Sword Art Online - Volume 9 - Alicization Beginning

by Reki Kawahara

  “Errm…it’s something that can be said to be tasty, a water that feels like it heals once someone drinks from it…or something like that.”

  “Fmm…like an elixir?”

  “Wha, what’s that?”

  “The priest-samas’ holy water of blessing. You may not have seen it before, but just a small bottle of that thing can immediately recover any life that’s reduced by injuries or illnesses.”

  “Eh…”

  Since there’s such a thing, why did the virus cause so many deaths? I thought about this, but realized that it’s better not to ask this and remained silent. At least this world ruled by this amazingly-named Axiom Church isn’t a paradise like I thought, and that’s how it is.

  Selka received the glass of water I returned and said with a very fast speed,

  “If you have anything to ask me, please hurry. It’s forbidden for me to enter a boy’s room after bathing, but the guest room doesn’t count. However, Sister Azariya will scold me if she knows about it.”

  “Well…I’m really sorry. I’ll just ask then. Actually…I want to hear about your sister.”

  Suddenly, the slender shoulders under the white nightgown trembled slightly.

  “…I don’t have an onee-san.”

  “As in right now? I heard about it from Eugeo, about your sister, Alice…”

  Before I could even finish speaking, Selka lifted her head, which surprised me slightly.

  “From Eugeo? He told you about Alice nee-sama? Until where?”

  “Ah…un, well…Alice studied sacred arts in this church…and six years ago, she was taken to the capital by the Integrity Knight…”

  “…I see…”

  Selka sighed slightly and lowered her head, whispering as she continued,

  “…Eugeo, he still hasn’t forgotten…about Alice nee-sama…”

  “Eh…?”

  “Everyone in the village…whether it’s father, mother, Sister, all of them wouldn’t say anything about Alice nee-sama. Her room was tidied up several years ago…as if Alice nee-sama’s room never existed…that’s why, I thought everyone forgot about Alice nee-sama…so Eugeo…”

  “What do you mean he forgot? Eugeo really missed Alice. Because of that…if he didn’t have his Sacred Task, he may have rushed to the capital.”

  On hearing my words, Selka remained silent for a while, and then whispered,

  “Is that so…then, the reason Eugeo never smiles anymore was because what happened to Alice nee-sama.”

  “Eugeo…never smiles?”

  “Ehh. When nee-sama was in that village, he was always smiling. It was really rare to not see him smile. I was very young back then, but I still remember clearly…however, after nee-sama went, I almost never see Eugeo’s smiling face. Also…on his rest days, if he wasn’t cooped up at home, he would head to the forest, being alone all the time…”

  I continued to listen as I thought inside my heart. It’s true that Eugeo’s someone who does things in a calm manner, but he doesn’t give off an introverted feeling. He was smiling quite a bit when he was talking to me when we went to the forest, were returning back to the village, and even during rest time.

  The reason why he couldn’t show his smile to Selka and the villagers is most likely—guilt. Alice, who was beloved and given lofty expectations towards, was taken away, and perhaps he had such guilt of being unable to do anything…? He wouldn’t blame himself in front of me, an outsider when I don’t know anything, so maybe that’s why.

  If that’s the case, Eugeo’s soul is definitely not created by a program. He has a real consciousness and soul like me…and the Fluctlight. During the past 6 years, he’s been gravely hurt by the troubles bothering him.

  I have to go to the capital. I again strengthened this thought in me. It’s not just for myself as I want to let Eugeo leave the village to meet Alice and let both of them reunite. This idea continued to remain inside my mind without being able to scatter away. In that case, I have to cut down the Gigas Cedar…

  “…Hey, what are you thinking about?”

  Selka’s words dragged me back from my thoughts. I lifted my face and said to her,

  “Nothing…just thinking about something. Like you said, Eugeo really treated Alice dearly.”

  Just when I said those words in my heart, Selka’s face seemed to tremble. The beautiful eyebrows and large eyes showed a lonely expression.

