On the twenty-second day of the tenth month, the coldest day of autumn arrived with bright sunshine.
Canceling their walk, Alice and Kirito spent time at the fireside. Originally before the real cold winter arrived, she had wanted to prepare a large amount of firewood as the elderly Garitta had taught her to, but for now there seemed to be no more need.
It had taken her an entire day to write just two pieces of parchment worth of a letter. After finishing, Alice hesitated for a while, and wrote down “Schuberg” in the Common Tongue, then wrote “Synthesis Thirty” in the Sacred Tongue.
She carefully folded the letter, tied them up with two bands, wrote Selka’s name onto one, then left the other one on the table for the elderly Garitta.
They were letters of farewell and apologies. Since the home in the forest had been discovered by Integrity Knight Eldrie, they could no longer live there. Next time, it would not be Eldrie but Knight Bercouli who came. By the time, Alice would not find appropriate words to tell her mentor in swordsmanship that she was indebted to.
So they could only run.
After letting out a long sigh, Alice raised her head and looked at the black-haired youth sitting on the other side of the table.
“Hey, Kirito. Where do you want to go? The highlands of the Western Lands are very beautiful, you know. Or would the forests of the Southern Lands be better? It’s warm for the entire year, so maybe we can pick a variety of fruits for ourselves.”
Although she asked him in a particularly lively voice, Kirito was completely unresponsive as usual.
Blank eyes silently looked at the table. The fact that she had to take this injured youth on a life of vagrancy pained Alice in her chest. However, she could not leave him behind in Rulid. Not only could Selka not spare time to take the job as an Apprentice Sister, Alice did not wish so. Now, taking care of Kirito had almost what Alice lived for.
“…Forget it, let’s leave the destination up to Amayori. Okay… it’s late, let’s go to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow.”
After changing clothes for Kirito and laying him down, she changed into her nightwear, extinguished the lanterns, and climbed into bed.
In the darkness, she listened to Kirito’s breath with full attention. When Kirito sounded asleep, Alice wriggled her body.
She leaned her head against the youth’s bony chest. Beside her ear came a slow but steady thumping.
Kirito’s heart was already no longer here. This heartbeat was but a resonance of the past.
In the months that she had slept alongside him every night, Alice had thought so. But at the same time, she felt that in this deep yet steady resonance, there was still — something that remained.
If the Kirito now was in a state of having a normal heart but unable to express anything, then just how could she explain her current actions to him? Alice smiled as she thought so, and slowly entered the world of dreams.
Suddenly, the body beside her trembled slightly.
Alice opened her heavy eyelids with difficulty. She looked towards the east window with her left eye, but the sky through the gap in the curtains was still pitch black. Judging by her feeling, she had only slept two or three hours.
While Kirito trembled again, Alice whispered:
“It’s still nighttime… let’s sleep some more…”
Closing her eye again, she patted Kirito’s chest to tell him to go back to sleep. However, the soft voice from the youth finally let Alice knew that there was something wrong with him.
“Ah… ah…”
“Kirito…?”
The Kirito now did not have wishes of his own. Simple coldness, hunger or others like that shouldn’t wake him. Even so, the boy trembled more violently as though he wanted to get off the bed.
“What’s wrong…?”
This was abnormal; had he regained his senses? Alice thought as she instantly sat up and directly generated a luminous element, as if lighting a lantern was a waste of time.
The boy’s pupils in his eyes that were faintly lit by white light showed no change from usual at all and reflected the same blank darkness; Alice sighed with slight disappointment. But, if so, what was he—
At that moment, a sharp cry outside the window reached Alice’s ears.
“Kuruuu, kuruuu!”
It was the cry of Amayori, who was supposed to be asleep in a corner in the clearing. The sharp cry was sharp and high-pitched as though she was warning her master.
Alice jumped onto the floor, ran from the bedroom to the living room and threw open the door. A freezing night wind blew. It should only carry the fragrant of the forest, but the wind mixed with a sliver of strange odor. This smell stung deep in the nose, can only be a signal of substance being burnt—
She walked barefoot to the vestibule. Looking around the sky, she could not help gasping.
The sky to the west— was burning.
The ominous red glow was undoubtedly a reflection of an enormous fire. Squinting, she could see horizontal streaks of black smoke covering the sky.
