Alicization Turning

  Unlike the rustic food that Alice would bring to Eugeo every day in the forest back home, this bread was white and thickly buttered, a treat from the big city. When he first came here, the refined taste was too much for Eugeo’s simple palette, but he thoroughly enjoyed it now. He wondered if he was just getting used to something different.

  “It’s really good, Tiese. Wasn’t it hard to get all these ingredients, though?”

  “Uh…well, actually…” she mumbled, glancing over at Ronie, who explained.

  “As you know, primary trainees are only allowed to leave the academy on days of rest, so we asked Kirito to go buy the ingredients at the central market after class yesterday. You were busy in the library at the time, so…”

  “Oh…oh, I see,” Eugeo replied, stunned. He glanced over at Kirito, who was still chowing down. “I would have gone shopping if you’d just told me…And Kirito, if you’re that comfortable around them, you don’t need to keep running away anymore! What was the point of all this trouble…?” he wondered, both relieved and annoyed. He reached out for the biggest slice of fruitcake and shoved it into his mouth.

  “Hey, I was going to eat that,” Kirito complained. “Anyway, if anything, I was making things easier on you, Disciple Eugeo.”

  “Well, you needn’t have bothered,” Eugeo grumbled. He turned to Tiese and Ronie, who were watching in wide-eyed surprise, and groused, “He’s always been like this. Before we joined the garrison in Zakkaria, and on the road here to Centoria, he always starts off as the target of suspicion or fear, and then the next thing you know, the wife and kids at the farm or inn are all hanging out with him and passing him treats. Be careful that he doesn’t use this trick on you, too, Ronie.”

  However, his warning was probably too late. The girl with the burnt-brown hair shook her head, her cheeks darkening. “Oh, no, it’s not a trick…Kirito might look scary, but I learned right away that he’s really very kind…”

  “Oh, and the same for you, Eugeo,” Tiese hastily added. He gave her a weak smile and took another bite of cake.

  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his partner chewing smugly, and he started to wonder if there was some way he could get one over on Kirito—when suddenly Tiese and Ronie stretched and sat up formally.

  “Um…Eugeo, Kirito, as a matter of fact, we have a request.”

  “Y-you do? What kind?” Eugeo asked.

  Tiese ducked her head humbly, red hair waving. “Well, it’s really hard to say this, but…it’s about what you mentioned the other day, putting in a good word with the school management about changing tutors…”

  “Wh-what?” He gaped, trying to recall the conversation in question. But it quickly came back to him: A few days ago, while Ronie was waiting for Kirito to come back, he might have mentioned something to her about asking a teacher to get her switched to a different disciple, if she wanted.

  So this lavish picnic feast was a commemoration for their parting, he realized gloomily. But he needed to be sure. “So, um…does that mean you want to stop being my page…? Or Kirito’s…or both of us?”

  Ronie and Tiese looked up, momentarily stunned, then shook their heads violently. On Eugeo’s left, Tiese leaned over and protested, “N-no! It’s not us—not at all! In fact, a bunch of others wish they could switch with us…Er, never mind. I mean, it’s another girl from our dorm room who wants to switch. Her name’s Frenica, and she’s very honest, hardworking, and humble despite her skill…”

  Tiese’s shoulders slumped, and Ronie took over the explanation. “As a matter of fact…the elite disciple who chose Frenica as a page is apparently quite harsh. The last few days, even the most innocent little mistake ends up with hours of discipline, and she’s being forced to do things on school grounds that are somewhat inappropriate. It’s really weighing on the poor thing…”

  The trainees clutched their fists to their chests, red and brown eyes welling with moisture. Eugeo put the half-eaten chicken down on his plate and looked at them, barely able to believe it.