  “I…see. Just as I expected.”

  As she dropped her shoulders and whispered such words, even a blockhead like me realized it.

  “Selka…do you like Eugeo?”

  “Wha…what are you saying?”

  Her eyebrows curled up to show a protesting look, but the face facing me was already so red it reached the neck. I thought she would lower her head, but she said while looking slightly tense.

  “…It’s just that, I can’t take it…whether it was father or mother, even when they never said so, they kept sighing when they compared me to nee-sama when she’s not around, and the other adults are the same. That’s why I left home and moved to the church. Even when I came here…it’s the same with Sister Azariya. I just feel when she’s teaching me sacred arts that she would say that nee-sama just needed one time before being able to learn it—but Eugeo’s not like that…but he continued to avoid me. Perhaps he would think of nee-sama when he sees me. All of this…it’s not my fault! I can’t even remember nee-sama’s face…!”

  The petite profile under the thin nightgown jerked, and to be honest, my heart was greatly touched. This may be because up till now, in a corner of my mind, I always thought that this world was going through some simulation, and even though Selka and the rest may not be programs, they were all temporary existences. I looked at this 12-year-old girl that continued to cry, and didn’t know what to do as my body stiffened. Selka used her right hand to wipe the tears off her eyes.

  “…Sorry. I got too agitated.”

  “No…it’s fine. Well, if you feel like crying, I guess it’s best to just cry it out.”

  Why am I saying such things? Even though I felt this way, this line that seemed to be from some popular idol drama in Japan in the 21st century caused Selka to smile as she nodded honestly.

  “…Un, yeah. I am feeling somewhat happy. It’s been awhile since I cried in front of others.”

  “Heh. You’re rather amazing, Selka. I was crying in front of others at your age, you know.”

  My mind remembered the times I cried in front of Asuna and Suguha as I said this. Selka widened her eyes and looked at me,

  “Well…Kirito, have you regained your memories?”

  “Ah…no, no, of course not…I just have this kind of feeling…an, anyway, I’m me, and not others…that’s why I feel that you just need to do what you can do, Selka.”

  This is yet another cliché line. Selka pondered for a while, and then nodded her head.

  “…Yeah. I…might be unable to face the fact that I have nee-sama straight in the eye…”

  As I watched her say such words with a determined attitude, I really felt guilty since I will take Eugeo away from her. Just when I was thinking hard, the bell tower above us rang out a melody.

  “Ah…it’s 9 now. I should go back to my room. Oh yes…is that all you want to hear, Kirito?”

  Selka tilted her head as she asked this, and I answered with ‘No, that’s enough’.

  “Is that so. I’ll go back then.”

  Selka got up from the bed and headed to the door, but after several steps, she stopped and turned,

  “I say…Kirito. Do you also know why nee-sama was taken away by the Integrity Knight?”

  “Eh…ahh. What about it?”

  “I don’t know at all. Father wouldn’t say anything…I once asked Eugeo a long time ago, but he wouldn’t tell me. Then, what’s the reason?”

  I hesitated for a slight moment, but once I remembered that reason, I just can’t help but say it.

  “Well…I think it’s that, they went into a
certain cave at the top of the river and passed through the Mountain range at the Edge, and her hand touched the land of the darkness, so that’s what I heard…”

  “…I see…she went through the Mountain range at the Edge…”

  Selka seemed to be pondering about something, but she soon nodded and continued,

  “It’s a rest day to tomorrow, but prayer time is the same as usual. Remember to wake up. I don’t want to wake you up.”

  “I, I’ll try.”

  For an instant, Selka smiled, and then opened the door before leaving.

  I heard her footsteps move further away before lying down on the bed. I really wanted to get some information on this mysterious girl called Alice, but Selka, who was only 5-6 back then, really didn’t have any memories, as expected. What I know is that Eugeo’s feelings for Alice are really great.

  I closed my eyes and tried to recall the profile of that girl called Alice.

