

'To properly explain the situation, the pontifex was curious of the «Secret Techniques» Kirito had supposedly invented during your three-years training in Rulid,' ah, right. He wasn't surprised that she might have taken an interest in that. Never-before-seen techniques? Anyone would want to know. 'But, as it turned out, these techniques have existed before.'

"Eh? Really?"

'Mmhm. As she described it, they are techniques belonging to the Aincrad style, which was invented by her mentor.'

His eyes widened at that. Someone else had invented these techniques? And it was her mentor who had done so? It was equally fascinating and confusing, the latter because, seeing that this was a style made by the pontifex's mentor, would it not make sense that it would have become popularized? Or, at the very least, they'd heard it before?

"It's because she was trying to keep it a secret," Kirito's words had him perking up. "I tried asking her why, and she got upset. I didn't try asking again afterwards."

'It seems personal,' Selena hummed. 'But she's preserved the style. At least, she might have, considering how she's recognized the techniques that Kirito has used.'

"«Snake Bite», «Vertical Arc», and «Senda»."

"Which ones are those?"

"The first one's when my sword turns purple and hits twice. The second one is the one I pulled off the day before we left Rulid. And «Senda» is the uppercut."

All incredibly unique compared to every formal technique that's ever existed, which only spoke volumes about the one who created this style. Rather than conform to the idea of beautiful single blow, he'd gone above and beyond to invent techniques that went against every concept of normality; techniques with more than a single hit, techniques that made use of his very body…

He was a noble of a completely different breed. An unorthodox fighter who understood that what really mattered was using everything at his disposal to best his opponent. He sounded amazing.

Which made it even stranger that they'd never heard of the style before. Had the pontifex really kept it hidden from the rest of the world? If so, there must have been some reason there. Whatever it was, he doubted they would ever find out, lest she decided to admit the truth; and judging by her reaction to Kirito's question, they likely never will know.

"So… what now?"

"I don't know," Kirito muttered. "After that duel, she just told me to leave. I tried apologizing, but she kept waving me off," he winced. "I sure messed up there, it seems."

'Nonsense. The pontifex must have known that you didn't intend any harm with your questions,' the dragoness consoled gently. 'She had said so, did she not? She was shocked to see someone use a technique from a style she thought no one would discover.'

"Do you think she'll bar me from using those techniques from here on out?"

"That would be a little unfair."

"Well, yeah, but there's always the other sword styles. She might have me refrain from using those techniques from the Aincrad Style and just use the others."

'That would be such a shame. The Aincrad style is so unique, and taking away the opportunity to use it would be incredibly disappointing.'

"More than that, I hope she doesn't try to kick you out of the church or anything. I have a feeling that things would be pretty bad for you if it ends up happening."

"I don't care if it ruins my image. You know I don't give two cares about it. But if it ends up causing trouble for Rulid…" Kirito's expression became troubled once more. "Shit… I don't know what I should do."

Silently, Eugeo got off the couch and moved to sit beside his best friend. He threw his arm around his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "It'll be okay," he said softly. "I'm sure that nothing will change from this. And if anything does happen… I'll be right there with you," he nodded. "Even if she kicks you out of the church, I'll go with you."

"What? But you don't have to—"

"We know where Ophilia is. We have no other reason to stay here. We could just leave for Treitis Pass and not worry about anything else."

"But still. Rulid…"

"Then that will be another problem we'll just have to deal with when the time comes," he sighed. "Hopefully, things won't come to that. But worrying about every single possibility won't help us. We just need to do what we can for the things we can fix or avert."

"I… I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Kirito. You didn't do anything wrong."

Neither of them spoke for a while afterwards, simply taking comfort in one another's presence. It reminded him of that day after Alice was taken away from them, and they'd been forced to face the reality of the moment, with Sulinea coming in later to hug the both of them.

Sometimes, a good hug and a quiet moment was all one needed to take their mind off of things. Kirito desperately needed one. And if he could be the person to give him that, then he was ready to lend his shoulder anytime.

After all, his brother had saved his life. His brothers'. Their friends'. This was the least he could do for him.

22nd day of the 6th Month – HEC, 375
Centoria – Central Cathedral, Floor 28

The morning started off on a sobering note. At least, that was how Kirito felt it, as both he and his brother got up early, had their bath, and a quiet breakfast with Charlotte and Medina—both of them tried asking what was wrong, though they waved off their concerns every time, citing a bad night's sleep behind their lack of energy. Neither of them believed them in the slightest, but they opted to drop it once they made it clear that they weren't budging.