  “B-but…even elite disciples shouldn’t be able to force their pages to obey commands that are outside the school rules…”

  “That’s true. They’re not being ordered to do things that break the rules, but it’s not as though every possible activity is covered…It’s a whole bunch of orders that aren’t against the rules but are very difficult for a female student to bear…” Tiese said, her voice trailing off into a mumble, cheeks crimson. Eugeo could guess as to what kind of things this disciple was ordering poor Frenica to do.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain any further. I’d love to help you make things better for Frenica. But…”

  He consulted the list of school rules inside his head before continuing, “Let’s see…‘In order to maximize the elite disciple’s training, he shall receive a page to address his needs. The page shall be chosen from among the twelve highest-ranking primary trainees of that year, but if the disciple and managing instructor agree, a page can be released and a new one may be chosen.’ That means that for Frenica to be reassigned, she needs not only the instructor’s consent but that of the disciple in question, too. Still, I can try to plead her case. What’s the disciple’s name?”

  Eugeo felt an ominous foreboding as soon as the words left his mouth. Tiese hesitated, then awkwardly admitted, “It’s…Second Seat Humbert Zizek.”

  The moment she said it, Kirito perked up his ears and groaned. “You mean even after he challenged Eugeo to a duel and Eugeo hit him back, he’s still messing around with this shady stuff? You’d better whoop him for good next time.”

  “I’m telling you, I didn’t ‘hit him back.’ But it’s possible that that might have set him off…” Eugeo wondered, biting his lip guiltily. He looked at the girls and explained, “The truth is, I had a duel with Disciple Humbert in the training hall a few days ago. It came out as a draw, but Humbert didn’t seem ready to accept that…So it’s possible that his recent abuse of Frenica is related…”

  “So just because he couldn’t beat you, he took it out on his innocent page? The guy doesn’t deserve to call himself a swordsman,” Kirito spat. The girls still seemed not to understand the full importance of the situation.

  Her brow furrowed, Tiese murmured, “So, um…Elite Disciple Zizek challenged Eugeo to a duel, which ended as a draw, and…”

  She came to a stop, and Ronie hesitantly finished. “He’s…taking it out on her, you said?”

  “R-right, that’s what I meant. So because he couldn’t win, he’s using his disciplinary punishment on Frenica out of frustration and forcing her to fulfill his humiliating orders…?”

  Despite both being nobles, the girls were the lowest rank and thus the closest to commoners, and they were finding it quite hard to understand the second seat’s depraved actions. The thought was so alien to them that they were having difficulty even putting it into words.

  Having grown up in a distant rural village, Eugeo could only guess at what Humbert was thinking, and he certainly couldn’t identify with it. Sure, Zink had played lots of pranks on him as a kid, but his motive had been very simple: Zink liked Alice and didn’t care for the fact that she spent most of her time with Eugeo, so he would hide his rival’s shoes.

  But Humbert was unleashing his frustration and shame at not winning the duel on his page, who bore no fault in the matter. In fact, he was sworn by his position to offer Frenica friendly advice and instruction.

  Eugeo knew about the phrase temper tantrum. When he was young, his father had given his eldest brother a wooden sword from the school, and Eugeo was so jealous that he took his own sword, one his father whittled himself, and struck it against a rock outside so hard that it broke. His father explained that this was a temper tantrum, an act of misplaced anger, and was something to be ashamed of. After a good scolding, Eugeo never did such a thing again.

  Just like breaking one’s own sword, being overly strict on a trainee page was likely not in violation of the Taboo Index, Bas
ic Imperial Law, or even the academy rules. But did that mean it was really okay to do it? Could there be other things outside of the written laws, very important things that ought to be followed…?

  As Eugeo and the girls grappled with this weighty question, Tiese spoke up to say, “I…I don’t understand.”

  She raised her head and looked right at Eugeo, the youthful noble heir’s cheeks extruding over her clenched teeth. “My father always told me that the Schtrinen family’s claim to nobility came from some minor feat achieved by a distant ancestor, briefly earning him the attention of the emperor at the time. And because of that, we shouldn’t take it for granted that we live in a larger house and have more rights than common people. He says that being a noble means that when the battle finally comes, we stand with our swords at the front and die first, so that the commoners below can live in peace and stability…”

  Tiese moved her maple-red eyes south—to the heart of Centoria. She looked at the imposing outline of the imperial government building, just barely visible above the trees, then turned back to Eugeo.