  But my mind definitely couldn’t picture her face, as a golden light flashed through my eyes.

  The next morning, I was painfully made aware of how little I actually thought that through.

  Part 4

  *Klang*. The 5:30 bell rang, and I opened my eyes at that moment, thinking that I should do what I could do at this moment as I got off the neat bed.

  I opened the window to the north, stretched my back, and took a deep breath full of cold air dyed with the color of dawn. I took a few deep breaths, and the sleepiness remaining within the back of my head disappeared completely.

  I pricked my ears to listen, and the kids in the room opposite the corridor had woken up as well. I quickly changed my clothes so that I had the chance to wash myself up at the well before them.

  My «Initial Equipment», the tunic and cotton pants, showed no signs of obvious stains, but Eugeo said that their lives would quickly drop if I don’t wash them. If that was the case, it was about time for me to consider changing my clothes. I would discuss this with Eugeo - I thought as I walked out of the back door and arrived at the well.

  I took a few scoops of water from the pail and poured it into the tray, and as I bent down to wash my face, someone quickly approached me from behind. It’s most likely Selka, I thought as I lifted myself up, wiping off the water on my hands as I turned around.

  “Ahh…morning, Sister.”

  Standing over there was Sister Azariya, who was in a habit, which didn’t show any sign of sloppiness. I hurriedly lowered my head, and she nodded and answered ‘morning’. My heart was really shocked to see her stern lips curled up more than usual.

  “Then… Sister, is there something…?”

  I asked tentatively. The Sister blinked hesitantly and simply said,

  “—Selka is missing.”

  “Eh…”

  “Kirito-san, do you know anything? Selka seemed to be very close to you…”

  Was she suspecting that I did something to Selka? I felt very embarrassed for a moment, but immediately felt that was not the case. In this world which had the absolute law, the Taboo Index that no one could break, the Sister probably didn’t even think of a huge crime like kidnapping a girl. In other words, she felt that Selka disappeared on her own, and simply wanted to ask if I knew where she went.

  “Well… no, I’ve never heard anything… it’s a rest day today, right? Did she go home?”

  I racked my still-sleepy brain as I said this, but the Sister immediately shook her head.

  “Selka has never gone home ever since she came to this church two years ago. Even if she did, she would have told me so without hiding anything. She went off without even attending worship this morning. Even though —there’s no rule that forbids her from doing so…”

  “Then… did she go off to buy something? How are the ingredients for breakfast prepared?”

  “We bought two days worth of food yesterday and stored them last night because the shops in the village are all on break.”

  “Ahh… I see.”

  At this moment, my lacking imagination reached its limit.

  “…She must have had something urgent going on. She’ll definitely come back.”

  “…It’ll be good if that were the case…”

  Sister Azariya continued to frown in a worried manner, but still sighed lightly in the end.

  “Then, we’ll wait ‘till noon. If she still hasn’t come back, I’ll look for the people at the village council to discuss this. Sorry for bothering you. I still have to prepare for worship, so I’ll take my leave then.”

  “Well… I’ll go around nearby to look.”

  After watching the Sister nod, bow and leave, I poured away the water in the tray, all the while having a bad feeling about this. I remembered that I was a little worried when I talked to Selka yesterday, but I couldn’t remember what it was about. What did I say to cause Selka to go missing?

  I finished the worship with anxiety in my heart, comforted the kids who were continuously asking where Selka nee-chan went to, finished my breakfast, and the girl still hadn’t came back. I hurriedly cleared up the utensils for breakfast and walked out of the front door of the church.

  I didn’t agree with Eugeo to meet here, but as the bell rang at 8, I could still see the flax-colored hair walking into the plaza from the road in the north. I heaved out, and ran towards him.

  “Ya, Kirito. Good morning.”

  “Morning, Eugeo.”

  I saw Eugeo, who was smiling at me like yesterday, and simply greeted him before continuing,

  “Are you resting the entire day too, Eugeo?”

