Alicization Invading Read online

  Ten seconds later, he spoke in a voice that carried well despite its softness.

  “Is that you, Alice?”

  Alice merely said, “Yes.” But the elder did not approach her or reach out to her. In a sterner voice than before, he asked, “Why are you here? Have your crimes been forgiven?”

  She didn’t have an immediate answer. She didn’t actually know what her crimes were, nor whether they had been forgiven or not.

  Young Alice Zuberg had been taken by Deusolbert to Centoria for the crime of entering the Dark Territory, according to what Kirito had told her. That was indeed a violation of the Taboo Index. But as an Integrity Knight, Alice was no longer bound by that taboo. The only law to a knight was the order of the pontifex. And now that pontifex was gone. From now on, she would have to define sin, forgiveness, good, and evil for herself…

  With this thought weighing on her mind, Alice stared into the elder’s eyes and replied, “As punishment for my crimes, I have lost all memory of my life as a resident of this village. I do not know if this counts as forgiveness, but I have nowhere else to go.”

  It was Alice’s true, unvarnished opinion.

  Gasfut closed his eyes. Deep furrows appeared along his mouth and brow. When his thoughtful frown disappeared, his eyes were harsh—and his words, even more so.

  “Begone. We cannot allow a criminal to stay in this village.”

  Selka seemed to sense Alice’s momentary tension. She looked up, confused.

  “Sister…?” she whispered.

  But Alice just smiled down at her. “It’s nothing. Come, let’s head back.”

  “…Okay,” Selka said, releasing her hold but giving Alice a concerned look before her joyful smile returned. “I’ll push the chair as far as the fork in the road!”

  She stood behind Kirito’s wheelchair and gripped the handles with her tiny hands. Not only was the chair itself heavy, it also held the weight of one (admittedly gaunt) adult person and one and a half Divine Object swords resting on it. It should have been too heavy for a fourteen-year-old apprentice nun who wasn’t used to physical labor—but the first time Selka had tried it, leaning forward with her feet firmly planted, the wheelchair rolled slowly forward.

  “It’s a downward slope, so be careful.”

  Selka hadn’t toppled the wheelchair yet, but it was still hard not to be concerned.

  “I’m fine, Sister. You’re just too much of a worrywart,” she said. Apparently, when Alice had lived in Rulid, she’d done plenty of exploring and experiments with Eugeo but had been overly protective of her younger sister.

  Did her basic personality remain the same even without her memory, or was it just a coincidence? Alice couldn’t help but wonder about this as she walked alongside Selka, who was absorbed in her job of pushing the wheelchair.

  Once they reached the foot of the hill, the downward slope became a flat path. Selka did her best to push the chair along, now that it was heavier. As she stared at her sister hard at work, Alice found her mind drifting again into the past.

  The day she was denied entry to the village, she had resigned herself to her fate as an outsider, feeling lost and dejected until Selka found her and called out to her at the tree line. Selka knew she was acting against her father’s wishes, and without her bravery and the benevolence of Old Man Garitta, Alice would surely still be wandering in the wilderness today.

  Certainly, the story would have been difficult for Selka to accept, too—that her sister had finally returned home and yet didn’t remember anything of the past. That Kirito, who had spent a brief but memorable stay at the village, was now in a coma. And that Eugeo, who had been like a brother to her, was dead…

  But the only time Selka cried was upon hearing the news that Eugeo would not be coming back. Since then, she had never been around Alice without a smile on her face. The strength of her heart and breadth of her benevolence never failed to amaze Alice. It was a strength more powerful and divine than any priest’s sacred arts or knight’s sword.

  It was also a daily reminder of just how powerless Alice was now that she was no longer a member of the Axiom Church.

  With Garitta’s help, she built a small but sturdy cabin in the woods just two kilors away from the village. Her first order of business after that was to apply powerful healing arts to Kirito, who was still in a coma.

  On one cloudless day, she had headed to the most verdant spot in the forest to receive the greatest possible blessing of both Solus and Terraria, using the vast sacred power to generate ten light elements and apply them to Kirito’s body as treatment.