  “The Zizeks, meanwhile, have a huge mansion in District Four and their own holdings outside Centoria. So doesn’t that mean Elite Disciple Humbert should be working even harder than the lower nobles for the happiness of all? Even if it’s not written in the Taboo Index, a noble should always consider if his actions will cause misfortune to others, Father said. Humbert might not be breaking the Taboo Index or the school rules…but…but Frenica cried herself to sleep last night. How…how can such a thing be allowed?”

  When she finished her long, impassioned speech, there were large drops in Tiese’s eyes. But Eugeo had no answer for her—he’d been grappling with the same question. Ronie extended a white kerchief to Tiese, who put it to her eyes.

  “Your father’s a great man. I’d like to meet him someday.”

  That was Kirito, his voice calm and even. It took Eugeo a while to believe what he just heard. The swordsman dressed in black, routinely feared and shunned by his schoolmates for his dangerous glare, blunt attitude, and legendary duel with Volo Levantein, was treating Tiese with sympathy and kindness.

  “What your father taught you, Tiese, is what’s called in Eng…I mean, in the sacred tongue, the ‘noblesse oblige.’ It’s an idea that the noble, or the powerful, should use that power for the sake of the powerless…It’s a kind of pride, in a way.”

  Despite an entire year’s worth of lessons in the sacred tongue, Eugeo had never heard this phrase before, but for some reason, the definition fit squarely into his mind. It made perfect sense.

  Kirito’s quiet voice rode the spring breeze. “That pride is more important than any laws or rules. There are things that aren’t illegal but should never be done, and sometimes there are things that must be done, even when they are forbidden by law.”

  In a way, the latter half of that statement was a refutation of the Taboo Index—and the Axiom Church as a whole. Tiese and Ronie gasped. But Kirito fixed his unwavering stare on them and continued, “A long, long time ago, there was a great man named Saint Augustine. He said that an unjust law is no law at all. You must not put blind faith in any law or authority, no matter how powerful. Humbert might not be breaking the Index or school rules, but his actions are wrong. He must not be allowed to bring an innocent girl to tears. That means someone has to make him stop, and if anyone here is going to do that…”

  “Right…that’s us,” Eugeo agreed. “But Kirito…who decides if the law is just or unjust? If everyone decides for him- or herself, then what becomes of the proper order? Isn’t that why the Axiom Church exists, to decide that for everyone?”

  The Taboo Index did not determine the legality of every single human action. That was how Humbert got away with unfairly punishing his page. But just as Sister Azalia had scolded Zink for his pranks, Eugeo and Kirito had the right to call out Humbert’s actions as his classmates. That was a completely separate principle from casting doubt on the structure of the Church itself.

  God created the world, and the Church was the holy agent. It had guided humanity correctly for centuries. It could not possibly be wrong.

  To his surprise, it was not Kirito who answered this question but the previously silent Ronie. The quiet, shy girl spoke with a force of will that took Eugeo aback.

  “Um…I think I know what Kirito means. It’s an important mentality that isn’t mentioned in the Taboo Index—meaning that it’s a type of justice that exists within ourselves. Not to blindly obey the law but to consult the law in accordance with our justice and think about why it exists. Maybe he’s saying that it’s more important to think than to obey…”

  “Exactly, Ronie. The mind is the most powerful tool a human being wields. It’s stronger than any sword or secret technique,” Kirito replied, grinning. There was admiration in his eyes, and something deeper lurked behind it. Even after two years of constant companionship, there were still things about Kirito that Eugeo didn’t know.

  He asked, “But Kirito, who was this…Saint Augus-whatever person? An Integrity Knight?”

  “Hmm, more like a priest, I bet. Probably long dead,” Kirito said, smirking.

  Once Ronie and Tiese had headed back to the primary trainee dorm, empty picnic basket in one hand and the other waving good-bye, Eugeo turned to look at his partner.

  “About Humbert…do you have a plan, Kirito?”

  Kirito frowned and mumbled, “Hmm…something tells me that just commanding him to stop picking on the underclassman isn’t going to work. But on the other hand…”

  “On the other hand…what?”

