Sword Art Online - Volume 11 - Chapter 5.5

Part 5
"......It's a pity. Truly."
Saying so softly, Dormitory Supervisor Azurika followed up after a short pause to think.
"And I was sure the two of you would be the academy's representative swordsmen this year too."
"I was planning on that as well though."
He certainly couldn't emulate Kirito who went ahead and said that in this situation; on the contrary, his left eye gradually grew hotter, so Eugeo looked up in a fluster.
The 5th month's sky was cloudless, as though they were washed away by the storm last night. Many small birds were chirping in the branches of the trees sparkling in the verdant green of new sprouts. It would surely feel good to lie down on the lawn at the central plaza on a day like this—but Eugeo and Kirito would never have another chance to take an afternoon nap at this academy again.

The two spent the whole of last night on the other side of the iron door towering behind them—the underground discipline chamber of the Master Swords Academy's administrative building. The chamber was rather clean despite it barely used since the start of the school and the beds were close to those of the novice trainees' dormitory, but Eugeo was unable to get a wink of sleep as expected.
Kirito was Kirito as always, trying hard the entire night to treat Eugeo's right eye that popped out with sacred arts, but regeneration of an organ was difficult when sealing the wound without a catalyst already took his all. In the first place, it was unclear why his right eye stopped working when it did not receive any external injuries. The sacred power in the surrounding atmosphere dried up as the ceremonies for various arts were tried and even Kirito, with his usual tenacity, could not help but to give up for the time being.
The night ended before long, the morning sun shone in the narrow window and the lock to the discipline chamber turned with the 9 AM bell. He thought it would be the empire's imperial guards here to escort them for sure, but the one standing beyond the door was surprisingly, Azurika-sensei from the novice trainees' dormitory—that was what happened.
The female instructor, who could be thought to be in the latter part of her twenties, loosened the tension in her mouth just a little bit at Kirito's words, and turned to Eugeo. Those grey-blue eyes that brought to mind a cleanly polished blade and reminded Eugeo of Sister Azariya from Rulid Village always made him nervous, but he continued staring into those eyes without averting his eyes this particular time.
Dormitory Supervisor Azurika was about to say something, but then closed her mouth and fetched an item from her coat's pocket next. A small light green sphere. It resembled a glass ornament but wasn't one. It was the crystallized form of the sacred power harvested from the «four sacred flowers» cultivated in the academy's flowerbeds.
The dormitory supervisor broke the precious catalyst pinched between the fingertips of her left hand without hesitation. With a fleeting sound, glittering beads of light danced in the air. Without a moment's pause, she chanted the ceremony for the art with her right hand held at Eugeo's right eye.
"System call. Generate luminous element..."
It was a recital speed far quicker than the instructor for sacred arts. Even while Eugeo and Kirito stood still dumbfounded, complex paragraphs of procedures were smoothly compiled together, and a warm light coalesced on the wound at Eugeo's right eye—
"Try opening your eye."
He heard that whisper at the end, so Eugeo timidly raised the right eyelid sealed for the past sixteen hours. Upon doing so, the right side of his vision returned as though it was never gone, a sigh of surprise and wonder escaping from him. Eugeo looked through the surroundings countless times before he gave a deep bow, finally having noticed.
"Th-Thank you very much, Azurika-sensei."
"It's fine. Rather than that... Swordsman-in-training Eugeo, and you too, Swordsman-in-training Kirito. Before I hand you over to your escort, I'll say this one thing."
Softly mentioning so, Dormitory Supervisor Azurika showed a rare sign of hesitation before placing her right hand on Kirito's shoulder and her left on Eugeo's shoulder.
"The both of you will likely be judged for the offence of disobeying the Taboo Index and harming the Life of another now. However, don't forget. That the Taboo Index... no, even the Axiom Church itself was made not by God, but by man."
"Eh... wh-what do you mean by..."
Eugeo questioned in reflex.
Even a child knew about how the God of Creation, Stacia, gave birth to the Human World, no matter how young. And that the Church which supervised the Human World too, was created by God as well.
"For now... that's all I'll say. But you'll definitely find out soon. About the truth behind this world."
That was when Dormitory Supervisor Azurika frowned and closed tightly, her right eye alone. Eugeo intuitively knew that she was enduring a sharp pain.
"...Swordsman-in-training Eugeo. You've broken a seal that I didn't. If that's the case, you should definitely be able to go where I couldn't... Trust in that sword and your friend."
She nodded and turned to face Kirito next.
"And you, Swordsman-in-training Kirito. About who you really are... even I couldn't understand in the end. However, something will definitely happen when you reach that tower. I'll be praying for light in your path from now on, from here. Always."
Her words became even more puzzling, but it seemed Kirito understood them. He nodded and covered up Dormitory Supervisor Azurika's hand, on his own left shoulder, and brought it to his chest.
"Thank you, sensei. I'll come and meet you again someday. We'll definitely have a chat then. About what you want to know, all of it."
Finishing what he had to say, he gently tapped the slender fingertip held between his two hands against his own mouth. Dormitory Supervisor Azurika blinked countless times in surprise and though it might have been a trick of the light, a little color seemed to have went into her cheeks, before she gave a faint smile.
