Part 2
He braced himself for any sort of harassment that might come, but even after several days have passed since that sudden duel, he still hadn't heard a single thing out of Raios and company.
Humbert merely gave him hateful glares when passing by him in the swordsmen-in-training's dormitory or the central school building, without even a single word of resentment. He did tell Kirito about the practice arena incident just in case and warned him to watch out, but it seems that absolutely nothing happened on his side either.
"It feels kind of weird... I didn't think they would be the type to stay quiet from merely receiving a draw in a duel. Raios even said something that sounded like a threat too..."
Leaning against the old cloth couch, Eugeo tilted his head to the side and Kirito, sitting on the opposite side, started to speak while raising a ceramic cup.
"I don't believe there's any chance of them changing their characters either. But thinking about it, it's pretty hard to do something nasty in this swordsmen-in-training dorm."
He held the kohiru tea without milk to his mouth and contentedly drank it down.
It was 9:30 P.M., with the tempestuous past week passed and the break finally just a day away. They would be in dreamless slumber in their respective rooms at this time on weekdays, having settled their daily practice, meals and baths, but this particular night every week was reserved for them to chat about various matters in the shared living room while drinking tea.
Eugeo picked up his own cup and took a lick of some of the boiling pitch-black liquid, his face involuntarily turning into a frown. His partner was fond of this powdered tea only available from the south empire and would definitely make it when in charge of the tea, but Eugeo felt it to be too bitter by itself. He poured in plenty of milk from the small pot and stirred it with a teaspoon while prompting a return to the topic with his sight before Kirito raised an unexpected question.
"That's right... just for example, what kind of pranks did you play while schooling during your childhood in Rulid?"
After drinking a mouthful of the kohiru tea that lost its bitterness, leaving behind only a curious aroma, Eugeo loosened the tension in his shoulders and replied.
"I'm mainly the one those pranks were played on, though. Look, you remember, don't you, Kirito, that guard captain called Jink who challenged me to a duel during the festivities before the journey. He harassed me quite a bit... Hiding my shoes somewhere, putting those annoying bugs in my meal bag or jeering when I was together with Alice."
"Hahaha, guess kids fool around the same whichever world it is. ...But he didn't start beating you up or anything. Right?"
"Of course."
Eugeo answered with his eyes opened wide.
"There's no way he could do that. After all..."
"—It's strictly forbidden by the Taboo Index. «Unless another clause applies, you shall not intentionally reduce the Life of another person». ...But hold on, there's no problem with hiding your shoes? Theft is a major taboo too, right?"
"Theft is to make someone else's belongings into yours without permission. The sacred words in the «Stacia Window» that prove who the owner is will only transfer the ownership twenty-four hours after the item is kept on hand or left at home. That's why even if it was an item transferred with mutual consent, it can be returned anytime within one day and for those taken without consent, the proof of ownership won't disappear if left somewhere other than a home, so it won't be theft... —You didn't actually manage to forget a law as basic as this, did you?"
Eugeo stared intently at the face of Kirito who was a «Lost Child of Vector» and his partner laughed embarrassedly while messing up his black hair.
"Th-That's right, that's how it was. Of course I didn't forget about it, obviously... wait, huh? Then what about that? Wouldn't that make Bercouli violating the law when he tried to steal the Blue Rose Sword from the white dragon's nest in that old story?"
"Hey now, the dragon's not a human."
"I-I see..."
"Returning to the topic, pranks that involve hiding items aren't violations, but those left in the outdoors that don't belong to any particular person will begin to lose their Life after a while, so if it's not returned by then, it would become «damage to another's belongings». Thanks to that, my shoes were returned by evening, no matter how late it was, though... but how is this related to why Raios and company started behaving?"
After Eugeo leaned his head to the side, Kirito blinked his eyes as though he completely forgot he was the one who brought up the topic, and spoke.
"Th-That's right. Erm, this academy has a ridiculously long list of rules in addition to the Taboo Index, you see. And within them, there's even a clause stating «You shall not enter the personal rooms of other students or staff without permission». In other words, Raios and Humbert can't enter this room and all of our belongings are safely kept in the room. Though it's a different story if we were to leave something important in a public place without proper caution..."
He paused there for a moment for some unknown reason, but Kirito soon continued the explanation.
"...And of course, we haven't done that. Hence, Raios and his buddy can't do anything with our property in the first place, like how Jink-kun bullied that helpless kid, Eugeo, in Rulid Village."
"You didn't need that helpless bit. Hmm... I see. I didn't even think about it until now, but it's true that there's no way to do anything more than insulting someone else in this swordsmen-in-training's dormitory, huh."
