2

Eugeo was prepared for any kind of petty revenge scheme, but for the next few days after the impromptu duel, Raios and Humbert stayed quiet.

When he passed them at the disciples’ dorm or the central building, Humbert would give him a hateful look, but not so much as a word otherwise. Just in case, he told Kirito about the incident at the training hall and warned him to be on guard, but the nobles hadn’t bothered him at all.

“It seems so strange…They’re not the kind of guys who would withdraw and mind their own business after that. And what Raios said sure sounded like a promise for retribution,” Eugeo muttered, leaning back into a leather couch.

Across from him, Kirito held a ceramic cup to his lips. “I don’t think they’ve had a sudden change of heart, either. But if you think about it, it’s got to be difficult to pull off their kind of trick here at this dorm.”

He sipped his cofil tea, black and unsweetened. It was nine thirty at night after a wild week, with the day of rest ahead. They’d finished with their daily practice, dinner, and bath, and at this time on a weekday, they’d be in their beds sleeping—but it had become their custom to spend this one night a week in the common room, sipping tea and talking things over.

Eugeo lifted his own cup, tasted the hot black liquid, and made a face. His partner loved this powdered tea from the southern empire and always prepared it when it was his turn to make the tea, but Eugeo found it too bitter to drink straight. He poured in a large amount of milk from the jar and stirred it in with the little spoon, glancing at Kirito.

The gesture apparently prompted Kirito to ask an unexpected question. “When you were a kid back home in Rulid, what kind of pranks would you play around the school?”

Eugeo took another sip of the cofil tea, which was no longer bitter but rich and fragrant. He shrugged. “I was usually the one on the receiving end. You remember Zink, the chief man-at-arms, who challenged me to a fight before we left? He used to harass me all the time…Hiding my shoes, putting itch-bugs in my lunch, teasing me for hanging out with Alice.”

“Ha-ha-ha, I guess kids do the same things in every world…But he didn’t hit you or anything like that. Right?”

“Of course not,” Eugeo said, wide-eyed. “He could never do such a thing. I mean—”

“The Taboo Index forbids it, exactly. ‘Thou shalt not intentionally damage the life of another without a reason listed elsewhere.’ But…is it okay to hide someone’s shoes? Isn’t stealing also a terrible taboo?”

“Stealing means to take another’s possessions and make them your own without permission. It takes twenty-four hours for the sacred text in the Stacia Window that indicates ownership to pass from person to person once the item has been moved or placed in the other’s home. That’s why, even if you have an agreement to give something to another person, you can still fairly request its return within the day. And if it’s removed without permission, you can place the item anywhere that’s not your own home, which will not overwrite the ownership and thus doesn’t count as stealing. You aren’t telling me…you’ve forgotten such a basic tenet of the law, are you?”

Eugeo stared at Kirito, the infamous lost child of Vecta, but the other boy merely ruffled his black hair and laughed in embarrassment.

“Oh, r-right, of course. No, I haven’t forgotten. I remember…but wait. What about in that story, then? When Bercouli tried to steal the Blue Rose Sword from the dragon’s lair—wasn’t that breaking a taboo?”

“A dragon isn’t a person.”

“Ah…gotcha.”

“Back on topic, while it’s not a taboo to hide someone’s belongings for a prank, if left out in the open on nobody’s territory, the item’s life will start to dwindle, so if it’s not returned before then, that’s damage to another’s property. So no matter what, my shoes would always be back by the evening. But…what does this have to do with Raios and Humbert behaving themselves?” Eugeo wondered.

Kirito blinked, apparently forgetting that he had brought it up in the first place, then said, “Ah, r-right. Um, so my point is, this school has a bunch of its own rules in addition to the Taboo Index, right? And there’s an entry about going into the private rooms of other students or faculty without permission. That means they can’t get in here, and all our property is inside our room. We’d have to forget something important out in a public…space…”

He trailed off for some reason, but then regained his train of thought. “And we haven’t done that, of course. So it’s essentially impossible for Raios and Humbert to play pranks on us the same way that Zink picked on poor little Eugeo back in Rulid Village.”

“Don’t you ‘poor little’ me. Hmm…but now that you mention it, I guess you’re right that at the disciples’ dorm, there’s no way to harass someone worse than simple insults.”

“And if the insult crosses a line, it becomes subject to disciplinary punishment,” Kirito added, grinning.

Disciplinary punishment was a special right of the elite disciples, a kind of staff-proxy authority to uphold the rules. If a student committed some rudeness or slight that was not against the rules but deemed worthy of discipline, the elite disciple could choose to punish the student at his or her own discretion. Kirito himself had recently been the subject of this system, when he got mud on the uniform of Volo Levantein, previous first seat of the academy. Volo used his disciplinary punishment privilege to challenge Kirito to a duel.

