Chapter 34

[ A Test of One's Mettle ]

24th day of the 7th Month – HEC, 375

Norlangarth – The road between Centoria and Zakkaria

Returning to Zakkaria felt like such a fever dream. It felt like so long ago since they'd been here, caught up in a horrible situation that he'd remembered feeling powerless in dealing with, though perhaps things might have improved after their intervention.

Or gotten worse. The idea that that could happen worried him, but Charlotte had always assured him that Zakkaria wasn't his problem to deal with. It was the duty of the ruling nobles to establish order and peace in their own home, and if it took a single boy bringing a fight to the troublemaker to actually make them take action, then it would have only reflected poorly on them.

It would still make them look bad, though. Especially with how out-in-the-open that prick had gone about causing all the chaos in the world. Hopefully, all the store owners would be reimbursed for all their troubles.

"So, tell us again what this tournament's like, Charlotte."

"It's just a tournament in name. In all truths, it's merely a gathering of fledgling swordsmen looking to hone their skills against one another. Some use it as an evaluation to determine whether they are prepared for the official tournament in the coming month, or to realize that here was much more improvement that needed to be done before they could even consider participating."

Sounded rough, but necessary. There were always bound to be a couple of talented fighters, and that meant everyone had to pick up the slack to really stand out. He and Eugeo were fortunate in having Fanatio and Charlotte as their mentors over the years, and he felt that Medina might have benefitted from her own training back home and in the cathedral.

Still, the thought of facing all these opponents was rather exciting. This would all just be friendly sparring (at least, he hoped so). No worries about bloodshed or getting punished or whatever. It sounded incredible!

'Still, we just gotta' be careful not to take anyone lightly. Need to give it our all.'

'I'm certain you three will do fine. Your time with Scheta has only made you better.'

'But will it be enough? Guess we'll find out soon.'

Funded by the church themselves, they travelled to Zakkaria in a carriage, where the four of them sat together and simply chattered amongst themselves as they waited. Kirito got the opportunity to enjoy the view outside, the sound of clattering hooves against rock and gravel blending with the soft winds blowing across the plains. The sky was a dark hue, though with the sun peeking from beyond the bordering mountains, red and yellow melted into the sky like a cracked egg yolk, promising daylight.

They'd departed early this time, wanting to catch the mock tournament early just in case. That had been a little difficult; neither he nor Eugeo were particularly the earliest of risers, after all, but Selena came in clutch and managed to wake the both of them up, convening with Charlotte and Medina in the mess hall for a light breakfast before finally setting off.

His eyes fell to his sword, left in its sheathe and resting against the door of the carriage. It was a shame that his personal sword was still in the process of being made, but there was nothing to be done about it. And he wasn't going to borrow Eugeo's blade for any of the matches; he'll just have to make do with what he had.

He's been doing it all this while. He's sure he can manage it. After all, they were just fighting trainees. What could go wrong?

…Now that he thought about it, he might have just doomed himself to a terrible fate. That was concerning.

Sighing to himself, he leaned his head against the padded couch and closed his eyes. There was no catching sleep on a ride as bumpy as the one they were on, but ah well. Beggars can't be choosers.

Zakkaria was no less different than the last time they'd seen it, which still felt so long ago. Red here, red there; it was red almost everywhere, and Kirito was a little grateful that, despite Medina's hair and outfit colour scheme more or less the same as Zakkaria's, hers leaned more into the vermillion side of things, which helped set her apart from the rest of the townsfolk.

There were also plenty of people that he certainly didn't recognize as being Norlangarthan roaming the streets. Either visitors or competitors. Quite a number of them had their weapons on their persons, which definitely told them their reason for coming here, and it was just so cool to see so many people of varying walks of life being in just this one place.

And, more importantly, to cater to the massive influx of people for today, plenty of businesses were taking the opportunity to make a good sale. Countless food stalls lined the streets, the smell of frying meat and fresh fruit juice wafting deliciously in the air and leaving him to gulp loudly.

"Come now, you've had breakfast already. And you wouldn't want to get sick from eating too much."

"But it smells so good! Please, Charlotte, just a little?"

The woman rolled her eyes, though her smile betrayed her supposed annoyance. "Very well. If you truly wish to, then we may as well partake in the food here before your fights."

"Yes!"

"But again, I highly recommend that you do not buy too much. You wouldn't want to get sick before the battles and be forced to sit them out simply because your stomach is in disagreement with you."