Kirito made a face like someone pulled on his hair yet again in that instant, but the dormitory supervisor didn't seem to have noticed that. She slowly withdrew her right hand from Kirito's and took her hand off Eugeo's shoulder—
"Well then, let's go. Your escort is here."

The academy grounds usually filled with students bustling from classroom to classroom had turned quiet, without any sign of people around.
In exchange, Eugeo found something unexpected in the plaza before the large practice arena and widely opened his just-recovered eyes.
A gigantic living being given a dazzling sheen under the light from Solus pouring down from the sunny skies. The metal armor equipped on its chest and head, and naturally, the triangular scales adorning its entire body as well, all gave off a silver gleam. It was obvious even without looking at its folded wings which towered like a couple of spires and the long tail that drew an arc to know that it was a flying dragon. Ridden by the guardians of law and order, the integrity knights, it was the greatest and thus, the strongest sacred beast in the Human World.
It didn't look like the rider was around. Without a trace of hesitation at the flying dragon that looked down at the three from above, Dormitory Supervisor Azurika guided Eugeo and Kirito to the practice arena and stopped in her tracks there.
She looked at the two in turn, gave a light nod and silently shifted aside. Dormitory Supervisor Azurika left for the novice trainees' dormitory with her long boots ringing out, the both of them took a deep bow towards her back. Raising their heads only after the sound of the footsteps were gone, they glanced at the flying dragon to check it out and turned back towards the large door leading to the practice arena.
"......If a flying dragon's around... our escort's an integrity knight... I believe?"
There were slight tremors in Eugeo's murmurs, but his partner made a hmph through his nose as he usually would and nonchalantly reached his hand out towards the closed door.
"Wouldn't know until we see it."
Pushing it open the moment he said that, he stepped in with large strides. Eugeo steeled himself and chased behind.
The insides were dim, perhaps due to the closed skylight. The wooden-boarded practice arena and the surrounding spectator stands were naturally enough, devoid of students and instructors.
A piece of art was drawn on the white wall far in front of them with the creation myth, «The Three Goddesses who drove away the God of Darkness, Vector», as its theme. And, right in the middle of the vast practice arena was a single silhouette looking in the opposite direction, at the wall—
Eugeo had once seen an integrity knight from the Church from up close. Of course, that was when the young Alice was taken away. The integrity knight who called himself «Deusolbert Synthesis Seven» had an immense body with a height close to two mel. However, the one standing before Eugeo's sight now was far smaller than that knight. That height might even be a little shorter than Eugeo if only that was taken into consideration.
The blue mantle clasped onto those two shoulders was embroidered with the Axiom Church's crest, a composite between a cross and a circle. However, what caught the eye beyond anything else, was that which flowed straight down from above the mantle, that long golden hair. It was of a color far more deep and pure than Raios's, gleaming like molten gold even under the obscure lighting.
That figure made no movement, so Eugeo exchanged glances with Kirito and slowly begun to walk. Crossing straight, through the practice arena, they stopped around five mel from the small-framed person.
"...From the North Centoria Empire, Master Swords Academy, I am Elite Swordsman-in-training Eugeo."
When he managed to name himself without choking on his words, his partner continued without a moment's delay.
"Same here, I'm Kirito."
It was the type of scene where he would usually complain 'stop cutting corners and name yourself properly!' in his mind, but that thought didn't come to mind at all this time. It wasn't all due to his anxiety. As he looked at the blue mantle and golden hair fluttering in the gentle breeze blown in from the entrance, still open a mere few steps behind, a queer feeling begun to develop in his chest.
—Somewhere.
This blend, of blue and gold. It felt like, he had seen it, somewhere before...
The strangling distress turned into a shock that could practically stop his heart several seconds later.

"United Centoria City Region, integrity knight of the Axiom Church—I am Alice Synthesis Thirty."
The knight stated her name with her back still facing them. There was no mistaking that voice. It was a voice he heard almost daily for close to ten years since he gained awareness as a child.
And that name. The family name had an unfamiliar ring to it, but he surely heard her name right. «Alice».
It couldn't be a mere coincidence. Eugeo took one, two sluggish steps forward and whispered incoherently.
"...Alice...? It's you...? You're... Alice......?"
It seemed that Kirito quickly reached out with his hand from the left, but Eugeo slipped away from that and took another step closer. The golden hair and mantle were fluttering right before his own eyes, and a faint fragrance spread out. It was a gentle, nostalgic fragrance that brought to mind a flower garden that received plentiful sunlight. A fragrance that always drifted about that blue apron dress his childhood friend wore.
"Alice...!"
Once more, and while calling out clearly this time, Eugeo tried to touch the integrity knight's right shoulder. After turning around, the knight would greet Eugeo with that impish, aloof and demure smile and—
That idea was crushed by a streaking flash of light.
The terrible impact assailed his right cheek and Eugeo was helplessly blown away, collapsing onto the practice arena's floorboards, back first.
"Eugeo!"
Kirito helped him up straight away, but even that didn't register in his consciousness as Eugeo opened his two eyes wide, dumbfounded.