A bush fire?!
Although she had thought so for a split second, Alice immediately dismissed that notion. Through the burnt wind came the tinny sounds of clashing metal —and screams.
An enemy attack.
An army from the Dark Territory was attacking Rulid Village.
“…Selka!!”
Letting out a hoarse scream, Alice was to immediately run back inside. However, she stood stock still when she stepped on the porch.
Alice wailed weakly and prepared to immediately run back inside.
Then she stood stock still.
I have to save my sister and parents no matter what.
But… What about the other villagers?
If I were to save everyone, I would have to directly confront the Dark Army. Do I still possess that power now?
The source of power for the Integrity Knight Alice of the past was the fanatic loyalty to the Church and the highest minister. With it shattered along with my right eye, can I still swing the Fragrant Olive Sword and use the Sacred Arts?
The frozen Alice heard—
A “thump” from inside the house.
She opened her left eye wide. In the middle of the living room, there sat an upset chair and the black-haired boy crawling beside it.
“…Kirito…”
Alice hurried back inside with watery legs.
Kirito’s eyes were still devoid of will. But what he meant by his slow actions was very clear.
He reached out his arm straight towards the three swords hanging on the wall.
“Kirito… you…”
Alice felt hot lumps rising in her throat and chest. It took her seconds to discover that her vision was blurry and distorted because of her own tears.
“…Ah…Ah…”
Letting out hoarse noises, Kirito moved relentlessly towards the swords. Alice wiped her eyes firmly, ran to the boy, and held his frail body up.
“Don’t worry, I’ll go. I’ll save everyone. So, stay here, and relax.”
Whispering quickly, Alice hugged Kirito tightly.
Thump, thump. Through the chest which Alice was laying on, his heartbeat reached her.
Even though his heart was closed, deep in the beating hid flames of will that would never run out. Although they were weak embers, Alice could certainly recognize the warmth.
After tightly pressing her own cheek to the boy’s, Alice carried the frail body over to a chair.
“I’ll save them and be back soon.”
Then she took down the armor and belt hanging from the ceiling and put them on over her nightwear. Without hesitating, she then ran to the east wall and grabbed her beloved sword.
The Fragrant Olive Sword that she had not held for half a year felt rigid. Alice fixed the scabbard onto the belt, threw her coat on while slipping on her boots and ran to the vestibule again.
“Amayori!”
Shouting towards the east, a gigantic shadow hastened over and lowered its head.
Alice clambered onto its long neck and commanded sharply:
“Go!”
Whoosh! Flapping its silvery wings, the dragon sprinted and soared into the air.
After gaining some altitude, the pitiful sight of Rulid Village ruthlessly entered Alice’s sight. The rising red-hot flames generally came from the northern side of the village. As expected, the invaders had come from the .
Last night, Eldrie had confirmed that all was normal at the that had been blocked under Bercouli’s command, so they must have moved a large amount of debris in one day. If that was the case, the mobilized soldiers numbered at least twenty.
Since a long time ago, there had been scouting teams infiltrating the three caves running through the Mountain Range at the End, and successfully attacked the Human World. Kirito and Eugeo had said, before they went to the Central Capital Centoria, they had battled a group of goblins in the Cave of the North. She, however, had never heard of such large scale and obvious assault. By the looks of it, the entire Dark Territory was in the mood to launch an attack against the Human World.
As Alice was thinking, Amayori flew over the forest at full speed, reaching the sky above the wheat fields on the outskirts of Rulid.
Without any reins, Alice used her hands to pat the back of the dragon’s neck as a signal to stop.
Alice stretched over and gazed below. At the north of the main path stretching south, Alice could clearly see shadows of the invaders created by the red glow of fire. Those who jumped around as if they could fly were the dexterous goblins. Not far behind, tall orcs advanced.
The vanguard had already met the temporary line of defense set up with furniture and timber on the north side of the Central Square. The goblins had already reached there, crossing swords over the blockings. White blades flashed around the barrier.
Confronting the invaders were the village guard. But whether it was number, equipment or experience, they were no match for the goblin troops. If this went on, as soon as earthquake-like stomps came from behind, the gradually approaching wall of gigantic orcs would arrive and instantly crush the resistance.