"Don't worry, we'll be careful—Medina, look, there's a candied apple store!"

"Eh? Where?!"

Ignoring the older ravenette and rushing to the nearest stall where all sorts of candies and sweets were on display, he promptly ordered four sticks for himself and the rest of their group, his female companion looking equally excited. The handler chuckled at them, preparing them a paper bag and their sticks of apples.

"Y'all here to watch the fights?"

"Nope. We're participating."

"Ohh? You look pretty scrawny, kid. Though, with the sword at your hip, I suppose I shouldn't be too quick to judge you, eh?"

"Naw, you got the right of it. I'm definitely on the skinnier side. But I'll bulk up someday, for certain!"

"Hah! Good to hear. Grow hearty and healthy, boy, and show 'em what ya' got!"

They visited a few more stalls after that, bouncing between more sweets, sampling some local meat cuisines, and even trying out some spicy kebab from the southern kingdom. Eugeo, for his insistence on them heeding Charlotte's advice, joined him on their escapades all the same, and he liked to think all of them were very much enjoying their time eating.

And look, it wasn't like they were strapped for time. As far as he was concerned, they had like an hour or so before the fights truly began. And it wasn't like people would be called up to the stage to fight; anyone looking to participate just needed to register, and then match up with their opponent after a fight was concluded. It was mostly a first come, first served basis. Whoever showed up quick could have as many fights as they wanted.

Personally, he wanted to test his strength against as many opponents as possible. It would give him a better sense of how far he'd improved during his time in the cathedral. Plus, every single person was bound to fight differently. Getting exposure to all that would be nice.

'And we need to prove to the pontifex that we have what it takes to keep our place in the knighthood.'

There was no knowing whether or not she'd be able to come down to watch. Probably not. He'd accepted that possibility, knowing just how busy she was with her work. Maybe Charlotte would write a report for her to read? If so, then he'd best give her nothing but great remarks to pass on!

Once they were done eating and relieving themselves, they headed to the arena and found a place to sit. Kirito could already see a couple of people idling by, itching to get down there and fight. Men and women of a multitude of ages, though more or less in the same age group as him and Eugeo (Medina was an outlier in that sense, being much younger than the both of them by two years). Swordsmen, fencers—and was that a person wielding a cutlass? Fascinating. He'd never seen anyone use that weapon in a fight before. The techniques he could potentially use might differ somewhat from a traditional sword, prioritizing curved slashes over thrusts, so it would be easy to force him to overextend himself and find an opening to punish.

The fact that he'd automatically began examining his potential opponents pleased him quite a bit. It told him that he was taking all of this seriously, and that he was already figuring out ways to best his opponents in a fight. A critical mind was necessary for victory, after all, and Scheta had taught him much on that.

'Learning to read your opponent, then to predict their possible fighting style and movement, will grant you a massive boon in your fight. It will allow you to dictate the flow of the battle, and find weak points that would ascertain your immediate victory if you can pounce on them.'

Basically, know your enemy, figure out how they fight, then beat them in timely fashion. No pressure there.

Someone tapped his elbow, drawing his gaze over to Medina. "Sorry Kirito. I wanted to ask you earlier but I sort of forgot, but are you fine with using the practice sword for the fights?"

"Hmm? Oh, don't worry. I think I'll manage well enough with it," he sighed. "It's kind of a shame that I don't have my own sword, but that's being worked on at the moment. Guess I'll just wait for a year before I can finally pick it up."

"I see… Well, I suppose there's no need to worry. You're already so talented in a fight, I know you'll do fine either way!"

Her level of confidence in him made him smile appreciatively. "Thank you, Medina. I mean, I won't know how I'll end up doing until I get down there, but if I perform like dog water, I'd only be bringing shame to Lady Scheta. Can't be doing that now, can I?"

"Kirito, stop teaching Medina all these terrible phrases."

"Dog water is not even a curse! If anything, it's far preferable to me saying fuuuuuudge."

The other two glared at him, Medina blinking curiously at him. He sweat-dropped, looking away and hoping they'd let him get away with that.

After some time, with the tournament seats being filled with more people, though certainly not to full capacity as the official tournament might be, he noticed a couple of the fighters heading outside. Probably to register for their fights. Not even five minutes later, the first two took their place on the battle grounds, greeting one another before drawing their swords.

That had him perking up almost immediately. "Guys, watch. It's about to start."