This privilege was customarily used on primary and secondary trainees, but there was no stipulation in the school rules that it couldn’t be used against another disciple. So it was theoretically possible for a disciple to punish another disciple, and this was the reason that Raios’s and Humbert’s japes and insults had decreased since the new school year started.

Kirito’s cup was empty, so Eugeo poured him some more tea. This time, his partner drizzled a little milk into it. He swirled the delicate silver spoon with his fingertips, lost in thought.

Eventually, Kirito said, “If they can’t mess with our stuff, then they’ll have to go after us. The most direct method would be starting a duel and landing a blow, but you’ve already proven you can work a draw against them. The only other thing I can imagine is…tempting me with promises of wealth and turning me against you.”

“Huh…?” Eugeo whimpered, then clamped his mouth shut.

But Kirito smirked and boasted, “Have no fear, young man. Big Bro will never abandon you.”

“I—I wasn’t worried about that! But if not money…I wonder if a big plate of Gottoro’s special meat buns would tempt you.”

“That would definitely work,” Kirito admitted, deadly serious, then laughed. “But enough jokes. I think we can rule out the likelihood that they’ll try to mess with us or our belongings.”

Then his expression got tense again. “But that does mean they could try anything that doesn’t fall under the Taboo Index or school rules. I highly doubt they have any intention of handing over the first and second seat…Let me know if there’s anything we’re overlooking, Eugeo.”

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. It’s less than a month to the first testing match, after all. We need to make sure we’re in the best possible condition to face them.”

“Right…On the other hand, maybe they were threatening us with no intent to follow up, just to keep us nervous and on edge. Don’t lose your head—stay cool!” Kirito proclaimed, draining his cup.

Eugeo looked confused. “What do you mean? Stay…cool?”

For some reason, Kirito averted his eyes guiltily and cleared his throat. “Err, that’s…a mantra of the Aincrad style. I guess you could say it means ‘be calm.’ You can also use it as a farewell.”

“Ahh, I see. I’ll have to remember that. Stay cool, stay cool,” Eugeo repeated. The unfamiliar phrase was in the same sacred tongue as the special Aincrad techniques, but he found it surprisingly comfortable once he tried it out. He repeated it over and over under his breath, until Kirito started looking awkward and clapped his hands together.

“Well! The ten o’clock bells will ring soon, so I guess we should call it a night. As for tomorrow, I actually have an errand to run…”

“Oh no you don’t, Kirito. You can’t slip your way out of this one,” Eugeo said, setting down his cup and glaring at his partner.

On tomorrow’s day of rest, they were supposed to take their pages, Tiese and Ronie, on a little friendship-building field trip—which would still be within the school grounds. Based on Kirito’s reaction when the idea was brought up, Eugeo had been expecting him to come up with some reason to weasel his way out of it.

“Listen, it’s been a month now since we started tutoring those two. Sortiliena was nice to you last year when you were her page, right?”

“Whenever we weren’t training, yes. Wow…that name brings back memories. I wonder how she’s doing…”

“Don’t go off into a flashback. My point is, now it’s your turn to be the good tutor. They’re coming over at nine in the morning, so make sure you’re ready by then!” Eugeo commanded, jabbing a finger at Kirito. He gave an easy affirmative and got up from the couch.

They took their dishes over to the sink in the corner of the room, with Kirito rinsing off each piece while Eugeo handled the drying. In Rulid and Zakkaria, they had to draw the water from a well, but in Centoria, nearly all buildings had metal pipes that brought crisp, clean water with just the twist of a faucet. Eugeo thought at first it was the work of a Divine Object like the Bells of Time-Tolling, but it turned out that each district of the series had a huge reservoir well infused with wind-element sacred arts that applied pressure to push it through all the many pipes.

So the water they got was always fresh, and they didn’t have to worry about it degrading in its bucket. If they’d had this back in Rulid, how delighted would the children be that they didn’t have to go out and draw water each morning? Eugeo considered this as he finished up washing and put the cups back in the cupboard.

Kirito drank a few deep gulps straight from the tap at the end, wiped his lips, and yawned. “Okay, wake me up at eight o’clock, then. Good night, Eugeo.”

“Eight is too late! Seven thirty! Good night, Kirito,” he replied, then remembered something and added, “Stay cool.”

His partner turned to look over his shoulder with a smirk, just short of his bedroom door, and said, “Listen, I know I said that it’s a farewell of sorts, but not before bed every night. Save it for a proper parting.”