Still facing them with her back even now, the knight had her right hand extended horizontally and now held a long sword before anyone noticed. However, it wasn't a naked blade but was sheathed in a gilded scabbard. The knight had removed the scabbard from its sword belt and attacked Eugeo's cheek with its tip in that instant.
Lowering the sword in a smooth motion, the integrity knight spoke.
"...Speak and behave yourself with care. I have the authority to deprive the both of you of seventy percent of your Lives. The next time you try to touch me without my consent, that very hand will be sliced off."
Informing so in that cool and clear like water thawed from ice, yet frigid and stern voice, the knight finally turned around.
"......Alice..."
Eugeo could not stop that name from escaping his mouth once again.
The integrity knight who carried that golden sword was once taken away from Rulid Village; Eugeo's childhood friend, Village Chief Gasupht's daughter and Selka's sister, Alice Schuberg—that grown-up figure couldn't be anyone but her.
Her outfit was obviously different from then. Her chest, shoulders and waist were covered in light armor with elegant engravings set in them, and her long skirt could even reach her feet. But there was no mistaking that face.
Glossy golden hair without creases. Pure white skin with a sense of innocence. And above all that, that indescribable deep blue within those two slightly upturned eyes, a color he had never seen on anyone except that girl, even after coming to the central.
It was only the light that hovered in those eyes however, that differed from that of his memories. They lost that radiance overflowing with curiosity when she still lived at Rulid Village, and Eugeo felt nothing but a mere cold gaze concentrated on him as he lay collapsed on the floor.
Those lips in the color of cherry blossoms moved and that lovely, yet cool-headed voice flowed out once again.
"Huh... I planned to take off thirty percent of your Life, but it was only reduced by half of that. If you averted that with merely the judgement from your body, that would be proof of your appointment as an elite swordsman-in-training... or perhaps of one who committed a heinous crime like murder, I suppose."
The way she spoke made it clear that she read through Eugeo's «window» without even touching his hands, but he couldn't even think about its implications.
Eugeo didn't want to accept those words streaming into his ears by all means. There was no way that gentle Alice could say such things. No, before even considering that, Eugeo couldn't believe that Alice would show no reaction even upon seeing him, inflict a merciless blow on his cheek and in the first place, stand before his very eyes as an integrity knight.
It was when he ignored the warning and tried to call out once more.
Kirito gave a short whisper near his ears.
"That knight's the «Alice» you were searching for, isn't she?"
His partner's voice was distinctively calm despite the circumstances and Eugeo managed to retrieve a mere bit of his composure. After forcing out a small nod, that whisper came again.
"...Obey her instructions for now. If we enter the Central Cathedral, even as criminals, we should be able to understand the situation a little more."
Enter—the Cathedral.
Eugeo finally noticed upon Kirito mentioning it. It was what he wished for; although it wasn't by winning and proceeding through the Empire Swordsmanship Tournament and Four Empires Unity Tournament, then being appointed as an integrity knight, but by having committed a taboo instead, he still ended up closing in to his goal a year earlier than scheduled.
Entering the Central Cathedral and meeting with Alice. That was Eugeo's final goal.
The sequence was different and Eugeo didn't know the reason behind Alice acting like a different person as an integrity knight, but at the very least, he had achieved half of his objectives at the present moment. In that case, he should definitely find it if he entered the Cathedral. A way to return Alice to how she was.
Just as Eugeo managed to restore his composure, Knight Alice restored the sword in her right hand to the left of her waist as well. Her mantle fluttering, she started walking towards the large door.
"Stand, and follow me."
There was no option to go against her instructions any longer. Helped up by Kirito, Eugeo chased behind Alice in silence.
Upon exiting the practice arena, Alice headed straight towards the flying dragon on standby at the plaza and softly stroked its formidable muzzle with her right hand. Continuing on, she took out strange tools from the large cargo area created behind the saddle.
That, three thick leather belts joined together by iron chains—was a restraint device. It was exactly the same as the one that bound the young Alice eight years ago.
Approaching with a restraint device in each of her two hands, Alice made Kirito and Eugeo stand up straight and informed them coldly. That voice was far quieter than Raios's shouts when he tried to cut Eugeo, but it held a majestic effect as though it was a delegate for the voice of God.
"Elite Swordsman-in-training Eugeo. Elite Swordsman-in-training Kirito. The both of you will be arrested, taken into custody, brought to trial, then executed at a later date."
The restraint devices were coiled around the two's frozen bodies by Alice's hands. Their two arms, chest and waist were tightly bound by the leather belts, completely losing their ability to move all at once.
Grabbing the chains extending from the pair's backs and returning to the side of the flying dragon, Alice fixed them onto the clasps on the armor that covered the sacred beast's two sturdy legs, one at a time. Thus, Kirito was then attached to the dragon's right leg and the left for Eugeo.
Eight years ago, Integrity Knight Deusolbert had fastened the young Alice onto the dragon's leg in the same manner and flew away. However, even a flying dragon takes an entire day to get from Rulid to Central Centoria. How harsh and frightening that experience must have been for a child, merely eleven of age, was beyond imagination if she was suspended for that entire duration.