"So it seems. Any guesses on who can win, children?"

"I'd wager on the guy with the pink hair. He looks a lot more limber than his opponent, which might give him a slight advantage in movement and flexibility."

"Same here," Medina said. "I think if he plays his cards right, he'll either be able to exhaust his opponent by drawing out the fights or easily find the other swordsman's weak point to attack. He might flank him."

"I'm guessing on the other person," Eugeo offered instead. "While the pink-haired one looks fast, the other one seems more experienced. Look at his posture. That's not one intended for a straight charge, like the pink-haired guy. It's a defensive stance. He's anticipating a straight charge from his opponent, and he's probably looking to punish that with a reposte of sorts."

Charlotte nodded, seemingly pleased with their responses. "Good answers, everyone. All of your reasons are valid, and it could indeed go down to either one. I suppose we'll find out."

"But hey, wouldn't it be more fun if we had something to bet on?" At the woman's disapproving look, Kirito promptly backpedalled. "N-Not with money or anything! But like… I don't know. Maybe a light penalty, just to spice things up. Maybe, like, the person with the most wrong guesses has to do something embarrassing back in the cathedral."

"You do realize that would also be applicable to you, should you agree to these rules?"

"Um. Within reason?"

Both Eugeo and Charlotte shook their heads at his response, with Medina giggling beside him. "I'm okay with it as long as it isn't too demoralizing, though that begs the question as to what the penalty would even be."

The four of them promptly began brainstorming ideas, until Eugeo came up with the most satisfying option. "The loser has to give Charlotte, and maybe Lady Scheta, a massage for one hour each."

The woman in question blinked. "That is a strange one. And you don't need to."

"I don't mind! It's not punishing in the slightest, and it's still a good way to repay you for everything."

"Ah, well…"

"Then that'll be it! Everyone in favour, say aye!" He, Eugeo and Medina shouted 'aye!' together. Charlotte sighed in exasperation. "Alright. Now that that's out of the way, let's do this! Lock it in, guys! Let's do our best and get as many of this right!"

Knowing that they'd want to head down there at some point themselves to take on some of the challengers, they decided on judging fifteen rounds (which should be fine. There seemed to be plenty of people, so there will probably be plenty of people they could fight) and competing amongst themselves to see who could get the most guesses right.

The first fight, unfortunately, did not go in his and Medina's favour. The pink-haired fighter may have been fast, but he apparently lacked in the stamina department; something that his opponent had plenty of, stretching the fight long enough to exhaust him to the point that he was unable to defend himself from a well-timed «Heavens and Mountain Break».

Or «Avalanche». Maybe he should start referring to all the techniques based on their Aincrad style names. They were so much simpler and easier to remember.

But then again, «Heavens and Mountains Break» sounded pretty cool too. The naming designations were too long, but they had that fancy flair to it.

Putting aside that dilemma for now, he focused once more on the next fourteen matches, celebrating with each win and groaning audibly when the guy he bet on ended up losing. Sometimes it was because the opponent was that much better, and sometimes it was because they ended up making some dumb mistake. It was honestly sad to see.

By the end of it, he was feeling pretty good. Eleven correct guesses against four wrongs was a pretty high score. It would have been more than a passing grade in the academic side of things, though it wasn't like he would have known. It's not like he's ever gone to school before.

But that meant diddlysquat when Medina got twelve correct guesses, and Eugeo managed to get fourteen. Fourteen!

"Oh, come on! That last guy couldn't have possibly counted! He had every chance to land that «Lightning Slash» on his opponent if he'd just been faster at it!"

"He hesitated at the last moment. Even when he walked in, I could tell he was a little anxious. He did fairly well throughout the fight, but there were some parts where he looked particularly tense. Probably not too used to fights."

And wasn't that a shame for him? Hopefully, the poor guy would be able to work it out of his system at some point and gain some confidence. Hesitation was every swordsman's weakness (or any occupation, really), and could spell the difference between life and death.

It would have been nice if he worked on that problem before the fight, because now Kirito suffered a single point lost to the wind. And with a score of eleven correct guesses to Medina's twelve and Eugeo's fourteen, looks like the penalty was his to take.

"I'm a guy of my word. When we get back, I'll treat you to that massage session."

"I… Well, if you insist."

"Then I'll need to corner Lady Scheta and see if I can find some time to offer her the same. Hopefully she wouldn't be weirded out."