“Sheesh, this saying is more complicated than I thought. Fine…see you tomorrow, then.”

“Later,” Kirito said, waving and retreating into his room. Eugeo blew out the lamp on the wall and opened the door on the opposite wall.

His bedroom was nearly half the size of the ten-man rooms at the primary dorm. There wasn’t a spot of dust on the floor after Tiese’s cleaning earlier. He changed into his white pajamas and flopped down onto his soft bed.

As sleep snuck up on his mind, a portion of the earlier conversation came with it, for some mysterious reason.

But that does mean they could try anything that doesn’t fall under the Taboo Index or school rules.

It was what Kirito said about Raios and Humbert. Eugeo had agreed with him at the time, but it was a way of thinking he found very hard to accept.

From his childhood until now, between the Rulid Village standards, the Zakkaria Garrison bylaws, and now the Swordcraft Academy rules, Eugeo had peered here and there for shortcuts. But he had never once attempted to find a way around the Taboo Index, the greatest set of laws in all of humanity—except that, yes, he had.

It happened eight years ago, when the Integrity Knight landed at the village to take Alice away. Eugeo set upon the knight with the Dragonbone Ax in an attempt to save her—except that he couldn’t move a step. Even now, recalling the incident caused the inside of his right eye to twitch.

He didn’t contain an ounce of rebellion against the Integrity Knights or the Church now, of course. The knight had taken Alice away as dictated by the law, so Eugeo would follow that same law to pass through the gate of the church and meet her again. That was why he had left home and come this far.

But if Kirito was right, and Raios and Humbert would try “anything that doesn’t fall under the Taboo Index,” did that mean that the absolute book of laws, the system put in place at the very creation of the world, was merely something they reluctantly obeyed? In their heart of hearts, was the Taboo Index something they found annoying, distasteful?

Surely even they wouldn’t go that far. The Taboo Index could not even be doubted. It was the ultimate tome of justice and fairness, equally applied to a common man and to an emperor.

Eugeo bit his lip as he lifted his gaze to the ceiling, lit with the pale reflection of the moonlight. If one were allowed to defy the Index, then what did that say about his own failure to stop the Integrity Knight from taking Alice, and then spending the next six years chopping away at the Gigas Cedar? What had he been upholding, and to what purpose?

The core of his right eye twinged again. He squeezed his lids shut, driving away the conflicted thoughts, and allowed himself to slide into an uneasy sleep.

The Swordcraft Academy grounds, surrounded by tall steel fences, contained a forest that occupied a third of its space. The ancient trees were covered in golden moss, and the way the sun filtered down to the green undergrowth reminded Eugeo of home, but being located so much farther south meant that the wildlife was more varied. Here and there were new creatures he’d never seen up north soaking up the sun: tiny foxes, for instance, or long, narrow snakes colored blue-green. He’d been here over a year now, but the sight still fascinated him.

“Are you listening, Eugeo?” said a voice at his side. He turned with a start.

“Sorry, sorry, of course I am. You were saying?”

“So you weren’t listening!” said the girl with long hair the color of ripe red apples—Eugeo’s trainee page, Tiese Schtrinen.

He turned away from her eyes, which were the same brilliant color as her hair, and awkwardly said, “The…the forest was so beautiful, I got distracted…I haven’t seen some of these animals before.”

“Is that so?” Tiese asked, following his line of sight and then shrugging when she saw what he was looking at. “Oh, that’s just a golden flying fox. You can find them in just about any tree growing around the city.”

“Oh…That’s right—you grew up here, didn’t you? Is your house close by?”

“My family lives in District Eight, so it’s a bit of a hike from District Five.”

“Ah, I see…Hmm?”

Eugeo paused and turned to Tiese. The primary trainee uniform, which he’d thought a bit ugly when he wore it last year, seemed strangely fresh and refined on her. That made sense; if they hadn’t been fellow students, frontier child Eugeo would never have any connection to someone like her.

“Tiese, you’re a noble, right? I thought I heard that all the noble mansions were concentrated in Districts Three and Four,” Eugeo said politely.

Tiese ducked her head in embarrassment, then shook it. “Technically, my father’s a sixth-rank peer…but we’re barely lower nobles as it is. Only the fourth-rank and higher nobles can live in the areas near the imperial government. There are lots of restrictions on the fifth- and sixth-rank nobles. Father likes to say, ‘I wish we were commoners; at least they don’t have to fear the higher nobles’ judicial authority’…Oh! Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry…”

She bowed, ashamed that she’d said something she considered rude to Eugeo, whose entire family tree was common.

“Don’t worry about it. Besides, I thought all nobles had that judicial authority thing,” he said, recalling the Basic Imperial Law he’d had to study last year.