  “That’s right, yeah. That’s why I want to bring you around the village, Kirito.”

  “That’s good, but before that, I need your help. Selka has gone missing since morning… I want to go around to look… “

  “Ehh?”

  Eugeo widened his green eyes, and then frowned worriedly.

  “She left the church without telling Sister Azariya anything?”

  “Seemed so. The Sister even said that this is the first time such a thing happened. Eugeo, do you know where Selka may have gone?”

  “Where she could be, huh? Even if you ask me…”

  “I told some things about Alice to Selka last night, so I want to see if there is any place she might have memories with Alice…”

  At this moment, I finally realized, at a moment so late it amazed me, the truth behind the anxiety inside my heart.

  “Ahh…”

  “What, is there something wrong, Kirito?”

  “Don’t tell me…—hey, Eugeo. You didn’t tell Selka the reason Alice was taken away by the Integrity Knight when she asked you, right? Why?”

  Eugeo blinked a few times, and finally nodded slowly.

  “Ahh… that did happen before. Why… as for why I didn’t say so… I’m not so sure about the reason… but maybe I was worrying that Selka would try to follow Alice’s footsteps…”

  “That’s it.”

  I groaned softly.

  “I told Selka last night about Alice touching the land of darkness… Selka must have gone to the Mountain range at the Edge.”

  “EEHH!!”

  Eugeo’s face immediately turned pale.

  “That’s very bad. We have to get her back before the villagers find out and chase after her… when did Selka leave?”

  “I don’t know. She was gone when I woke up at 5:30…”

  “In this season, dawn is around 5. It’s impossible to walk in the forest if she leaves earlier. In that case, 3 hours…”

  Eugeo looked up at the sky and continued,

  “When Alice and I went to the cave, we spent less than 5 hours on our feet while we’re kids. Selka’s most likely halfway there. I don’t know if we can catch up if we chase after her now…”

  “Got to be fast. Let’s move.”

  I said anxiously, and Eugeo nodded hard,

  “No time to get ready. Luckily, we will be moving down the river, so there’s no need to worry about water. Alright… this way.” />
  Eugeo and I walked towards the north at a speed that wouldn’t cause everyone else to feel weird.

  The shops were becoming sparse, and once we saw that there weren’t any more pedestrians, we dashed down the stone steps at a speed where we were almost going to fall off. After spending about 5 minutes to walk towards the bridge above the river, we got past the eyes of the guard in the sentry post before running out of the village.

  Unlike the wheat fields that stretched down the horizon in the south, the north of the village had a thick forest. A river circled around the hill that formed Rulid village and headed through the forests, extending out of both the north and south of the village. There was a small path with thin grass growing on the river bank.

  Eugeo kept his eyes on the path that shifted to the riverside, walked for another 10 steps and stopped. He used his left hand to stop me and kneeled down, using his right hand to touch some slightly tall grass.

  “It’s here…there are some signs that this place has been stepped on.”

  He muttered and quickly drew a mark to summon the «Window» of the grass.

  “The Life has decreased by a little. If it were an adult, a lot more would have been decreased. A kid definitely came by here before. Let’s hurry.”

  “Ah…ahh.”

  I nodded and followed Eugeo, who was becoming faster.

  No matter how far we moved, the scenery of the river on the right and the forest on the left never changed. Along the way, we passed by a lake and a slightly sloped region. It just made me feel like I entered the «loop landscape» trap that most RPGs have. I could no longer hear the sound of the bell on the tower, and could only deduce the time from the sun that rose up bit by bit.

  Eugeo and I continued to jog down the river, and if it were the me in the real world, I’d be completely breathless in less than 30 minutes. Luckily, the men in this world seemed to have a rather high average resilience, and I felt that it’s more comforting than tiring to move my body. I once suggested to Eugeo to go a little faster, but Eugeo said that if we moved too fast, our life would drop quickly, and we wouldn’t be able to move if we don’t stop and rest for a long time.