"And those insults become an act of disrespect that warrants the «Punishment Authority» if they cross a certain line."
Adding that on, Kirito grinned.
The Punishment Authority refers to an authority granted only to the elite swordsmen-in-training through one of the academy regulations that allows them to practically act in the place of instructors. In cases of acts of disrespect or foolhardiness that borders on breaching the rules or cannot be turned a blind eye to, swordsmen-in-training are able to use their own judgement to give a fitting punishment according to the severity of the act. The case where Kirito, who pointed it out himself, had made a large stain of dirt on the uniform of the previous head swordsman-in-training, Uolo Levanteinn, and was ordered to participate in a first strike duel as punishment was still fresh in his mind.
The Punishment Authority for swordsmen-in-training was basically for guiding novice and advanced trainees, but there was no word of it being restricted to trainees in the academy regulations. In other words, a swordsman-in-training imposing a punishment on another was theoretically possible and that was the reason why the contempt and insults from Raios and Humbert had somewhat cooled down compared to the previous year.
Kirito had emptied his cup, so Eugeo poured in another serving and his partner dribbled a little milk in before gently stirring it. It looked like he would still be wondering for a bit while skillfully spinning the silver teaspoon in his fingers, but he nodded once and spoke before long.
"If they can't mess with our stuff, they can only go after us. In that case, the quick and easy way would be to challenge us to a first strike match and land a hit, but they've already tried that on you, Eugeo, and ended with a draw. Other than that, oh right, if I think about it... they could only bribe me with money to distance myself from Eugeo, I guess."
"Eh..."
Eugeo, who automatically let out that forlorn voice, flustered to close his mouth, but Kirito grinned and spoke pompously.
"Don't you worry, kid. Big brother here won't just toss you aside."
"I-I wasn't worrying about that! ...But putting money aside, what if they were to stack up those special meat buns from Gottlo's store?"
"That might do the trick."
After nodding with a deadpan expression at what Eugeo pointed out, he cheerfully laughed out loud.
"Well, jokes aside, I don't think there's much cause for worry for anything aside from them messing with our property or us directly."
But then, Kirito's expression tensed up and continued with a sober voice.
"But if you were to turn that around, it wouldn't be strange for them to come up with anything as long as it doesn't touch on the Taboo Index or academy regulations. They likely don't have the slightest intention to surrender their positions as the head and second-ranked, after all... Eugeo, do try to think of anything we might have missed."
"Yeah, I got it. There isn't even a month until the first official match. Let's both take care so that we can fight them in our best conditions."
"Yeah. ...That said, it might just be a plan to make us worry by threatening us, huh. Let's not forget our composure and stay cool [2] ."
At those strange words Kirito spoke as he emptied his cup, Eugeo blinked in surprise.
"What did you say? S... st...?"
Upon asking in return, his partner let his eyes wander for some reason before clearing his throat with a cough and spoke.
"That was, well, the first of the essential points of the Aincrad-style. It means something like, let's stay calm and go on. It can be used for farewells too though... then I'll see you again; something like that."
"Heh. Got it, I'll remember it. St... stay cool."
Those words that he figured were in the Sacred Tongue just like the secret moves were of course, new to his ears, but they felt unusually familiar when he said it out loud. Upon repeating it numerous times in a whisper, Kirito clapped his hands together with an embarrassed expression for some reason.
"Now then, the ten o'clock bell will be ringing soon, so let's call it a night. Also, regarding tomorrow, Eugeo-kun, there's a trifling matter I'll have to attend to..."
"No way, Kirito. There's no way I'll let you escape, this time especially."
While tidying up the tea utensils, he gave his partner a fleeting scowl.
There were plans on the rest day tomorrow to go on an outing—that said, the location was the forest within the academy premises, though—which included a bonding session together with the valet trainees, Tiezé and Ronye. Having predicted that Kirito would come up with some sort of reason to escape from his behavior when he was invited, Eugeo told him with a sigh.
"Look here, a month has already passed since we became Tiezé's and Ronye's mentors. You've been treated kindly by Sortiliena-senpai who you've served as a valet last year too, right?"
"Outside of sword practice time, that is. ...That brings me back, I wonder if she's doing well..."
"Don't you look away. I'm saying that it's your turn to be a good senior now. Understand this, those two will be coming at nine in the morning tomorrow, so get prepared before then!"