  “Humbert’s one thing, but his boss, Raios, is nasty, scheming, and smart. He came out as first seat, so he has to have good marks in sacred arts, law, and history, too.”

  “True. Better than whoever ended up in sixth seat.”

  “You can say that about more than one of us,” Kirito shot back.

  They were on the verge of getting into one of their usual sniping wars, but Eugeo knew it was too important of a topic to get derailed. “And…?”

  “Raios shares a common room with Humbert, right? Don’t you find it strange that he would just sit back and allow this bullying to happen? Whether he suffers discipline or not, eventually bad rumors are going to get out, and that will affect the reputation of his roommate. That seems like just as much of a stain on Raios’s honor as any punishment…”

  “Still, it’s a fact that Humbert is tormenting Frenica. Doesn’t that mean Humbert’s so upset that not even Raios can rein him in? If that’s stemming from our duel, then I have a responsibility to say something…”

  “There. That’s it,” Kirito said, scowling as if he’d bitten a dried tanglevine. “What if this is their clever trap designed to ensnare you? What if you protest Humbert’s actions, and they’ve set up some kind of trick that will cause you to break the school rules…?”

  “What?” Eugeo asked, stunned. “You can’t be serious. That’s not possible. Humbert and I are still disciples. As long as I don’t openly insult him, warnings and admonishment don’t count as acts of rudeness. I’m more worried about you, Kirito.”

  “Ah, well…good point. I’d hate to accidentally splash mud on his uniform,” Kirito said, straight-faced. Eugeo sighed. At the end of the previous school year, Kirito committed that very act of rudeness against First Seat Volo and had to undergo the punishment of a first-strike duel with real, live blades.

  “Listen, when we go to Humbert’s room, I’ll talk first, got it? You just stand behind me and look menacing.”

  “Sure thing, boss. I’m good at that.”

  “…Please, Kirito. We’ll try to be diplomatic this time, and if they don’t respond to reason, we can petition the management to change Frenica’s placement. They’ll at least ask Humbert what he’s getting up to, and that alone should have an effect on him.”

  “Yeah…good point,” Kirito said, still looking a bit glum. Eugeo slapped him on the back and started walking up the hill to
the elite disciple dorm. The righteous fury he felt over Tiese’s story stuck with him, quickening his pace.

  A year ago today, when he was a newly assigned page with no idea what he was doing, he climbed this hill to visit Golgorosso Balto, an imposing disciple who looked to be in his twenties.

  With Golgorosso’s massive body, covered in rippling muscles, and sideburns that bristled proudly like the mane of the lions said to live in the southern empire, Eugeo had initially been afraid that he’d wandered into an instructor’s room by mistake.

  Golgorosso gave the nervous Eugeo a single glance and ordered him to take off his clothes. That was shocking, but Eugeo wasn’t going to disobey, so he stripped off his gray uniform and stood there in his underwear. He’d felt the piercing gaze scan him from head to toe—and then Golgorosso smiled at last and said, “You’re in good shape.”

  Eugeo had put the uniform back on with utter relief, and Golgorosso admitted that as a common-born man who rose through the garrison ranks himself, he had chosen Eugeo for his background. In the year that followed, his boldness was sometimes troubling but never crossed the line, and he taught Eugeo much about the sword in his own bracing way. Eugeo’s success at the disciple placement tests had as much to do with Golgorosso’s Baltio style as it did with Kirito’s Aincrad one.

  On the day Golgorosso graduated and left the city, Eugeo summoned his courage and asked him the question that had been on his mind all year: Why did he pick Eugeo and not Kirito, who had come up from the same place?

  True, I could tell during the entrance tests that his skill was a bit above yours. But that’s exactly why I chose you. I could sense that you had further to go and were more desperate to improve yourself, just the way I was. But either way, Liena was second seat, so she got to pick Kirito first.

  Golgorosso boomed with laughter and rubbed Eugeo’s head with his thick hand. Earn your way to being a disciple, and treat your page well, he said. Eugeo nodded repeatedly, fighting back the tears, and stood at the school gate until Golgorosso’s imposing form was out of sight.