"Maybe bring Medina along, as a chaperone. No one needs to think that you're sexually harassing anyone."

He wouldn't! Sister Azalia hadn't wasted all those years raising him and teaching him manners. He'd grown up a gentleman, and he'd be damned before he laid a single hand on a woman in such a way!

Still, he understood the reasoning, and made a note to make sure that he'd have at least another girl to accompany him. And, since Medina was willing, guess he was going to have to bring her along.

With that out of the way, now was the time to begin focusing on their own fights. They exchanged glances, nodded, and bade Charlotte farewell as they head downstairs to register their names, hoping to get some fights in.

Eugeo watched the two competitors step out of the ring, both laughing together as they made their way to the side. One of them had actually fought earlier, but with this not being a proper competition, anyone was free to fight as many times as they want. They simply needed to queue to give others their chance.

And even though that meant that it was fine to lose their fights, Eugeo didn't plan on losing on his very first round.

He gulped, unsheathing the Blue Rose Sword and taking his place opposite of his opponent. The girl looked around his age, maybe a little older, with long indigo hair tied back in a ponytail. She didn't have the airs of a noble, and her mannerism of speech from earlier when she greeted him confirmed that she was just a commoner like him.

But there was no hiding the obvious fact that she was skilled with the blade. From the confident posture to the gentle grasp she had on her weapon, it showcased a level of elegance that was surely to catch him off-guard if he took her anything less than serious.

Fortunately for him, Kirito had drilled into him to never underestimate an opponent. Even if it turned out to be a small little brat, it was all over if they manage to get close and kick you in the balls—yes, he ended up using such a crass explanation for his reasoning, but he supposed it worked regardless.

"Let's make this a good fight."

"Yeah! Give it your all."

He nodded back at her words, positioning himself for a fight. Judging by her stance, she didn't intend to charge him down or anything of the sort. Perhaps she wished to start things off with a trace of blows, then maybe figure out an open gap that she could then target to finish the fight. That gave him two options; either to maximize defense or to switch to a more aggressive fighting style to give her no breathing room.

In that essence, he might benefit more from a posture that was ready to react to any incoming attack. Thinking as such, he swiped his weapon backwards and to his side, ready to punish any sword swings with a «Sharp Nail». Its fair number of hits and multiple directions would cover almost every possible angle.

There was no referee here to signal the start of the fight, so it was up to them to decide when they intended to begin. And the girl, upon realizing that he wasn't going to move first, chose to initiate the battle by rushing at him, her weapon glimmering from the light that bounced on its surface.

Eugeo tensed, then shot towards her as well, catching her off-guard. He flicked his blade, and willing power into it, slashed at her with an «Azure Wind Slash», the girl barely managing to bring her weapon up to block his fast attack. It pushed her backwards, but she had the mind to let herself move with the knockback rather than resist, making it impossible to stagger her.

Not like he minded. He backed away as well, weighing his options, before charging back at her to clash blades with her. It was mostly him who applied the greater force, with the girl trying to deflect his attacks as best as she could and often stepping away to gain some distance. Eugeo pressed forwards all the same, utilizing several simple techniques to try and gauge her reactions.

While he couldn't fully predict her next action, he had a good understanding that her default option was to shy away from his more dangerous assaults, then to try and attack him whenever she thought his guard ever dropped. He never allowed himself to relax in the slightest. Losing that way would have been upsetting, and he wanted to push her to try harder than she was doing.

Eventually, as they danced around one another and continued parrying each other's attacks, it seemed that the purplette had finally lost her patience, opting to grasp her weapon with both hands and raise it above her head, hoping to use «Heavens and Mountains Break» to break through either his guard or even his attack. Faced with such a powerful technique, he had only two options; to either move out of the way of her trajectory…

Or overwhelm her own strength with his own.

Eugeo felt the minor tremors in his right hand, a dull feeling that he had long grown accustomed to. He used that to steady himself, staring down his opponent and readying himself to counter her attack. He angled the sword to his side, almost leaning away, and felt the power accumulate in his blade, red light indicating a «Sharp Nail».

'Three strokes against a single powerful one. Now it's just a matter of whose conviction will outshine the other's own.'

Gritting his teeth, he charged forwards, watching as she too leapt at him, sword raised high above her head and ready to smash into him. He watched the arc of her weapon, tracing its direction and slashing into the phantom.