  The healing art took Alice’s entire being and soul to produce, and it was powerful enough to heal not just a human, but the life of a massive dragon all the way to full in a single instant. No matter how deep Kirito’s wounds were, she knew that even his severed arm would immediately be restored, and he would wake up in perfect condition at once.

  Once the brilliant spiritual light dissipated, Kirito’s lids did indeed open—but without any illumination in those vacant pools of black. Alice said his name over and over, shook his shoulders, even clung to his chest and screamed, but all he did was stare blankly at the sky. She couldn’t even restore his missing arm.

  Four months had passed since that day, and there had not been a single sign that Kirito’s mind would ever return.

  At every opportunity, Selka said that with how diligently she was caring for him, the old Kirito was sure to return someday. But silently, Alice feared this might never happen. It might be beyond her means.

  Especially for a person who was nothing but a creation of Administrator.

  Alice was pulled out of her reminiscence when Selka finally broke her silence and said, “I need…a break” and stopped pushing the wheelchair.

  She reached down and put her hand on her younger sister’s back as the girl panted and glistened with sweat.

  “Thank you, Selka. I’ll push it from here.”

  “I was gonna try…to get it all the way…to the fork…”

  “You got it a hundred mels farther than the last time. You’ve been a huge help to me.”

  Since coming to the village, Alice had learned that a much older sister was supposed to show her appreciation by giving the younger one a bit of an allowance, but she didn’t have a single copper in her pockets now. With her current finances, losing even a single shia in the forest would be devastating, so she did not carry coins unless she was heading to the market to buy something.

  Instead, she smoothed Selka’s brown hair with her palm. Her sister gave her a happy smile, breathing normally again, but there was a trace of sadness there as well.

  “What’s wrong, Selka?” she asked, taking the wheelchair handles. “Is something troubling you?”

  Selka hesitated. “Um…Mr. Barbossa wanted you…to take down a tree in the clearing again…”

  “Oh, that’s all? You don’t have to feel bad about bringing that request to me. Thank you for letting me know,” Alice said, favoring her with a smile.

  But her sister’s expression went from a downcast gaze to genuine sadness. “It’s just…they’re so selfish, aren’t they? Don’t you agree, Kirito?”

  Naturally, the boy in the wheelchair did not react. But Selka carried on with renewed conviction anyway.

  “Mr. Barbossa and Mr. Ridack won’t let you live in the village, but they’re more than happy to ask you for help when they need it. I know I’m the one passing on their message, but you don’t have to do this. I can bring you all the food you need from home.”

  Alice giggled at the outraged pout on her sister’s face and said, “I appreciate your offer, but honestly, it’s all right, Selka. I like the home I have now, and I’m grateful that I’m still allowed to be close to the village…Once I’ve fed Kirito his lunch, I’ll be right there. Which area was it?”

  “The one to the south,” Selka mumbled, then walked alongside the wheelchair in silence.

  When they were nearly to the fork in the road that led to the log cabin, Selka spoke up again. “Sister, my training period will be over next year, and I’ll receive a small stipend after that. You won’t need to help them anymore at that point. I can take care of you and Kirito…I can do it for as long as…”

  She lost her words then, and Alice hugged her gently. She pressed her cheek against the girl’s brown hair, which was a different color than her own but felt very similar, and whispered, “Thank you…But I’m happy enough just knowing you are nearby, Selka…”

  Selka left, turning back to wave again and again in obvious reluctance, and Alice returned to the log cabin with Kirito at last, to prepare for their lunch.

  She’d learned how to handle the household chores after much practice, but cooking was still a skill that eluded her. Compared to the Osmanthus Blade, the knife she’d bought at the village general store was so flimsy and weak that it took twenty or thirty minutes just to chop up the ingredients.

  Thankfully, she had Selka’s fresh-baked pie today, so she cut a small piece to feed Kirito. She had to put the forkful of pie next to his mouth and wait patiently for him to part his lips so she could stick it into his mouth. Slowly, slowly, Kirito would chew the food, merely reliving distant memories of eating.

  While he chewed, she, too, tasted the apple-and-cheese pie. It was probably baked by Elder Gasfut’s wife, Sadina Zuberg—Selka and Alice’s mother.