When Eugeo pointed his index finger straight at him, Kirito replied with a dragged out "Yes" and got up from the couch. The two carried the tea utensils to the sink installed at the end of the living room and Kirito washed them with Eugeo wiping them right after. He used drawn well water in Rulid and Zakkaria, but a metal pipe that supplied clean water just by twisting the stopper was present in most of the buildings in Centoria. He thought it was a sacred instrument for sure, like the «Bell of Time Telling», the first time he saw it, but it was actually pressurized using wind elemental sacred arts on the multiple gigantic water wells in each district, pushing the water through countless pipes.
As a result, the water flowing out from the tap was always fresh, with no need to be concerned over deterioration in Life, like for drawn water. How glad the kids who were made to draw the water each morning would be if Rulid had this arrangement as well—finishing the washing while thinking of such things, he lined up the variety of the now-clean cups on the shelf.
Gulping down the water directly from the tap in the end, Kirito wiped his mouth before letting out a big yawn.
"Well then, please wake me up at eight o'clock tomorrow. Good night, Eugeo."
"Eight o'clock is too late, make it seven-thirty! Good night, Kirito."
Exchanging parting phrases, he added on what suddenly came to mind.
"...Stay cool."
Upon doing so, his partner who was heading towards his own room looked over his shoulder and spoke with a wry smile.
"It may be used for farewells, but that's not something you would use before sleeping every night, really. Use it only if you really consider it to be a parting."
"Hmm, complicated, isn't it. Understood... then, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Lightly waving his right hand, Kirito sank into the room on the north side, before Eugeo switched the lamp off and opened the door on the opposite side.
The bedroom with space as much as nearly half of those rooms that accommodated ten in the novice trainees' dormitory was neatly cleaned by his valet, Tiezé, so there wasn't even a speck of dirt. Changing his home wear into long white pyjamas, he plopped himself onto the soft bed.
Along with the drowsiness that crept up to him all at once, somehow, he could faintly hear merely a single part of the conversation from earlier in his ears.
—But if you were to turn that around, it wouldn't be strange for them to come up with anything as long as it doesn't touch the Taboo Index or academy regulations.
Those was the words Kirito said in caution of Raios and Humbert. He nodded back then, but still, it was a way of thinking difficult for Eugeo to comprehend all of a sudden.
In the process of getting here from the time he was a child, there was a considerable number of times when Eugeo searched for loopholes as well, whether in the Rulid Village's laws, the Zakkaria Guard Squadron's rules or the Master Swords Academy's regulations. However, the times he thought of challenging the most eminent law in the Human World, the Taboo Index, was zero—no, only once.
That one time was eight years ago, when the integrity knight from the Axiom Church arrived in the village to take Alice away. Eugeo thought about hitting the Knight with the Dragon Bone Axe held in his two hands to save Alice, but in actual fact, he didn't take a single step. Even now, if he recalls that instant, there would be a throbbing deep in his right eye for some reason.
Of course, he didn't even have a fragment of defiance towards the integrity knights or Church now. That Knight took Alice away according to the law, so he would gain the right to pass the Church's doors through proper means and reunite with Alice. It was for that reason that Eugeo left the village and overcame many hardships to become an elite swordsman-in-training of the academy.
However, like what Kirito had said, if Raios and Humbert were thinking that "anything would be fine if it doesn't touch the Taboo Index"... in the end, were they unwillingly abiding by the absolute law that was established at the beginning of the world according to the Axiom Church? Do they feel the Taboo Index to be a hindrance in their minds...?
Even if it was Raios and his partner, that shouldn't happen. Even doubting the Taboo Index was unforgivable, it was the conclusive truth that even the emperor should respect, it was the supreme law.
Eugeo looked up at the ceiling dyed blue by the pale moonlight while lightly biting his lips. If that thought was allowed, what was he protecting and why was he protecting it; looking on without moving even a single step when the integrity knight took Alice away that day, doing nothing but chopping the Gigas Cedar for over six years after that according to the law.
The core of his right eye slightly throbbed with a prickling sensation. Eugeo forced his eyelids down, cast his disorganized thoughts away and his body sank into the depths of an indistinct slumber.
A high iron fence surrounded the Master Swords Academy grounds and a dense forest made up close to thirty percent of it. The stretch of old trees, with moss of a golden tint growing on them, and the sunlight that filtered through the swaying trees, dappling the green undergrowth, reminded him of the forest back home, but as Central Centoria was far south of Rulid, there was quite an abundance of small animals living there. Some that he had never set his sights on in the northern region, such as exceedingly small foxes or long and slender snakes in a shade of turquoise, basked in the sun everywhere and caught his eye despite it being over a year since he came.
"Eugeo-senpai, are you listening?"
Hearing that voice from the side all of a sudden, Eugeo turned back in a fluster.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm listening. ...So, what was it?"
"You weren't listening, were you!"