A loud, shrill sound cried out from the impact of their blades, Eugeo's scraping across hers and drawing out sparks as he slashed past her sword, then to cut horizontally to his left, striking her weapon once more. The final stroke fell to his right from above, more force injected that it pushed her away once more.

But the mistake in unleashing such a powerful technique, only to be repelled, was that she was now wide open, with her sword arm extended far above her head and her eyes widening in shock.

'Now!'

And, with his feet appropriately grounded and his stability ensured, he leapt at her, roaring with his sword thrust straight at her throat—

The tip of his blade stopped a mere mil away from severing her head off her shoulders, and where blood should have sprayed into the air, she was left alive and awestruck.

Eugeo winced at that terrifying image. It certainly was a terrifying prospect, and though these stopping before contact duels was guaranteed to prevent any form of injury to another person, he recognized that a high degree of self-control was necessary to not overextend and accidentally kill a person in a sparring match. Had he been careless and poured even more strength into that finisher, he might have actually made that nightmare a reality.

Fortunately, such was not the world he was in, allowing him to sigh in relief as he sheathed his weapon. The spectators and some of the other competitors applauded their performance, and he met their fanfare with gratitude and relief. He thanked the girl for the fight, then made his way over to his friends, who were sat at a bench nearby, clapping upon his arrival.

"Good show, brother. You definitely gave her a run for the hills with those skills."

"Come now, she wasn't that bad."

"No, but you were just amazing!" Medina chirped. "It looked like you knew her every move! She couldn't get a single hit on you whatsoever!"

"And now, you've successfully set the bar a little high," Kirito snickered, patting him on the shoulder and walking towards the ring, where another person was already waiting for him. "Hey, sorry! Hope you didn't wait too long. Just needed to talk to my friend for a bit…"

"Setting the bar high, huh?" Eugeo couldn't help but sigh at that. "I feel like he's about to take that bar and knock it up a peg."

"That's… Huh. You might be right."

If his fight had been methodical, Kirito's was the complete opposite of that. As always, he initiated the first attack—then proceeded to rush his opponent down with an endless assault that served to intimidate the other boy, leaving him to play defense for as long as he could and hope that the ravenette would lose steam at some point and become too exhausted to continue fighting.

Shame on him, though. Both he and Kirito had spent years working as Gigas Cedar's cutters, all that time spent hacking away at the metal-like bark one thousand times in a day, every day, for years, had effectively built up their stamina to an absurd level. Coupled with all the training they'd undergone, and Eugeo dared say that they would have had no issue fighting as many opponents for as long as necessary.

And against a single amateur, there was no worry about exhaustion any time soon. Not when Kirito was more than happy to take control of the fight and keep pushing forwards,

He practically foresaw the future when the first thing he saw was Kirito lunging at his enemy with a «Rage Spike», only to execute a flurry of manoeuvres that would have the average man get a headache. With how fast and how wild his attacks were, a «Vertical» chained into a «Slant» chained into a «Rage Spike», there was just no room for any attempt to fight back.

And that was his opponent's folly in the end, his guard broken and metal stopping just short of slashing into his chest. It was such a rapid motion that even he had missed it in a single blink, the air around them almost vibrating.

Kirito breathed out and relaxed, returning his sword into his sheath and nodding at the other fighter, who clicked their tongue. "You're relentless. Gave me no chance to fight at all."

"Yeah, guess that's just how I fight."

"Urgh… Well, guess I'd better work up a plan to counterattack such a play. I'd be damned if I have to lose in the official tournament because they fight as crazily as you."

Crazy was one way to put it. Aggressive seemed more fitting. There was just no break to all the attacks, which definitely helped since the enemy wouldn't have room to think about how to counterstrike. But if there was ever a person who could think to weather out that storm, then Kirito would be in a very real danger of getting hit back.

But such an aggressive fighting style was indeed useful otherwise against all these unexperienced fighters. Even against him, to his dismay. Eugeo still hadn't gotten a win against Kirito thus far, despite all his assurances that that may change at some point.

That would be nice if that were the case. But he wouldn't be holding his breath for that.

Kirito returned to them shortly after, grinning all the while. "I should pro'lly change my fighting style at some point, but if it's worked for me thus far, I may as well keep at it, eh?"