Alice fought the urge to immediately rush into battle, instead surveying the situation again.
Flames lic
On the twenty-second day of the tenth month, the coldest day of autumn arrived with bright sunshine.Canceling their walk, Alice and Kirito spent time at the fireside. Originally before the real cold winter arrived, she had wanted to prepare a large amount of firewood as the elderly Garitta had taught her to, but for now there seemed to be no more need.It had taken her an entire day to write just two pieces of parchment worth of a letter. After finishing, Alice hesitated for a while, and wrote down “Schuberg” in the Common Tongue, then wrote “Synthesis Thirty” in the Sacred Tongue.She carefully folded the letter, tied them up with two bands, wrote Selka’s name onto one, then left the other one on the table for the elderly Garitta.They were letters of farewell and apologies. Since the home in the forest had been discovered by Integrity Knight Eldrie, they could no longer live there. Next time, it would not be Eldrie but Knight Bercouli who came. By the time, Alice would not find appropriate words to tell her mentor in swordsmanship that she was indebted to.So they could only run.After letting out a long sigh, Alice raised her head and looked at the black-haired youth sitting on the other side of the table.“Hey, Kirito. Where do you want to go? The highlands of the Western Lands are very beautiful, you know. Or would the forests of the Southern Lands be better? It’s warm for the entire year, so maybe we can pick a variety of fruits for ourselves.”Although she asked him in a particularly lively voice, Kirito was completely unresponsive as usual.Blank eyes silently looked at the table. The fact that she had to take this injured youth on a life of vagrancy pained Alice in her chest. However, she could not leave him behind in Rulid. Not only could Selka not spare time to take the job as an Apprentice Sister, Alice did not wish so. Now, taking care of Kirito had almost what Alice lived for.“…Forget it, let’s leave the destination up to Amayori. Okay… it’s late, let’s go to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow.”After changing clothes for Kirito and laying him down, she changed into her nightwear, extinguished the lanterns, and climbed into bed.In the darkness, she listened to Kirito’s breath with full attention. When Kirito sounded asleep, Alice wriggled her body.She leaned her head against the youth’s bony chest. Beside her ear came a slow but steady thumping.Kirito’s heart was already no longer here. This heartbeat was but a resonance of the past.In the months that she had slept alongside him every night, Alice had thought so. But at the same time, she felt that in this deep yet steady resonance, there was still — something that remained.If the Kirito now was in a state of having a normal heart but unable to express anything, then just how could she explain her current actions to him? Alice smiled as she thought so, and slowly entered the world of dreams.Suddenly, the body beside her trembled slightly.Alice opened her heavy eyelids with difficulty. She looked towards the east window with her left eye, but the sky through the gap in the curtains was still pitch black. Judging by her feeling, she had only slept two or three hours.While Kirito trembled again, Alice whispered:“It’s still nighttime… let’s sleep some more…”Closing her eye again, she patted Kirito’s chest to tell him to go back to sleep. However, the soft voice from the youth finally let Alice knew that there was something wrong with him.“Ah… ah…”“Kirito…?”The Kirito now did not have wishes of his own. Simple coldness, hunger or others like that shouldn’t wake him. Even so, the boy trembled more violently as though he wanted to get off the bed.“What’s wrong…?”This was abnormal; had he regained his senses? Alice thought as she instantly sat up and directly generated a luminous element, as if lighting a lantern was a waste of time.The boy’s pupils in his eyes that were faintly lit by white light showed no change from usual at all and reflected the same blank darkness; Alice sighed with slight disappointment. But, if so, what was he—At that moment, a sharp cry outside the window reached Alice’s ears.“Kuruuu, kuruuu!”It was the cry of Amayori, who was supposed to be asleep in a corner in the clearing. The sharp cry was sharp and high-pitched as though she was warning her master.Alice jumped onto the floor, ran from the bedroom to the living room and threw open the door. A freezing night wind blew. It should only carry the fragrant of the forest, but the wind mixed with a sliver of strange odor. This smell stung deep in the nose, can only be a signal of substance being burnt—She walked barefoot to the vestibule. Looking around the sky, she could not help gasping.The sky to the west— was burning.The ominous red glow was undoubtedly a reflection of an enormous fire. Squinting, she could see horizontal streaks of black smoke covering the sky.A bush fire?!Although she had thought so for a split second, Alice immediately dismissed that notion. Through the burnt wind came the tinny sounds of clashing metal —and screams.An enemy attack.An army from the Dark Territory was attacking Rulid Village.