Afterwards, the three trainees parted ways with the raven-haired woman and headed for their training. The boys shared a level of trepidation with every step that took them to the twenty-eighth floor, and it took everything he had not to run away.

'It's fine, boys. I'm sure nothing bad will happen.'

'Yet, Selena. You forgot that part.'

'Kirito…'

'Right. Everything will be fine,' despite his words, he didn't seem to trust himself very much. Still, Eugeo's insistence on maintaining his positivity was respected. 'Remember. Whatever happens, we face it together. Alright?'

'Yeah… I hear you.'

When they arrived, it was to the sight of Lady Scheta polishing her weapon, looking listless as ever. He quickly scanned the room, trying to catch a glimpse of silver hair—or even a multitude of colours belonging to her… he forgot what position Chudelkin held in the cathedral, but he was probably someone really important if she trusted him to oversee the church's proceedings.

Neither of them were here, which was both a good thing and a cause for concern. It was just a delay for what was inevitably going to be his doom, and he sure hoped that it wouldn't ruin his or his family's life back home. He really needed to make sure nothing of the sort ever came to fruition.

Standing before the knightess, they waited for her to be done before she was finally satisfied, discarding the rag and sheathing her weapon once more. Her eyes met theirs. "Everyone. Hopefully, you've had a good breakfast."

"We did, ma'am."

Medina was the only one who verbally responded, while the two boys just nodded. Scheta hummed, but continued nonetheless. "Right. Now then, before we begin with our training, I was requested to bring to your attention an upcoming tournament in the middle of next month."

The three trainees exchanged glances, then looked back at the knightess. "Where is it being hosted at?"

"Here, actually. In the twenty-fourth of the next month, Zakkaria seeks to hold a swordsmanship tournament for trainees and amateurs for anyone interested."

Huh. That sounded nice. A little surprising, considering how they'll be hosting the annual Zakkaria tournament two months from now. Maybe it's like an opportunity for rookies to test themselves against other fighters before buckling down for the real deal the month afterwards. A mock exam of sorts.

Honestly, he would have thought to sign up for the annual tournament, just to get some practical experience against other swordsmen. Unfortunately, the tournament served to make its victors temporary guards of Zakkaria for a period of time. Afterwards, they would be allowed to attend the Swords Mastery Academy in Centoria for a chance to really show their stuff and be enlisted as a knight.

Which meant that it was completely unnecessary for them, since they're already trainee knights. Plus, they'd be taking away other people's chances of making a name for themselves. But to know that there was still an upcoming tournament that they could participate in was rather enticing.

"Now then, if any of you intend to take part as competitors, you may. In fact, it is encouraged that you do so, if only to test yourselves and gauge the progress you have made during your time spent here."

"That would be nice…" He hummed. "And a little worrisome. There'd be a little pressure on our part. After all, we'd be representing the church."

"You needn't worry about that. You'll register anonymously, ensuring that your connection to the church wouldn't be made public."

Then that was even more reason to go for it. Hell, there'd be little opportunity to find random opponents as they could now, where countless people would head to Zakkaria for this singular opportunity.

It didn't take long for him to come to his own conclusion, nodding back with an eager grin. "Honestly, that sounds pretty good. Sign me up!"

"I would like to as well," Eugeo said with a smile of his own. "While our training with you has been fruitful, Lady Scheta, it would also be nice if we could find new opponents to test our skills against. It would be a good way for us to evaluate our growth and figure out any other areas where we'll have to improve on."

"Indeed! Any opportunity to polish our craft should not be missed," Medina agreed, proving to be the most enthusiastic one of the three. "Please, Lady Scheta. Allow us to participate in this upcoming tournament. We will prove to you that we've grown aplenty since the beginning of our training!"

While there was still much that they were lacking in, that didn't mean they should shy away from the challenge. It was opportunity for discovery and growth, and the knightess recognized that, for the momentary glimmer of satisfaction in her gaze gave away her feelings on the matter.

Eventually, she nodded, pleased. "Very well. Then for the rest of the month, I suggest you devote yourselves to your training with focus. Though the public would not know of you representing the church, you will bear much of our hopes and expectations. Do your best to see them properly fulfilled."