"Well, I won't argue with you since you've only ever been winning against everyone except our trainers," Charlotte was a physical powerhouse, Fanatio was too skilful to outsmart, and Scheta was ruthless. None of them were going to be beaten any time soon. "Then again, that's just something we all need to work on. We're so comfortable with the idea that, since it's been working, we don't need to fight differently. But there'll probably be a point where we become so predictable to everyone."

"Like Lady Scheta hasn't chastised me enough for that," groaned his brother.

Medina smiled reassuringly. "Well, Lady Scheta is a veteran in swordplay, so it's expected that she would be more than skilled enough to read us."

"True, but if I can just figure out a way to catch her off-guard, then it'll be my win!"

Always thinking about beating their trainer. Eugeo chuckled. While it may have seemed outlandish for some people, it simply went to show just how serious he was about improving himself, and setting his sights on beating someone with such a wide power gap was simply proof of his conviction. It was usually only those who reach for the impossible that tend to do the craziest things imaginable, after all.

Nevertheless, it was Medina's turn now, and the two headed back to their seats to watch the young redhead make her way to the ring, her family heirloom polished quite nicely as light bounced off its surface. There was an excitement to her that felt almost youthful, and he appreciated her optimistic feelings on the situation.

"I'd bet a pumpkin pie that she'll finish the fight under a minute."

"Medina's good, I'll admit, but I highly doubt she'd be able to win that quickly."

"You don't know that. As she said, she's been training in swordsmanship for a much longer time than the both of us. Coupled with her noble lineage, she must have received some of the best training possible."

Certainly. She'd told them once that her house was a second-ranking family, which was incredibly high in the hierarchy. Where her family was based in, that wasn't clear, though he had an inkling that they were based in Norlangarth. He wasn't familiar with the other empires' customs to make a guess as to where she could have possibly come from.

And as Kirito said, her family might have managed to hire some of the best trainers to teach her. She clearly knew her way with the katana, after all, so there was no doubt that she had some prior knowledge and experience in fighting. And trainers were expensive, so the fact that they could hire any at all was a good sign that they were pretty rich.

Not like he'd ever seen Medina show any kind of proof of that, however. He likened it to her simply intending to keep a low profile, not wanting to flaunt her wealth for the world to see. That was something he admired. It was hard to find humility in the nobility nowadays.

The next fighter walked in. A young lady with flowing black hair and a graceful aura that told him right away that she was a noble. She approached Medina, and the latter was quick to greet her with cheer, citing her hopes for the fight to be a good one.

What no one expected was for the black-haired girl to laugh at her face.

"Fight? You? Do you truly expect me to believe that the daughter of the defective family could possibly hold a candle to every other person here in attendance? You jest."

"But that's… Well, I have come here to polish my skills by sparring with other people, so—"

"Goodness, me! Such a crude means of improving your strength! You'd think to use your weapon against another person simply to pursue strength? Then again, I suppose it only makes sense that you would resort to such a method, seeing that you've all but lost your teachers who were unwilling to stay and teach a faulty child."

Their friend winced, backing away with an embarrassed look. The sight had him flaring up, though Kirito had already risen off the bench. "Hey!" He yelled, drawing all eyes towards him. The noble girl stared at him with an uninterested look. "You leave our friend alone! If you don't want to fight her, then you can just leave!"

"Oh, I certainly intend to. Any more time I spend here in this miserable thing's presence will only rot away at my own beauty and mind."

"Why you..!"

"K-Kirito, it's fine!" Medina stepped between them, smiling weakly at him. "Really, just leave it. You don't need to do anything."

"I daresay that you should listen to her, commoner. For all the good that would do."

Eugeo frowned. This was uncalled behaviour. Medina had been nothing short of friendly with her from what he'd seen—and knowing the girl, there was just no room in her to act any less than kind with the people around her. She was a sweet person, and this person openly ridiculing her was not appreciated.

Just before he could anything, however, Kirito had already beaten him to the punch. And with no restraint in viciousness.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch," everyone in the immediate vicinity, Eugeo included, gawked at his blatant curse, no more so than the noble and Medina, the poor girl looking horrified and taken aback. The venom in his words would have killed even a giant. "You walk in here, insult my friend, and expect me to just watch and keep quiet? Fuck you! I'll make you eat your words and your shit!"

The woman stepped back, reeling at his savagery. Mock anger bled into her words, though there was no hiding the light stammer. "S-Such crassness! I will not take this insult to my honour! I'll make you regret it!"