And that Alice had for some reason, became an integrity knight and now tied Eugeo to the dragon like what was done to her eight years ago. He couldn't help but recognize the lack of hesitation in her actions. The knight, Alice, before his eyes was Alice Schuberg, while a different person at that same time. Some great power had changed the girl.
As Kirito had said, they might find out that secret if they were to go to the Central Cathedral. However—the question was whether Alice would return to how she was before.
No, before thinking about that. What if the same thing happens to himself? What if he forgets everything and becomes a different self? The time he lived at Rulid, the long journey to the central... and even the events at this Master Swords Academy; what if he forgets all of it......?
It happened then, when Eugeo was assailed by fear and uneasiness.
Two sets of soft footsteps came from behind and Eugeo turned to Kirito as the latter did the same.
The ones approaching with staggering but earnest steps were novice trainees wearing grey uniforms. The one with long red hair, Tiezé Shtolienen. The one with short dark brown hair was Ronye Arabel.
The reason for their faltering gait was due to the burdens the two of them carried with both hands. Tiezé's was a long sword kept in a scabbard of white leather. Ronye's was a long sword in a scabbard of black leather. There was no room for mistake. It was what they left behind in Raios's room last night, Eugeo's Blue Rose Sword and Kirito's black sword.
Tiezé's and Ronye's palms were worn out and bloody as they reverently held the scabbards. Naturally. Those two swords were heavy to the point that even their owners, Eugeo and Kirito, could not wield them without giving it their all.
"Tiezé..."
"Ronye!"
Eugeo and Kirito called out their names simultaneously and the girls showed a small smile while enduring the pain. But then, Integrity Knight Alice left the flying dragon and looked at Tiezé and Ronye. Recalling the severe blow that numbed his right cheek even now, Eugeo instantly shouted.
"No, Tiezé, don't come!"
However, the two novice trainees did not cease their steps. As drops of blood trickled onto the stone paved plaza, they walked through the final ten mel and slumped onto their knees before Alice.
They let out rough breaths for a while, but Tiezé was the first to firmly raise her head and speak.
"Kn-Knight-sama... please!"
Next, Ronye continued in a trembling voice.
"Grant us the permission to return our seniors their swords, please...!"
Alice looked down at the girls in silence, but gave a small nod before long.
"Fine. However, I can't have criminals wearing swords. I will hold onto these. If you wish to speak to them, I'll permit you to do so for one minute."
First grasping the Blue Rose Sword with her right hand and the black sword with her left next, she effortlessly lifted them from Ronye's and Tiezé's hands. Returning to the flying dragon's side with movements like she felt no weight at all, she stored the two swords in the cargo area the restraint devices were in.
Tiezé and Ronye held their hurt, scraped hands together at their chests and showed relieved smiles as though they didn't feel the pain at all. Wavering as they stood up, Tiezé and Ronye approached Eugeo and Kirito respectively.
"......Eugeo-senpai..."
Tiezé who stood still before Eugeo's eyes widely opened her own, evidence of having wept still within them, and looked at him.
After nearly averting his eyes by instinct, Eugeo tried his all and received Tiezé's gaze.
Eugeo had sliced away Humbert's arm before Tiezé's and Ronye's eyes last night. With his arms cut off as well, bizarre screams escaped from Raios as he passed away. there was no mistake that tragedy was a huge blow to Tiezé and Ronye, despite them not getting any actual injures.
Eugeo shouldn't be a reliable mentor to Tiezé now, but a miscreant who broke the Taboo Index. A heinous villain with his freedom stolen by unsparing restraint devices, tied up by chains.
Then.
Large drops of tears welled out from Tiezé's autumn-colored pupils and flowed down her cheeks.
"Eugeo-senpai... I'm sorry... it's... it's my fault that..."
Holding her hands tightly together, she continued as though she was squeezing her frail voice out.
"...I'm sorry... because... of that foolish thing... I did..."
"No... that's not it."
Caught off guard, Eugeo shook his head endlessly.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Tiezé... you did the right thing for your friend. ...It's entirely my fault that things ended up like this. There's nothing you have to apologize for, Tiezé."
Upon hearing that, Tiezé looked straight into Eugeo's eyes as though she could see through the depths of his soul and forced a smile onto her lips with all her might.
"This time..."
The young valet trainee spoke in a quavering but decisive tone.
"This time, it will be my turn to save Eugeo-senpai. I... I'll do my best and definitely become an integrity knight, and go save senpai... so please wait for me. I'll definitely... definitely..."
Sobs swallowed the rest of her words. Eugeo could do naught but nod over and over again.
Having finished her short conversation on the other side of the flying dragon as well, Ronye put the bundle in her hand into Kirito's bound hands and spoke in a voice mixed with tears.

"Erm... this is a bento. Please eat it if you get hungry..."
The words from Kirito in return were drowned by the sound of the flapping wings of the flying dragon, reverberating far.
"It's time. Get away."
Knight Alice had mounted the flying dragon's saddle without anyone noticing. A snap sounded out from the bridle and the dragon roused its gigantic frame. Eugeo's body hovered slightly in the air, pulled by the chains.