"Understood!"

For the rest of the day, they resumed with their training, sticking to their typical routines and doing their best to master their fundamentals and their techniques. While this upcoming tournament might not be as heated as the official one coming the month after, that was no reason to slack off, and he would be disappointed in himself if he ended up half-assing things and losing in the first round.

Still, for as much as he tried to focus on the training, his head was a little in the clouds, still hoping that the pontifex wasn't too upset with him. Knowing her, she would do something ridiculous like… who knows? Turning him into a tea cup platter as a punishment.

…Look, he recognizes how silly that sounded compared to straight up execution, but this was the same place where a girl had her «Life» frozen for a hundred years.

Not saying that he completely believed in the elevator operator's claims, but she didn't strike him as the kind of person who would fabricate these kind of stories just to make herself more popular or anything. Either that, or she had her memories replaced or something. There was just too many alternatives to just that.

But if she did have her «Life» permanently frozen, then he could only imagine just what the current pontifex was capable of. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to find out any time soon.

"A tournament, you say? How interesting."

"Yeah. Lady Scheta thinks it's a good opportunity for us to see just how much we've learnt over the month. We'll be giving it our all by then."

An amused chuckle slipped from their teacher's lips. "Knowing the three of you, I have full belief in those words."

"Easy to say that now. We haven't met the competition yet."

"Considering how it's just a mock tournament before the real thing, I highly doubt anyone there will be performing at their best. Granted, that's obviously not reason to take it lightly, but you needn't stress over it either," she hummed back. "Will there be any reward for it?"

"From what Lady Scheta told us, the winner's allowed to take back a prize of their choosing; funds with a choosing of a sword sheathe or armour."

Not the most eye-catching rewards, but he was pretty sure no one came into this with the expectation of getting a reward. Everyone's probably looking forward to a good fight and a good read on possible future opponents, so that's that.

The biggest concern was as to whether or not that would be drawing attention towards themselves. And if people realize that they were already connected to the church, they'd probably get a lot of negative reception from the public.

But hey? If they had anyone to pick a bone with, then Lady Scheta was all ears.

And look, he wasn't trying to throw his mentor under the carriage, but he liked to think that she was a responsible adult willing to look after their wellbeing. And he would continue to believe in that goodwill of hers until the very end.

"So, what will the three of you be working on?"

"The typical. There's not much else to switch up, and we would be barred from using «Sacred Arts» in a match, so no point in studying those," which was a real shame since they were pretty fascinating and could help a lot in a fight, but he supposed the nobility were too focused on the 'beauty of swordsmanship' to care about practicality. "How 'bout you, Charlotte? Anything you've got going on for you?"

"Personal business like the usual, and carrying out favours for the pontifex."

Ah, right. Charlotte was an interesting case, since she's technically not affiliated with the church like the rest of them were. But she sort of was, in a way, since she's accompanying them and was offered shelter here in the cathedral.

In return, she would be given jobs by the pontifex. So far, they mostly involved her travelling to various parts of the empires to gather info about the nobles, wildlife activity and monitor the state of things as a whole. It was a tiring job, and she would often be missing for days, though she certainly worked quick since she could be at Rulid Village one day and be back in the cathedral the next.

Often times has he worried about her health, urging her not to push herself too hard. And yet, backing up her claims that she was fine, she always did look healthier than she had any right to. He had never once caught her looking exhausted, which was a little annoying and awe-inspiring. Guess he had to work harder to reach that same level of stamina.

A poke to his cheek snapped him out of his thoughts. Eugeo, the culprit, sat beside him with a grin. "Lost in the clouds again?"

"Like usual," he shrugged back, digging into his mushroom stew once more. A little lacking in mushrooms, if he had to admit, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. "So, I was thinking. Since there's a tournament coming up, do you guys think I should buy a proper sword in the meantime?"

"A fair question. It must be difficult using only the training sword that the church provides."

"Honestly, it's not that bad. But compared to the Blue Rose Sword or the Sword of Orthinanos, it does kind of stick not having my very own weapon."

"Maybe ask the pontifex if you could borrow something from the treasury?"

'Bruh, you serious right now? With her current mood, do you really think she'd be willing to entertain my request?'

'You haven't even tried. You can't exactly make an assumption when you haven't tried yet.'

'Easy for you to say! Why don't you try asking her, then?'

'Clearly, I won't. Just man up and do it.'