“Not at all!” Tiese protested. “Judicial authority only extends down to fourth-rank. The lower nobles are actually subject to the judicial review of the higher ones. My father’s a scribe for the government, and he says that many of the fifth- and sixth-rank nobles working at the palace and government building have been punished for upsetting higher nobles over some insignificant thing or another. Of course, they’re civilized adults, so it’s not physical punishment but docked pay and things like that.”

“Oh, I see…I didn’t realize things could be that hard for nobility, too,” Eugeo murmured, surprised.

The red-haired trainee blushed for some reason and added rapidly, “M-my point is, being the heir to a sixth-rank noble house is noble in name alone. Our lifestyle is pretty much the same as any regular family.”

“Ohhh…”

Eugeo couldn’t affirm or deny this, only murmur vaguely. He considered the workings of the empire.

The government’s Basic Imperial Law laid out the structure of Norlangarthian society. But because the higher Taboo Index covered all crimes and punishments, the imperial law mostly dealt with the regulations of the various classes of citizens—in other words, the rights of the nobles and the rights of the common people.

In the law class of their first year (the only other academic subjects were sacred arts and history), a certain black-haired student had asked the elderly teacher why the empire had nobles and commoners.

As a lower noble himself, the teacher was initially at a loss for words. Then he said firmly, “According to the prophecies passed down by the Axiom Church since time immemorial, one day the forces of darkness will invade through the four great passages: the Northern Cave, the Western Ravine, the Southern Corridor, and the Eastern Gate. In order to vanquish the subhuman scourge, all those in the four empires who have the calling of guards and soldiers must rise up to fight as the army of humanity. Our nobility hone their skill, learn sacred arts, and discipline their minds and bodies so that they may lead those forces.”

While Eugeo was thrilled and moved by this answer, part of him was still conflicted. Two years ago, Eugeo and Kirito had fought a band of goblins in that very Northern Cave the teacher mentioned. Sadly, the goblin captain had knocked him out in the midst of the fight, but the terrifying appearances and raspy, bestial voices of the creatures were still vivid in his memory. He and Kirito decided never to mention the incident while at school. If they did, he suspected that half the female students might pass out in fright.

Eugeo never wanted to repeat that experience, of course. So he was extremely impressed by the bravery of the nobles to stand at the lead and battle those goblins and the even more fearsome orcs and ogres.

On the other hand, 380 years had passed since Stacia created the world. In all that time, the forces of darkness had never once invaded the human realm. The higher nobles of the four empires were freed from their daily labor, lived in huge mansions, and even used their judicial authority on lower nobles—all for this supposed preparation against an enemy they’d never seen and whose arrival was uncertain…

Tiese seemed to read Eugeo’s mind. She sighed and said, “As I’m the eldest child, Father is hoping that by putting me into this school, I might be conferred a fourth-rank title by the time I take over the house, so that I won’t be subject to judicial authority. If I’m chosen as the academy’s representative and get far in the Imperial Battle Tournament, it might not be out of the question…But given that I was only eleventh on the entrance exam rankings, I suppose it might be pointless to hope.”

She stuck out her tongue and grinned. Eugeo had to narrow his eyes, she felt so radiant to him. He’d come here on a very personal quest—to reunite with his childhood friend—but Tiese was learning swordfighting for the purpose of improving her family’s lot in life. In a way, she seemed to embody the true glory of nobility.

“No, Tiese…You’re doing great. You worked so hard to make your father happy that you achieved a place in the top twelve primary trainees,” Eugeo told her, full of emotion.

“Oh, n-no!” she shrieked. “I just got lucky that the demonstration portion happened to line up with my own expertise. And my rank came after a lifetime of training, ever since I was three years old. What you’re doing is way more impressive. It’s hard enough to get here on a garrison recommendation, and not only did you succeed at that, you’re now the fifth seat disciple. I’m actually really honored to be your page.”

“Aw, geez…”

He bobbed his head and lifted a hand to ruffle his bangs in embarrassment, then realized it was exactly the sort of thing Kirito would do and quickly took his hand down.

Tiese claimed that it was an “honor” to be his page, but for her and Eugeo, and Ronie and Kirito, the matchups were more like the guidance of Stacia: in other words, total coincidence.

The elite disciples determined the pages’ assignments by taking their pick, in order of rank. That meant that as first seat, Raios picked his page out of the top twelve new students first, then Humbert. Eugeo would be fifth and Kirito sixth. But oddly enough, the two talked it over and decided to wait until the end. They wanted the two students whom none of the other ten disciples picked.