With their unceasing tears flowing out, Tiezé and Ronye backed off several steps. The silver wings beat out with strength and the wind they created ruffled the girls' hair.
Even as the flying dragon started its approach run and made the earth tremor, those two chased behind as fast as they could, but their feet soon tangled and their hands fell onto the stone paving. Right after that, it used noticeably more intensity to kick off the ground with its sturdy legs, and its huge body gently floated into the air.
As the flying dragon whirled up, drawing spirals in the skies, Tiezé and Ronye below became ever smaller. Their figures soon vanished into the grey of the stone paving, and the entire view of the North Centoria Empire Master Swords Academy appeared far off in the distance in an instant—
The flying dragon, with an integrity knight on its back and criminals hanging off its two legs, aligned towards the enormous tower that rose from the exact middle of the central, the Axiom Church's Central Cathedral, and soared in a straight line.


Interlude III
In the middle of the huge oceanic research mothership, «Ocean Turtle», stabbed a hollow pillar with a diameter of twenty meters and a height of a hundred.
That titanium alloy round pillar, termed the main shaft, was supporting every floor of the ship, while also serving its duty of protecting the heart of the ship via encasement as a pressure bulkhead. Aside from the ship's control and power systems, machinery developed by the mysterious research organization, «Rath», were stored within it as well.
To be specific, there were four ominous fulldive machines that could read and write a person's soul, the «Soul TransLators (STL)». Also, there was the single central arithmetic unit they were connected to, the «Light Cube Cluster».
The enormous cluster was installed near the middle of the shaft, and below it were the STL number 2 and number 3 located at the «lower shaft». Number 4 and number 5 were placed on the «upper shaft» on the top side. STL prototype number 1 was not on this ship, but at a research branch of Rath at Roppongi, Minato-ku, quite a distance from here.
The one that Kirito—Kirigaya Kazuto, stuck in his sustained coma, was being connected to for treatment on his damaged neural network was STL number 4 on the top side of the shaft. Hence, getting all the way there would require one to enter the shaft from below and move upwards via the stairs or elevator.
6th July 2026, Monday, 7:30 AM.
Asuna—Yuuki Asuna adjusted the collar of the summer knit she wore atop her t-shirt as she ascended the gloomy spiral staircase.
The clanging echoes of her hard footsteps upon the anti-rust coated metal steps under the orange emergency LED lights brought forth memories. Asuna did not know exactly how many times had she went up stairs resembling these in a steel castle floating in the infinite skies, far, far away from this place. Those spiral staircases connecting the rooms of boss monsters that protected each floor with the next in the Floating Castle Aincrad—
The leader of the «Knights of the Blood», Heathcliff, would walk before her most of the time with the guild members excited over the boss fight's victory following behind, but there were exceptions. That black-clad solo player had always walked at her side before she joined the KoB, at the initial phase of clearing the death game.
Making Asuna mad with those bad jokes he told in that indifferent attitude that expelled fatigue from the fierce battles, teaching her information about the next floor... and the countless times he pulled Asuna's hand when she was exhausted from the endless fights too.
"......Kirito-kun."
As the clanging footsteps rang out from the steel steps, Yuuki Asuna softly called out the name of the one she loved.
Of course, there was no reply.
She forced the despair and loneliness that threatened to overflow back down the depths of her chest. Unlike the day before yesterday, Kazuto was no longer missing. He was awaiting Asuna in that small room at the top end of the stairs. Even without exchanging words—even without holding each other's hands, the time for him to wake was approaching little by little. The nurse, Aki Natsuki, did say that at the current rate, the treatment through the STL would regenerate his cranial nerves network within a day or two, likely approaching a stage where he would regain his consciousness.
Asuna was visiting the Ocean Turtle, floating in the seas near Izushichi Island, without clarifying the entire issue in detail with her parents. Still, she managed to secure the cooperation of Professor Koujirou Rinko and thought up of an explanation that «couldn't be said to be a complete lie»: "I'll be accompanying the professor and observing the research facility of a certain cutting-edge corporation for a few days".
She herself thought it would be difficult indeed, but her mother, Yuuki Kyouko, stared at Asuna for a short while, then said nothing more than a "Take care of yourself and go". Perhaps, she had already seen through everything, though.
One way or another, the time granted to Asuna was a mere three days from the 5th to the 7th of July. In short, she would have to ride on the helicopter with a regular route towards Shin-Kiba from the Ocean Turtle tomorrow evening. It was unconfirmed whether she would return to Tokyo with Kazuto, but if Nurse Aki's words prove right, she should be able to have a conversation with him conscious.
And at that time, she would get angry a whole lot, cry a whole lot and laugh a whole lot.
Stopping on the steps of the spiral staircase, Asuna took a deep breath before returning to her pace.
The end of the current staircase was in another twenty steps or so above. It wasn't a dead end; she was to go through a round hatch that opened from the massive metal ceiling, but that was the only place where she had to climb, with its short vertical ladder.
This metal floor that was over twenty centimeters thick was the pressure bulkhead made from composite titanium that divided the top and bottom of the Ocean Turtle's main shaft. Lieutenant Nakanishi said it could easily withstand gunfire from an automatic rifle at point-blank range, but that sort of situation obviously shouldn't be happening at all on this megafloat that wasn't even a battleship.