'I am plenty man! And I'm man enough to recognize where hell hath no fury like a woman scorned—and the pontifex is pretty scorned already, so I ain't taking my chances.'

'Pfft. Talk about disappointing.'

'What did you say?!'

While the two boys glared at one another and bickered in their mind, Medina looked to Charlotte with a questioning gaze. "Are they having a staring fight?"

The woman, already knowing of the truth and far too used to these little moments shared between the two boys, simply grinned with a knowing look. "It's just two boys being boys. Leave them to it."

While she was a little confused by the statement, and almost ready to intervene on the off-chance that their argument would have turned a little more heated, they were quickly interrupted by the presence of a new voice.

"Brats!" A shrill cry filled the room, drawing all eyes to their table. "You have been summoned to the Grand Corridor! Be there in five minutes!"

"What?" Blinking, the ravenette looked down to find Chudelkin staring at them with his pudgy face, looking a little too pleased. Oh no. "Are we in trouble?"

"Ohoho, wise of you to recognize the position you are in!" He chortled heartily, taking a little too much pleasure in his misery. "You shan't waste Her Eminence's time, do you hear? Make haste, now!"

Eugeo raised his hand. "Does that involve me as well?"

Chudelkin looked at him, quirked a brow, then tried to shrug. Chubby as he was, the gesture looked a little… off, though he refrained from saying a word. "Sure, why not. Just get going!"

Quickly shovelling the rest of his stew down his gullet and wiping his lips off with a napkin, the boys bade the girls farewell before quickly chasing after the clown, climbing the stairs as quickly as possible. Alas, covering forty floors in five minutes was simply unrealistic, so all he could do was hope that the pontifex wouldn't be too cross with them by the time they arrived.

Counting down the time to an appropriate seven minutes or so, they finally reached their destination, standing outside of the grand doors. Both boys were panting a little and legs cramped but no worse for wear. In comparison, Chudelkin wheezed like a man who'd just gone through a marathon in the desert, practically collapsed on the floor as he tried to catch his breath.

"J-Just..! Go in..!"

"Uhh… Sure thing. Take care, Chudelkin."

The guy didn't even bother giving them a reply, too busy trying to regain his composure. The two took that opportunity to enter the corridor, spotting the pontifex a fair distance away holding something in her hands. They hurried towards her position. She regarded them with a quirked brow upon their arrival.

"Well, you two certainly look like you were pushed through the ringer. Had you been running?"

"Chudelkin… told us you needed us in five minutes."

"…Hmm. Well, sure. I suppose I did," she shrugged, a little too easily for his tastes. "Nevertheless, now that you're here, let us begin. You know why you're here, correct?"

Kirito tried his best not to wince, but he probably failed in that regard when she turned to face him. "Yeah… I know. And I'm sorry," he quickly added before she could speak up again. "You told me that you wanted your mentor's style kept a secret, and I accidentally picked up a few techniques from it. I even used a few of them out in public, so plenty of people already found out. But I swear, it wasn't on purpose!"

Had he known, he would have just stuck to the techniques from the other styles. After all, he knew how to use «Lightning Slash» and «Azure Wind Slash»… which wasn't a lot, but there were a couple more techniques that he could have used too! He would have been able to keep it a hidden secret.

It was personal to her. She'd been trying to keep it hidden for as long as she could have. And he'd gone ahead and ruined her efforts.

"I… know my apologies aren't enough. So I'll do my best to fix my mistakes. It doesn't matter what it is; I'll do whatever it takes to make up for everything."

The pontifex's expression was unreadable at first, schooled into a calm expression that gave away absolutely nothing. It was almost nerve-racking, trying to imagine what sort of punishment she was thinking up of giving him. Nothing short of humiliating, he bet.

Eventually, a sigh was expelled, her head shaking in slow motions. "Honestly… I brought you here not so you can speak about that, though it's somewhat related to my mentor's teachings. But no, I'm not upset."

"Eh? You're not?"

"Indeed. What made you think I was?"

"I mean, I did ask about your mentor's style even though you made it clear you didn't want to talk about it. And about me using it in public…"

"Well, no one even knows of the existence of my mentor's style, so no one would really bat an eye," the flippancy behind her response had him gawking. Beside him, Eugeo (and Selena in their minds) sighed in relief. "It's fine, boy. There's nothing that can be done about it. If anything, I think it'd be better if you go on using my mentor's style."