"Yeah? Then draw your sword! You clearly came in here with the intent of fighting people, so prove to us that you're more than just your words!" He spread his arms out, challenging her. "Well? Go on! Put your money where your mouth is, and fucking prove it!"

The more he yelled, the more she seemed to shy away from him, her expression that of irritation and fear. Eventually, she scoffed, turning away and marching out of the arena, though not without a visible tremor to her motions that Eugeo could catch even from a distance.

"Bitch!" He yelled in her direction one final time. "Thinks she's hot shit when all she does is march around and insult people without a care! Who does she think she is?!"

"Kirito, stop! Seriously, it's fine! Just calm down!"

"Like hell I will! She stepped all over you and thought that was okay? Who gave her the right to do so?" She spat to the side. "Fucking nobles… They think that, just because they're born rich and powerful, they get to mock everyone else for being lesser than them. Well, they lack a heart if they're this callous towards the people they're meant to protect!"

Eugeo stepped forwards, grabbing his shoulder. "Enough, Kirito. Simmer down. Everyone's watching."

That was inevitable. His outburst had been so deafening that almost everyone could hear him from all around the arena. Hundreds of eyes were on him, and Eugeo noted the varying expressions swimming through everyone's faces: shock, annoyed, disapproving, impressed, pleased. So much attention that would have weighed him down if he were on the receiving end, though he did through his association with his brother.

Kirito paused, scanning their surroundings before sighing, shaking his head. "Goddesses, damn it… Sorry, guys. I think I should leave for now. Me being here won't help anyone."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'd better. I've caused enough trouble as is. Best I get out of everyone's hair before I make things even worse than they already are," he patted his shoulder, then turned to smile at Medina. "Don't let her words get to you. Just focus on your matches and evaluate yourself on where you can improve and whatnot. That's what we're all here for. Alright?"

She nodded. "O-Okay. Will you be back?"

"I'll consider it, but I don't know. Things might be awkward if I come back. And no one has to deal with that. It's not anyone's fault except that bitch."

"Kirito!"

"Oh, lay off! I've kept a tight lid over my cursing for the past year or so. I think I'm allowed an outburst every once in a while."

"Yes, well, I can see a person in the distance about to break into tears from how caustic you're being. And also, personally, I feel like my body is currently undergoing a very convulsive reaction to hearing you swear this explosively. It's unreal."

Kirito laughed at that, lightly punching his shoulder. That alone was enough to make him feel better. "Hah! Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Well, I'll leave you guys to it. Eugeo, I entrust you with Medina's safety. And if anyone comes up, just give me a call."

'Or I can call you myself. It would be much quicker.'

'Good idea,' Kirito agreed, Eugeo nodding as well. "A'ight, be seeing y'all."

"Okay. Take care out there."

"S-See you later."

The ravenette grinned their way one final time before turning to leave the arena, everyone's gazes chasing him. Eugeo felt a breath leave his lips, disappointed that he couldn't do more to help his brother. But the damage had been done, and news of this might reach everyone's ears at some point.

He hoped that wouldn't be the case, but he knew how rumours operated. It took only a single person telling a friend about something he heard for that news to spread like wildfire. Hopefully, they'll be out of Zakkaria by then.

He turned to look at Medina, looking guilty as she clasped her hands before her. "I'm sorry… Kirito had to leave because I couldn't protect myself."

"Hey now, don't say that. His cursing aside, he was right; it was no one's fault but that lady's."

"But now he has to leave the arena. He only got to have one fight…"

"I think he's okay. Sure, it stinks, but I doubt he'll blame you for it," if anything, he had a feeling Kirito's big brother mode would activate and he'd spend the day trying to make her feel better. He smiled at the thought. "Come now, let's actually make good use of our time here. We won't be getting more chances like this afterwards."

"Ah… Right. Okay. For Kirito's sake!"

"And your own personal growth."

"R-Right. That too."

"I heard what happened. Are you alright?"

"I'm good. Nothing came out of it in the end, so it's all good."

So he says, though the frustration apparent on his expression told her that his worries hadn't completely abated. With his teeth gritted and his fists balled, he had the textbook look of someone stewing in anger.

Word hadn't completely spread all across town, though Charlotte had heard about the commotion from two ladies who were eating at a shop, having just returned from the arena shortly after his departure. She'd been worried afterwards, then set out to look for the boy in hopes that nothing bad happened on his lonesome.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like he'd gone down the path of seeking vengeance against that noblewoman. Instead, she found him sitting over the edge of the embrasure of a wall in the western side, feet dangling and eyes staring out at the distance. He was calmer, lonely, and she sought to accompany him ever since.