—Kikuoka-san alone was enough for making up exaggerations, but all of those people were much the same.
Muttering so in her heart, she climbed the aluminium alloy ladder and passed through the hatch. The gloomy spiral staircase still continued on ahead, but the tint of the illumination was turning greenish. Much like how the «floor» changed; she held onto such thoughts as she ascended the staircase once more.
The lower part of the upper shaft that she was in now was where the gigantic equipment that served as the physical backbone for «Project Alicization», the «Light Cube Cluster», was stationed. That was likely right beside this narrow stair hall.
Matters related to the Light Cube Cluster were treated with the utmost secrecy, so she wasn't informed on the details of its construction, but she had heard that it was a cluster of countless light cubes, as its name suggested.
The media that stored the artificial fluct lights—or in other words, the souls of the Underworld's residents, those bottom-up AIs, were the light cubes, and in the exact middle, amongst over hundreds of thousands of them arranged in a systematic order, was a single massive cube. A soul didn't exist within that, with the extensive «mnemonic visuals data» of those in the Underworld were saved within it instead. That truly was the core of the STL technology, the «Main Visualizer»...
That was how the researcher in charge of Rath, Higa Takeru, lectured to her about the structure of the Underworld while more or less breaking the duty of confidentiality, but honestly speaking, Asuna's "Just what is that supposed to be?" was an unfeigned reaction.
If you're going to tell me so much about it, it should be fine letting me see the Light Cube Cluster in person once at least; when Asuna said that, Higa replied with a wry smile. The entire Cluster's covered by a metal shell, so it's not like you would see anything except a rectangular box, ya know, he said. That shell could be opened by neither Higa nor the rest of the staff, not even the plan's supervisor, a member of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka Seijirou.
As such, all Asuna could do was to faintly imagine what the Cluster looked like.
A countless number of small crystals suspended orderly in darkness. All made in the shape of perfect squares, and the nucleus dedicated to a single larger crystal, with narrow lines of light passing between them without pause. That was just like the heart of a galaxy, densely packed with stars......
Perhaps it was due to her absentmindedly contemplating those thoughts.
Asuna was a little slow noticing someone descending the spiral staircase.
"Ah, excuse me."
Instinctively lowering her head, she shifted to the left while apologizing in a small voice. That someone slowly started to go past her without even returning the greeting. Each footstep down the steps went clink and whirr.
"......?"
What's with those sounds; Asuna questioningly thought in her heart and finally raised her face, before she stared at the figure just about to pass by her side.
"......!!?"
And then, she audibly leapt back, with her back pressed against the wall.
After all, what came down the staircase was not «someone», but «something». In other words, it wasn't a human no matter how you looked at it.
Its entire silhouette was that of a human, but its skeleton structure was a plain metal frame and countless plastic cylinders were mounted on its limbs and waist. Its joints were complex formations of exposed gears and the multicolored signal cables crept around like blood vessels.
It carried a largish box on its back, with a face composed of three lenses of big, medium and small sizes. They should've placed two of those medium-sized lenses; after thinking up such things, Asuna finally came to her senses. Letting out the breath she choked on, she murmured in a hoarse voice.
"Ro... robot......?"
In that instant, the mysterious humanoid walking machine suddenly stopped its motion.
Stopping its foot in mid-step, the gears spun and drew back with a whirl. Standing upright on the same step as Asuna, it slowly turned its body towards its left this time... in other words, towards Asuna. The big and medium lenses were pitch-black, but a red light source was within the small lens and as though it was looking at Asuna, it blinked with the light flickering intermittently—
"-h......"
A thin voice escaped from deep in her throat and Asuna tried to retreat backwards. But her back bumped against the stair hall's wall, so she could fall back no further. Whether Asuna shifted to the right or the left, the lens with its red light would follow her face without fail.
Monsters shouldn't spawn on the staircase leading between floors; there shouldn't be any machine-type mobs in the first place; no, wait, this should be the real world; such confusing thoughts flooded her mind as Asuna got ready to flee back to where she came from when that happened—
"C'mon, stop that already, Ichiemom!"
That voice fell from above. Upon taking the time to look, a man was running down the stairs with a flustered expression. With a printed t-shirt and shorts on, his short hair bristled up like a mountain of needles, and wearing a pair of boorish metal-framed glasses, the man was the main researcher in charge of Project Alicization, Higa Takeru. His right hand was holding onto a well-worn mobile PC.
As though it understood the "C'mon" from Higa, the humanoid machine broke its focus off Asuna and spun its body ninety degrees once more.
Asuna finally released the strain on her shoulders and upon looking up at Higa who came to a stop on the step right above, she asked in a relatively wooden voice.
"...Higa-san. What exactly is this?"
"Eh, well... this here's «Ichiemon». Its real name's «Electroactive Muscled Operative Machine»... in short, EMOM, and then adding on the one since it's the first in the series, you get Ichiemom [3] ."
Higa's expression gradually changed from an apologetic one to a boasting one as he answered, so Asuna gave another glare as she asked again.