"You… what? Really?"

"Truth be told… it's unpleasant to see my mentor's style being advertised so openly as you are doing. I've been doing my utmost best to keep it under wraps for years, yet here you are, using it willy-nilly," she sighed again. "But again, that's not your fault. You know absolutely nothing about the circumstances, and forcing you to drop using my mentor's techniques… well, he'd be short with me if he ever knew."

Her eyes looked away, seemingly lost in memories. As if she was reliving a time long past, spent in the company of the man she once considered her mentor and best friend, just like Charlotte and Fanatio were to him and Eugeo.

"He always did believe that good things were meant to be shared with other people. Food, knowledge, clothes… It didn't matter. He'd just say that it would do so much good when given to the world rather than be locked up behind walls."

"He sounds amazing."

"He is," the quick agreement caught them both by surprise, more so the happy smile on her face. "Nary a person would I ever think to compare to him, for his way of looking at the world and his insistence on doing good for others makes him a saint above all. Heh. Even if he tries to play it off, that is. He's far too modest, I tell you. If only he could just have some pride in himself."

She was being way chattier than she'd ever been. And her tone had grown a little more energetic, shoulders untensed. This person must have been someone more than just a mentor to her. Perhaps her best friend, in some way.

He felt happy for her. Somehow, knowing that the pontifex, though the strongest person in the Human Empire, was almost similar to him—in the sense that he had someone he trusted with his own life—was a comfort to him.

"And that's why…" She took a deep breath. "I think my mentor would have loved it if you children would continue his legacy, and pursue his teachings in my stead."

"Wait, what?" The two exchanged glances, equally shocked at her words. "Are you sure?"

"I am still hesitant. But I must respect his wishes above all, and seeing how compatible you already are with his style, I might as well make sure that the Aincrad style finds suitable inheritors. And there are fewer people I would trust than my knights… and you two."

The honesty in her tone left him clamping up, feeling pride swell in his breast. To think that the pontifex believed in them that much was… well, it meant a lot more than he would have expected, and made full certain that there was no reason to reject her offer when she was clearly trying to do her best to see it happen.

"…Okay," Kirito said, softly. "We promise you. We'll do your mentor proud."

"Knowing the two of you, you might as well have already," she chuckled softly. "I was a poor learner of close combat in my time. And yet, he was never critical of my performance. Rather, he opted for motivation and reassurance, telling me over and over again that I can improve even when I fail. And when I do make a breakthrough in my training, he would always be at the ready to praise me," her eyes fell shut. "I… miss him dearly."

"Milady…"

Judging by that sombre tone, her mentor must not have lived long. There was no knowing whether they'd been the same age or not, but by the rule of assumption, he must have been older than her. And somehow, he must have passed away—either by old age or an injury he suffered in a fight.

He could only imagine how that must be for her. To pick up such a role and to lose a friend in the process… it was disheartening. Not only did she have to deal with the stress of the weight of her responsibilities, but also the loss of her friend.

"But he would have wanted me to move on… In fact, he told me just that; while he was on death's door, he told me that I had to live on and do my best to serve the people. That that would have been the only way I could have possibly repaid all that he had done for him."

"And from what you've told us about him, I have a feeling he's already proud of you. You've more than repaid him for all his deeds," Kirito said, assured. "Plus, so long as one person continues to remember them, then they're never gone. He's never gone as long as you remember him, milady. That much, I'm certain."

For a moment, everyone went quiet at his words, surprised all around. Even he was taken aback by the sheer passion in his voice.

But it was simply what he felt was the truth. That the pontifex had continued living her life the way her mentor had taught him, it simply meant that he'd succeeded in what he set out to do; to pass down his knowledge and wisdom to at least one person, who could then help much more people.

And sure, one might believe that he despised her for what the church had done to Alice. But… well, for every life lost, how many more had she saved? He didn't know.

'But is it really fair? Even if takes one life to save a million more, was that truly right?'

Had it happened to someone else—someone he probably didn't even know—he might have been appalled. But he just couldn't see a world where he would have borne hatred for the Axiom Church and its followers. Hypocritical of him now, considering how it took losing his best friend to feel this way towards them.