In other words, the two options left to them at the end were Tiese and Ronie. They both seemed at a loss for words when they realized it was two girls—Kirito looked especially uneasy—but Eugeo was ultimately glad for it. After all, the sole, pitiful reason none of the other disciples had chosen the girls was because they were the only sixth-rank nobles of the bunch.

The girls had no idea what went on during the choosing process, and the boys had no reason to tell them. Eugeo was happy with Tiese as his page, and Kirito was…probably the same way with Ronie.

So Eugeo cleared his throat and switched topics to his own experience. “Actually, I didn’t have an easy time getting into the academy. I was super nervous. In fact, it was half because of Kirito that I made it in and got to be an elite disciple this year…”

Tiese blinked, her eyes the color of leaves reddening in the autumn. “What?! So Kirito’s…better than you?”

“…I’m finding it very difficult to say ‘yes’ when you phrase it that way…”

Tiese laughed pleasantly, and he looked over his shoulder, worried that his partner wasn’t actually at his page’s side after all. Fortunately, he soon heard Kirito’s voice on the breeze.

“…So you see, when they attack with a high slash in the High-Norkia style, there are basically only two trajectories you need to prepare for—either straight overhead or diagonal from the top right. Anything else and they’ll need to change their footing, so you’ll have time to adjust accordingly. As for how to choose between overhead or top-right…”

Well, it might be dry, but at least Ronie seems to be listening to him, Eugeo noted with a smirk, and looked forward again.

So his reason for learning the sword was to reunite with Alice, and Tiese’s and Ronie’s were to improve the standing of their families. Meanwhile, at every opportunity, Kirito claimed that his goal was the same as Eugeo’s.

Eugeo wasn’t going to doubt his friendship, but there were times that he felt that Kirito’s reason for practicing wasn’t to gain some tangible goal but purely to master the art of the blade. Such was the perfect mesh of Kirito’s personality and his Aincrad style. They were practically one and the same.

So far, Eugeo had focused his attention solely on Raios and Humbert in preparation for the official matches next month. But it occurred to him now that, depending on how the matches played out, he might end up facing off against his good friend and teacher.

He couldn’t win, of course. But more importantly, he couldn’t even imagine crossing swords with Kirito and giving him a serious fight. How would he summon strength into his blade? How would he execute his techniques against a friend…?

“Oh, how about the side of the pond there?” Tiese said suddenly, pointing ahead and rousing Eugeo from his thoughts. He followed her slender fingers to a thick, short bed of grass along the bank of a beautiful pond. It was the perfect place to set out a picnic.

“Yeah, that looks good. Hey, Kirito, Ronie! Let’s have lunch next to the pond here!” Eugeo shouted over his shoulder. His best friend gave him that typical dazzling smile and waved.

The four of them laid out their blanket on the grass and sat down in a little circle.

“Ahh…I’m so hungry,” Kirito complained, rubbing his stomach theatrically. The girls giggled and opened their picnic basket to set up the food.

“Um, we made it ourselves, so I hope you like it,” said Ronie Arabel, primary trainee, as she shyly set out the plates. She wasn’t nearly as nervous as she usually was. Eugeo was hoping that through this leisure activity, she would finally realize that the black-clad elite disciple was hardly as imposing as he looked, and then eventually get used to his tutelage.

Inside the large basket was a veritable feast of white-bread sandwiches packed with thinly sliced meat, fish, cheese, and herbs; fragrant fried chicken; and cake packed with dried fruit and nuts.

Tiese examined the remaining life of each dish, then Ronie led a premeal prayer of “Avi Admina.” The words were barely out of their mouths before Kirito was reaching for the food. He stuffed a large hunk of meat into his mouth, closed his eyes, and chewed, then spoke in the tones of a teacher.

“Ah, quite good. In fact, Ronie and Tiese, I might go so far as to say that this is the equal of the Jumping Deer.”

“Wow, really?!” the girls exclaimed, their faces shining. They shared a glance and burst into smiles. Eugeo took a thin sandwich of dried fish and herbs and dug in.

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, Basic 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.

He had taught Eugeo that a disciple and page were not just a simple instructor and servant. He didn’t think he would ever be as good a tutor as Golgorosso was, but he was going to spend this entire year teaching Tiese as much of what he’d learned as possible. Wouldn’t that be what Kirito had talked about—something not written in the rules but more important than anything?

Humbert and Raios might not understand it. They’d probably slacked off in the entrance exams to come in under the top twelve so that they didn’t have to be pages. But even so, he had to say what needed to be said.

Eugeo put his hands on the door, pushed his way into the dorm building, and headed up the front stairs, leather boots ringing against every step.