Humming, she took one of his hands into hers, gently rubbing the back of his palm. It helped to make him relax, his posture visibly unwinding.

"I just… I still can't stand the fact that that girl came out of nowhere and started insulting Medina, who had done absolutely nothing wrong towards her. It's uncalled for."

"Indeed. Then again, humans are foolish in the sense that they often don't find a reason to insult another person to begin with."

"Tell me about it," he scoffed. "It's like everyone just wants an opportunity to make another person feel bad just for the sake of it. Like, what good does that do? Nothing! It only makes everyone feel bad and nothing gets done! It's pointless!"

"If everyone shared your sentiment on the matter, then the kingdoms will be a much happier place," there was a crack in his visage. A light twitch in the corner of his lips. She smiled. "But I suppose that's just a whimsical dream for us to enjoy in our sleep. It'd be difficult to see it realized, wouldn't it?"

"It could be possible, if people like her could just learn to be nice."

"…I have to admit, I was half-expecting you to say something along the lines of, if people like her could just disappear."

"Okay, now that's just messed up, because it sounds like I want them to die. I don't want people to die, Charlotte. Just to stop being pricks. Pull that stick out of their asses and learn to be good."

Charlotte paused upon hearing him, then shuddered. "Goodness. It seems like I am still unused to hearing you swear."

"Eugeo said the same. And sorry about that. Old habits die hard."

"I admit, I was surprised when I first heard you curse. I never took you for the kind of person who would do so. How'd that come to be?"

"Now that's an old story. Nothing particularly complicated, though. I got real bitter when the church took Alice away. Pretty much made me unhinged, and I guess I started cursing from there," quickly, he added: "Just so you know, I totally blame all the travelling merchants and visitors. I keep hearing the adults using curse words."

"Just because they use them doesn't mean you should either."

"Yeah, well, kids are dumb. The more you tell them not to do something, the more they'll resist and do it anyways."

Yes. She had enough experience with him for three years. Charlotte rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You make it sound like you hadn't been a child."

"Eh, I know I'm not far enough from my younger days to say that it's long behind me. I'm still stupid now, after what I did."

"I wouldn't call it stupid. I'd just say that you were being protective of your friend, which I think is an admirable trait of yours," she said. "You've always been that way with everyone. Eugeo, his brothers, Selka, all the children in the village and in the church, Medina. That's just your nature—"

"—And yes, I agree that maybe you could have gone about it in a different way. But that's always a hindsight matter. In the moment, you solved the problem in what might have been the worst way possible, but everyone knows you did it with good intentions."

"Maaaan… Why'd you gotta' point out how terrible it was?"

"Someone has to be level-headed and make you see your mistakes," he finally snickered at that, and she smiled wider. "But I support your actions regardless. Hopefully, Medina is not deeply affected by whatever happened."

"Same here. She's a good girl. She doesn't deserve being troubled as she did," after a while, he sighed audibly once more. "Geez. Today was supposed to be nothing but intense fighting and maybe getting a tooth knocked loose. Not all this negative energy."

Things don't often go as planned, and it wasn't like he'd asked for trouble. He stepped in to protect his friend's worth, sacrificing himself in the process. Nothing else happened, so in a way, this might have been the best outcome.

Oh well. They're only staying here for a little longer before returning to Centoria. No point being all hung up about things any much longer. They might as well enjoy what little time they have left here.

Author's Notes:

Aww, I miss this story. Got busy so I couldn't find time to write this story, except until very recently.

Perhaps some people may think this is incredibly out of character for Kirito, but remember; this whole story is designed on the basis that the Kirito we're presented with is not Kazuto Kirigaya, but the Kirito of Underworld who's had his memories of the real world blocked, and truly believes that this world is his home.

And because he's spent his whole life with a far healthier social environment in the orphanage with so many children, in contrast with his real life counterpart who'd become a shut-in prior to the SAO incident, Underworld-Kirito is far more outgoing and less reserved (and a bit of a potty mouth, lmao).

Also, I can recount several chapters where he has sworn, either in his head or openly. The very first chapter, the pre-prologue, chapter 5, and chapter 10 to name a few. This ain't something new, and he was (and still is) a bit of a hothead, represented by his behaviour and his fighting style.