"...And, what's that Ichiemom doing here?"
Higa was not the one who answered that question.
"Higa-kun's assisting me with the tuning for my program. Even if we aren't senior and junior at that seminar any longer."
Those words mingled with a strained laughter belonged to the woman who came down the stairs after Higa. Wearing a white robe above a dungaree work shirt and jeans, her hair was neatly parted to the side. This woman, whose appearance brought forth the thought that there couldn't be many whom the term 'intellectual' suited so well, was Professor Koujirou Rinko who had played a big part in Asuna's infiltration of the Ocean Turtle.
"Morning, Asuna-san."
"Good morning."
After exchanging greetings with Rinko who came to a stop beside Higa, Asuna examined the robot, or to be accurate, Ichiemom, from top to bottom once more and asked the two researchers.
"......Don't tell me this is a part of Project Alicization as well?"

With Ichiemom leading the ascent up the spiral staircase, upon reaching her destination, the sub control room, Asuna shelved her misgivings about various matters aside and first hurried towards the passage leading to the STL storage room.
Although the door at the end of the narrow passage couldn't be entered, the wall on the left was made from reinforced glass. Pressing her two hands and even sticking her forehead against the glass, she peeked into the storage room almost utterly absent of illumination.
The two gigantic rectangular cuboids, taking up much space side by side, were the Soul TransLator number 4 and number 5. Number 5 was switched off, but many indicators gave off a gentle glow or flickered on number 4. Upon staring at it, a slender silhouette could be seen lying on the gel bed linked to the main unit.
He was Kirito—Kirigaya Kazuto. The person who, in various ways, was Asuna's «partner».
Kazuto was assaulted by a fugitive from the Death Gun Incident on the roads of Setagaya-ku a week ago. A large quantity of the drug succinylcholine was injected into him and he even went into cardiac arrest for a while.
While he managed to keep his life somehow, thanks to the speedy lifesaving measures taken, the damage to his brain remained due to the cessation of blood circulation. The one who took Kazuto, who could have gone into a vegetative state in the worst case scenario according to a doctor's diagnosis, to the Ocean Turtle and even prepared a fake ambulance for that purpose was Lieutenant Colonel Kikuoka Seijirou, the main lead of «Project Alicization».
That difficult choice was due to the belief that the STL could serve as treatment for Kazuto, or so the person himself had said.
One way or another, it seemed that Kazuto's consciousness was now existing in the virtual world, «Underworld», which was adapted into a VR space for treatment. And by revitalizing his consciousness, or in other words, his fluct light there, he should be able to stimulate his neural network. She couldn't quite comprehend even with that explanation, but she understood that Kazuto was not in a mere coma at the very least.
At the moment, Asuna was looking merely at Kazuto's body, with his mind left for some faraway virtual world. Thinking about it, she was in the same position as Kazuto when he paid her visits almost every day when Asuna was once forced to dive into the home of fairies, Alfheim, by Sugou Nobuyuki.
—I wish I could dive into the Underworld to help Kirito-kun out too, just like he did for me back then...
While thinking of such things, her gaze continued fixed on Kazuto for over a whole minute, after which Asuna finally parted from the glass. I'll come again in the noon; whispering so in her heart, she returned to the sub control room.
This place was rather cramped when compared to the main control room at the lower shaft. The control console was the basic version as well, and even the desk and chairs arranged there looked a little cheap.
Higa and Rinko did not sit on the chairs and remained standing as they peeked into the mobile PC on the desk. The unnerving figure of the aforementioned humanoid machine, «Ichiemom», was at their side.
While confirming the robot had entered standby mode, Asuna slowly approached the two.
They were senior and junior of the same university seminar when they were students—additionally, it appears Kayaba Akihiko and Sugou Nobuyuki were admitted there as well—those two scientists were rapidly discussing one thing or another as though they had returned to that time.
"The bottleneck was the processing speed of the balancing system, as I thought. There's still room in the budget, isn't there? Couldn't you use a faster chip?"
"That's how as far as my brain gets when I start thinking about the excess heat and battery consumption, ya know. There's no choice but to focus on tuning up the EAP actuators..."
"Those polymer muscles are outdated in the first place. Try using CNT; I believe it'll turn out easier if you do."
"I-If something like that's used, the budget's totally gonna... well, I might be able to get just one of them though..."
"Your frugality in the usage of machinery parts hasn't changed, has it."
Rinko who shook her head in exasperation finally noticed Asuna then and shrugged her shoulders awkwardly.
"Ah, I apologize for that, Asuna-san. For making all that noise."
"No, I believe Kirito-kun would be happy with it livelier around here too."
After replying so with a wry smile, she took another gander at the robot. It seemed the actuators for its entire body were artificial muscles made from organic material. Rath might be on the leading edge of research worldwide, but it did seem unrelated to its main goal of a highly adaptive AI.
Perhaps guessing at that doubt from Asuna, Higa grumbled with his back against the table.
"Building this thing here's a request from that old dude too."
"Eh... Kikuoka-san did? Why would he..."
"I have no idea how serious he was about it either, though..."
The one who gave the answer with a sigh was Rinko.