But again, there was nothing he could do now. That was just the way things are, and they were simply an unfortunate bunch that had the cards dealt against them. All they could do now was continue living, make sure Alice's sacrifice was not in vain, and make sure no one else had to suffer the same fate as she did…

A snort broke his thoughts, a shaky breath at first before the person erupted into a giggling fit that caught him off-guard. Every fibre of seriousness was stripped away, and it looked like she was struggling to keep herself under control, hugging her sides.

The pontifex had always been otherworldly, both in her appearance and the aura she exuded. Even though she'd repeated over and over again that she was as human as the rest of them, he'd felt the sheer difference in their existences because of the power she held and the years' worth of experience that they had against one another.

Just by that, it made her someone so distant from them. That, even though she was physically close by, he couldn't find himself comfortable in the slightest being in her presence, too afraid to even look at her.

But here in this moment, with that smile of hers that stole his breath away, looking far more human than she ever had…

She looked unfathomably beautiful, and nothing could have possibly beaten that.

"Goodness! For a child, you are certainly smart with your words," she teased, grinning at him. "Just like my mentor years ago, who was far too suave for his own words. It seems you have inherited far more than just his techniques."

"I don't think I did. Heck, I never even met the guy before!"

"Some things are just picked up and we never know until it happens," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh… I needed that. You have my thanks for that," he shrugged back, uncertain of what to say to that. "Well, it's time I give you this. Come, take this from me."

Finally revealing the object she'd been hiding behind her back from earlier, it was a leather-clad journal that looked incredibly old. The crinkly paper bookmarks peeking out from each page, the yellowing of the pages, the thin layer of dust upon the surface despite the fact that she'd tried to brush it off.

It was old, but it looked well-maintained. Perhaps a person's diary that must have belonged to a person from a long time ago. He couldn't imagine the pontifex keeping a diary of her own, but maybe it was. That would be cool. And a little concerning. Isn't that a little too private?

Eventually, she approached him, then held it out to him.

Kirito blinked at the book, looking up to meet her gaze. "Go on. Take it."

Obeying her words, he grasped the book gently, feeling some resistance when he tried to pull the book out of her grasp. There was a quiet hesitation there, but before he could think to let go of it first, she grasped his hands and kept his fingers over the book, then slowly retreated her own. They were shaky, but she quickly hid them behind her back.

While Kirito knew she wanted them to have it, he wasn't keen on disrespecting her wishes. "You can keep it if you want to."

"I do, but… well, it's been kept away for long enough. It's nigh time that it finds new owners who would make better use of its contents than I ever could," she said. "It's the journal my mentor wrote many years ago, comprising every single «Secret Technique» he invented for the Aincrad style," her words made the both of them gasp. "And it's an endless list in there. Beyond mere sword skills, there are even those for other weapons like halberds, maces and katanas."

"He can use that many weapons?!" Eugeo cried out. Even Kirito was surprised. While the guy knew how to use martial arts, he didn't expect the guy to know that many weapons!

"Hah, not at all. While he was strictly a swordsman, he did understand the fundamentals behind each weapon, so he was able to invent several techniques for them. Even martial skills, of which you have apparently used one before," she nodded to the both of them. "Seeing that you've become accustomed to my mentor's style of swordsmanship, I might as well gift this to you boys in hopes of you making it your own."

She was giving them the same book her mentor had once written, filled to the brim with all kinds of sword skills that were practically unseen in this realm. She had given them her blessing to pursue her mentor's style. The realization of such filled him with indescribable glee, hands practically shaking.

He wanted to refuse her, but for the excitement bubbling deep down (and knowing that she would have been adamant in him keeping it), the boy quickly bowed, Eugeo doing the same. "Thank you, Your Eminence! We'll take good care of this book and learn everything this book's got to offer!"

"Hmph. Well, if it makes you a better fighter, then by all means."

"We will," he nodded back. He looked at Eugeo, who shared the same level of enthusiasm as he did. "You won't regret it. In fact, there's a tournament next month. Lady Scheta told us about it, and the three of us—Medina included—will be taking part in it. Watch us," he said, confident in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. "By then, we'll show you just how much better as swordsmen we'd become by then."

"Is that so? Hmm… I look forward to it," she smiled again, softer than it had been. "I really do."

Author's Notes:

One final update for a little while because I got really into it. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I've got exams, so wish me luck!

No joke, can't wait for it to be over with so I can go back to writing. I'm doing so much to refrain from falling into the rabbit hole of writing and rewriting three chapters just because it's too much fun.