The girl who shook her hair, its color that of ripe apples, while protesting was the one who served as Eugeo's valet trainee, Tiezé Shtolienen. Avoiding her eyes which were in a shade much like that of her hair, he tried to think up of an excuse.
"We-Well, the forest was so beautiful that I just... There's rare animals around too..."
"Rare?"
Tiezé traced Eugeo's sight and shrugged her shoulders in disinterest.
"Eeh, it's just a kintobi fox, isn't it? There are plenty of those even on the trees growing around the districts."
"Heh... That reminds me, you were born in the central, huh, Tiezé. Is your home nearby?"
"My home is in the 8th district, so it's a little far from the 5th district that the academy is in."
"I see... nn, eh?"
Eugeo turned to look again at Tiezé who was walking by his side. Even the novice trainee uniform that he wore and thought was a little tasteless last year looked strangely refined when worn by a girl. That was only to be expected; if Tiezé wasn't a student of the same academy, she wouldn't be someone Eugeo could even hope to talk to, as the son of peasants.
"Well, Tiezé, you were born as a noble, right? I thought that I heard that the residences for noble families were gathered in the 3rd and 4th districts, though..."
When he asked somewhat humbly, Tiezé's head drooped as though she was embarrassed and gave a small nod before shaking her head countless times.
"Father is a sixth class aristocrat at the very least... but being in the lower ranks of nobility is good too. Living in the residence streets close to the Imperial Administration is only for fourth class noble families and above and there's various limits to the rights held by the fifth and sixth classes. That father of mine has a habit of saying, 'It's way more relaxing being a commoner, being able to speak as they like without fearing the upper class nobles with the authority to judge'... ah, I-I apologize, I just..."
Apparently thinking that she spoke of an impolite matter to Eugeo, who was of commoner parentage, Tiezé bowed deeply while walking.
"Don't worry about it. Rather than that... about that authority to judge, didn't all of the nobles have it?"
While recalling the text of the Empire Fundamental Law he studied the previous year, Eugeo asked and immediately got a loud "Absolutely not!" in return.
"The authority to judge is granted only to the fourth class and above, with the aristocrats who are fifth class and below becoming the subject of those judgements from the upper class on the other hand. My father works as a secretary in the Administration, but it seems there are many among the fifth and sixth class aristocrats laboring at the Imperial Castle or public offices who get sentenced for offending the upper class nobles. ...That said, those are matters between adults, so it seems to be mostly not physical punishment, but reduction of wages and such, though."
"I-I see... It must be problematic there as well, huh, in the world of nobles..."
Taking glances at Eugeo who had his eyes wide open, the red-haired novice trainee spoke rapidly with a slight blush on her cheeks for some reason.
"Li-Like I said... someone like me, the daughter of a sixth class aristocrat, is only nobility in name; our lifestyles aren't much different from all of the commoners."
"H-Hmm..."
While letting out a vague reply that neither agreed nor disagreed, Eugeo pondered on the empire's structure once more.
The «Empire Fundamental Law» spread by the Imperial Administration established the social system of the Norlangarth North Empire. That said, as every crime and their respective punishments were covered by the law superior to it, the Taboo Index, the Empire Fundamental Law was largely made up of conventions concerning the masses' class system. To put it in other words, the rights of the nobles and the rights of the commoners.
During the period he was a novice trainee, there was once when the elderly teacher in charge of teaching Law (the only other classes were «Sacred Arts» and «History» though) was asked a question by a certain black-haired male student. Teacher, why are there nobles and commoners in the Empire, he asked.
The teacher who was a lower class noble was at a loss for words for a moment, before answering in a stern tone.
—According to the prophecies heralded by the Axiom Church since ancient times, the army of darkness will invade in force from the four paths of the mountain range at the edge... «North Cave», «West Gorge», «South Corridor» and «East Gate» someday. To eradicate those vile demi-humans, all of those who hold the sacred tasks of being imperial knights or imperial guards from the four empires would have to battle as the «Human World Army». To stand at the head of the Human World Army as its commanders when that time comes, nobles are to polish their swordsmanship, study the arts and temper their mind and body.
Hearing that, Eugeo honestly felt admiration, despite sensing an unfathomable feeling.
Two years ago, together with Kirito, Eugeo fought a group of goblins that invaded from the land of darkness at the «North Cave» the elderly teacher mentioned. Unfortunately, he fell unconscious from an attack from the goblin chief midway through the battle, but the demi-humans' horrifying appearances and feral, coarse voices were still vivid in his memories. After a discussion with Kirito, they decided not to speak a single word about the fight at the academy, but if the tale were to be told in detail, it would probably make half of the female students faint.