"A movable body would be needed to invite a fluct light that grew up in the Underworld, don't you think? ...That's what he said."
"Eeh... then, this robot is for an AI to pilot?"
"That's what it seems like."
"Zat's how it is."
Both Rinko and Higa nodded at the same time, so Asuna gazed at Ichiemom's body from top to bottom once more. True, its entire form could be said to be a humanoid, but its frame was angular, its joints jutting out and above all that, the part where silicon or something else covered it made it look unlike a human, no matter how you looked at it.
"......It's not very nice towards Ichiemom, but wouldn't an AI get shocked too, when its body suddenly changes to this...?"
At the very least, Asuna and Kazuto's «daughter», the top-down-type AI, Yui, would definitely reject entering this. Asuna spoke as she thought so and Higa waved about his right hand in a fluster.
"No-no, you should know that nothing's gonna pilot this guy. Ichiemom's a prototype used for data collection, so its mind's on a conventional architecture too; that's why it became this crude. There's a number 2 used for trials for loading an AI on board aside from this guy, so that one's smarter."
"Number 2...... By the way, what is that child's name...?"
Upon Asuna timidly asking, Higa replied with an expression as though the answer was obvious.
"«Niemom», yep."
"Zat's so... no, I mean, is that so?"
She lightly shook her head, and then continued her question.
"Why would the type with an AI on board be smarter?"
"Well, that would be because the sensors and balancing system would experience a rapid rise in their performance... or so we expect they would."
Tagging Higa out to answer once again, Rinko took one step sideways and stood on the tiptoes of both her feet for some reason. Spreading her hands out a little, she maintained her posture while swaying her body.
?
"We humans are always regulating our entire body balance ever so slightly, even while we're standing still as we usually do, without any purpose. And not to mention that's mostly done unconsciously, you see. We can keep our balance without falling over, but still, it's not like our minds are thinking, 'I'll lean over to the right this much, then stretch out my right foot and pull back my left leg.' or anything of that sort. It's all in our minds... in other words, our fluct lights, that the so-called auto-balancing system would control our muscles and skeleton."
The heel of her sneakers thumped onto the ground and she smiled.
"Ichiemom is equipped with servomechanisms that replicate that auto-balancing system mechanically and electronically. However, merely going up and down the stairs slowly like earlier requires a large quantity of sensing and balancing equipment, in conjunction with a high-performance CPU, a battery to run all that and a cooling system for the excess heat, plus a solid frame to support the weight of all of those. That is why Ichiemom couldn't get any smarter."
"But still, this is way closer to a human when you take a look at those from ten years ago."
Turning to Higa who cut into the conversation with a bitter smile, Asuna gave a slow nod.
"In other words... if its mind wasn't a conventional CPU, but an artificial fluct light, the auto-balancer would have the same performance as a human's, so..."
"Yes, that's totally it. We could reduce the number of servomechanisms, even if its just by one, then the frame would get lighter with that and the number of actuators will reduce as well, creating a near-perfect human-shaped body... that would be nice if it happened, but this is well, just my wild observations. I said this earlier, but Niemom at the development department looks pretty human if you look at its silhouette alone."
"If you plan to boast about it that much, I would rather you hurry up and show it to..."
Rinko suddenly went silent after she began speaking. After thinking deeply with a frown, she continued with her tone lowered by a notch.
"...Higa-kun. That Niemom is still not capable of autonomous walking, is it?"
"Heh? Yea, well, of course. There is a CPU on board, but the vital control program's empty and all. Besides, even if the same program as Ichiemom's loaded, Niemom's gonna fall over on the third step with that sensor system, probably."
"......I see..."
Rinko gently nodded and took a deep breath, perhaps for a change of mood, then looked at Asuna.
"Asuna-san, will you be having breakfast now?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then let us go to the dining hall together. It does seem Higa-kun will be eating here with Ichiemom."
She thought it was definitely a joke, but Higa pulled out an energy bar from the pocket of his shorts and waved it left and right with a "Go ahead". Lightly bowing her head half with amazement, half with gratitude, Asuna started to walk behind Rinko.
Looking towards the STL storage room for one last time, her lips merely moved: "See you".
Exiting the passage from the sub control room, human figures were approaching from the direction of the elevator. Two males; both wearing a white robe atop their t-shirts. They were likely from the Rath staff that numbered over ten, but she still didn't know all of their names. They should recognize Asuna as Rinko's assistant, whom she disguised herself as at the start.
Following Rinko, Asuna exchanged a quick bow as well and they went past the two members of the staff, before she felt something and shifted her vision to the side. With their long hair bundled behind and unshaven faces, she couldn't recall seeing those men's profiles before. However—something stuck out deep in her mind. If this was Aincrad, although she wouldn't go as far as to draw her rapier, this sensation would make her touch its grip with her fingertips...
"What's the matter, Asuna-san?"
Rinko called out in a small voice and Asuna finally noticed she was standing still. The male staff were going further away towards the sub control room with the pitter-patter of their resin sandals.
"...No, it's nothing."
Even after she replied and started walking again, Asuna tried to search for the source of the queer sensation for a while. But as her mind drifted from one thing to another, that feeling faded away and vanished.