“…Selka!!”Letting out a hoarse scream, Alice was to immediately run back inside. However, she stood stock still when she stepped on the porch.Alice wailed weakly and prepared to immediately run back inside.Then she stood stock still.I have to save my sister and parents no matter what.But… What about the other villagers?If I were to save everyone, I would have to directly confront the Dark Army. Do I still possess that power now?The source of power for the Integrity Knight Alice of the past was the fanatic loyalty to the Church and the highest minister. With it shattered along with my right eye, can I still swing the Fragrant Olive Sword and use the Sacred Arts?The frozen Alice heard—A “thump” from inside the house.She opened her left eye wide. In the middle of the living room, there sat an upset chair and the black-haired boy crawling beside it.“…Kirito…”Alice hurried back inside with watery legs.Kirito’s eyes were still devoid of will. But what he meant by his slow actions was very clear.He reached out his arm straight towards the three swords hanging on the wall.“Kirito… you…”Alice felt hot lumps rising in her throat and chest. It took her seconds to discover that her vision was blurry and distorted because of her own tears.“…Ah…Ah…”Letting out hoarse noises, Kirito moved relentlessly towards the swords. Alice wiped her eyes firmly, ran to the boy, and held his frail body up.“Don’t worry, I’ll go. I’ll save everyone. So, stay here, and relax.”Whispering quickly, Alice hugged Kirito tightly.Thump, thump. Through the chest which Alice was laying on, his heartbeat reached her.Even though his heart was closed, deep in the beating hid flames of will that would never run out. Although they were weak embers, Alice could certainly recognize the warmth.After tightly pressing her own cheek to the boy’s, Alice carried the frail body over to a chair.“I’ll save them and be back soon.”Then she took down the armor and belt hanging from the ceiling and put them on over her nightwear. Without hesitating, she then ran to the east wall and grabbed her beloved sword.
The Fragrant Olive Sword that she had not held for half a year felt rigid. Alice fixed the scabbard onto the belt, threw her coat on while slipping on her boots and ran to the vestibule again.
“Amayori!”
Shouting towards the east, a gigantic shadow hastened over and lowered its head.
Alice clambered onto its long neck and commanded sharply:
“Go!”
Whoosh! Flapping its silvery wings, the dragon sprinted and soared into the air.
After gaining some altitude, the pitiful sight of Rulid Village ruthlessly entered Alice’s sight. The rising red-hot flames generally came from the northern side of the village. As expected, the invaders had come from the .
Last night, Eldrie had confirmed that all was normal at the that had been blocked under Bercouli’s command, so they must have moved a large amount of debris in one day. If that was the case, the mobilized soldiers numbered at least twenty.
Since a long time ago, there had been scouting teams infiltrating the three caves running through the Mountain Range at the End, and successfully attacked the Human World. Kirito and Eugeo had said, before they went to the Central Capital Centoria, they had battled a group of goblins in the Cave of the North. She, however, had never heard of such large scale and obvious assault. By the looks of it, the entire Dark Territory was in the mood to launch an attack against the Human World.
As Alice was thinking, Amayori flew over the forest at full speed, reaching the sky above the wheat fields on the outskirts of Rulid.
Without any reins, Alice used her hands to pat the back of the dragon’s neck as a signal to stop.
Alice stretched over and gazed below. At the north of the main path stretching south, Alice could clearly see shadows of the invaders created by the red glow of fire. Those who jumped around as if they could fly were the dexterous goblins. Not far behind, tall orcs advanced.
The vanguard had already met the temporary line of defense set up with furniture and timber on the north side of the Central Square. The goblins had already reached there, crossing swords over the blockings. White blades flashed around the barrier.
Confronting the invaders were the village guard. But whether it was number, equipment or experience, they were no match for the goblin troops. If this went on, as soon as earthquake-like stomps came from behind, the gradually approaching wall of gigantic orcs would arrive and instantly crush the resistance.
Alice fought the urge to immediately rush into battle, instead surveying the situation again.
Flames lic
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