Of course, even Eugeo didn't want to experience that another time. Thus, he was genuinely impressed by the nobles who would be battling those scary goblins, as well as the orcs and ogres who were said to be even more bulky and ferocious than them, at the front lines.
But on the other hand. Over three hundred and eighty years have already passed since the God of Creation Stacia gave life to the Human World. In that time, the army of darkness never successfully invaded in great numbers even once. In other words, the four empires, especially those from the upper class of nobility, have been exempted from the daily manual labor, live in spacious estates and exercise the authority to judge over the lower class nobles, all in preparation for an enemy they have never actually seen for themselves—without even knowing when they would come...
As though she could see what was in Eugeo's heart, Tiezé gave a light sigh while walking at his side and spoke.
"...Hence, my father wanted for the eldest child to conferred a fourth class nobility, which would grant an immunity against judgement at the very least, before succeeding the family; that was why I was enrolled in the academy. If I were to be chosen as the representative for the academy and get a good placing in the Empire Swordsmanship Tournament, it wouldn't be an impossible goal... Well, for me who got eleventh on the entrance examinations' scores, it's probably a pipe dream no matter how hard I try, though."
Eugeo felt the young girl who stuck her tongue out for a short instant and smiled to be shining too radiantly and slightly narrowed his eyes.
Compared to himself, who entered the academy for the personal reason of reuniting with his childhood friend who was taken away to the Church in the past, he thought Tiezé's stance of learning swordsmanship for the sake of improving her family's honor to be the proper self-esteem of the nobles.
"No... Tiezé, you're great. To please your father, you worked so hard and got into the top twelve as a new student."
The moment Eugeo voiced that out seriously, a shrill reply immediately followed.
"No-Not at all! ...I merely got lucky because the theme for performance arts was a style I was strong at. I'm only at this standard after learning the sword from my father since three years old, so you're much more amazing, Eugeo-senpai. Despite how tough it was to gain a recommendation from a guard squadron, you easily achieved it and even became the fifth place among the elite swordsmen-in-training. I really believe it is an honor to be chosen to serve you as your valet, Eugeo-senpai."
"N-No, that's..."
Eugeo noticed his gesture of bending down his head and ruffling his bangs with his right hand was exactly the same as Kirito, who should have been following behind, and lowered his hand down in a hurry.
Tiezé said it was "an honor", but in truth, the only reason why the girl became Eugeo's valet and Ronye became Kirito's, was to put it nicely, the guidance of the God, Stacia, or to put it plainly, a coincidence.
Valets were selected using a system where the twelve students who became the new elite swordsmen-in-training singled one out, their turns based on their ranks, among the top twelve new students. In other words, this year, first would be the head, Raios, choosing one person, then the second-ranked Humbert choosing another, while Eugeo and Kirito should be the fifth and sixth to choose. However, after discussing it over with his partner as well, the two decided to shift their turns to the last. To make the new students not picked by the other ten their valets.
As a result, the two wooden tags granted to Eugeo and Kirito had Tiezé's and Ronye's names. They were a little lost for words when they found out both were female students—Kirito actually even had an complicated expression on—but still, Eugeo thought it was a good thing. After all, the unfair reason why the other ten did not choose Tiezé and Ronye was because the girls were the only ones born into sixth class noble families among the twelve.
Tiezé and Ronye obviously did not know the facts behind the selection meeting and there was no need to inform them. Eugeo thought it fortunate that they became their valets and Kirito was definitely... probably the same.
As such, after he coughed once, Eugeo shifted the topic to his own experiences.
"...The entrance examinations weren't anywhere near relaxing even in my case; rather I was really nervous. I only managed to pass and become a swordsman-in-training this year like this, half thanks to Kirito for teaching me various things..."
Upon saying so, Tiezé opened her eyes wide, their color that of the leaves dyed in the red of autumn, and shouted.
"Eeh!? Then Kirito-senpai is actually stronger than Eugeo-senpai?"
"......It hurts agreeing if you were to ask it like that..."
While Tiezé laughed out cheerfully, he took a glance behind. He only just got concerned over whether his partner had been treating his valet well, but he could hear bits and pieces of Kirito's words said in a tone that was surprisingly smooth.
"...And so, I believe there's only two ways that you have to be prepared, against a slash from the upper-level posture in the High Norkia-style before it happens. Either from straight above or diagonally from the top-right... any other direction will need another step, so you have the time to take it even after seeing it. As for how to tell whether it's from straight above or the top-right..."
—Well, putting the contents aside, Ronye appears to be listening with enthusiasm as well.
Turning back to the front with a wry smile, a thought suddenly came to Eugeo.
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