  When she lived in Central Cathedral, the tables of the dining hall were laden with every delicacy from all over the world. The flavor and appearance of Sadina’s pie paled in comparison, but it seemed far more delicious. She didn’t particularly like how Kirito’s reaction was slightly more enthusiastic for the pie than it was for her own cooking, however.

  After the meal was done and she’d clea
ned up, she put Kirito back into the wheelchair and laid the swords across his knees. Outside the cabin, the afternoon sunlight shone golden upon their approach. The days were much shorter now, and evening snuck up fast. She rushed them back to the fork to the south and headed west this time.

  Eventually, the forest gave way to a barley field nearly ready for harvest. Beyond the heavy stalks was the sight of Rulid on its hill. In the midst of the red-brick roofs was a spire that jutted above all else: Selka’s church.

  Neither Selka nor Sister Azalia, the nun who ran the church, was aware that Central Cathedral, the seat of power for the Axiom Church, which presided over the four empires, was now just a hollow structure without a master. Still, that didn’t prevent the little church and its orphanage from running smoothly.

  If the cathedral was in chaos after the death of Administrator, it had no effect whatsoever on the lives of the populace. The Taboo Index still functioned, constricting the minds of the people. Would they be able to pick up swords and protect their lands from disaster?

  If the order came from the Axiom Church and the emperors, they would presumably obey. But that alone would not be enough to defeat the forces of darkness. At the very least, Commander Bercouli was wise enough to recognize that glaring truth.

  What would decide the battle to come was not priority level of weapons nor authority level of arts—it was willpower. Kirito’s battle had proven that with the way he overcame a devastating disadvantage of strength to defeat multiple Integrity Knights, Prime Senator Chudelkin, and even Administrator.

  As she approached the village, proudly absorbing the gazes of caution and fear from the residents working in the barley fields, Alice sent a silent message to her sword mentor.

  Uncle, peace might not be a thing to fight for, according to the common people, but a thing that is constantly and eternally given to them. And the ones who did that…are the Axiom Church, the Taboo Index, and us, the Integrity Knights.

  At this very moment, Commander Bercouli was probably busy in Centoria, training the armies of the four empires and arranging production of arms. Perhaps he was already sending troops to the Eastern Gate at the far end of the Eastavarieth Empire, where the battle would likely be the most intense. He must want every last knight he could marshal, whether for their assistance in management or just for pure battle ability.

  But here I am now…

  Reflecting on her current situation, she passed through the barley fields into where they were clearing the forest south of the village, and she stopped the wheelchair before a huge mound of dirt so she could survey the vast area.

  Just two years ago, this had been a massive forest, even larger than the one to the east where they lived in the cabin now. But after Kirito and Eugeo cut down the monstrous Gigas Cedar that ruled over the woods and absorbed every last bit of its holy power, the men of the village were obsessed with expanding their fields, Selka had told her with annoyance.

  At the center of the clearing was the tremendous black stump of the tree, and at the south end, there were dozens of villagers industriously chopping away. One of them, a burly man busying himself with orders rather than using an ax for himself, was Nigel Barbossa, the owner of the biggest farm in the village.

  Reluctantly, Alice rolled the wheelchair down the small footpath. Kirito showed no reaction as he passed the stump of the enormous tree he had once cut down. He simply stared downward, cradling his swords.

  The first to notice the approaching pair were the youngsters of the Barbossa clan, who were resting atop the stumps of newly felled trees. The trio appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old and gazed greedily at Alice with her golden hair and scarf, then glanced at Kirito in the wheelchair. They muttered to one another and chuckled.

  After she passed without paying them any heed, one of the youths lazily called out, “Uncle, she’s heeeere.”

  Nigel Barbossa stopped yelling orders and spun around, hands on his hips, a wide smile across his plump face. Something about his large mouth and beady eyes reminded her of Chudelkin.

  Alice returned his smile to the best of her ability and bowed. “Good afternoon, Mr. Barbossa. I heard that you wanted me for something…”

  “Ah, yes! Thank you for coming, Alice,” he said, stomach jiggling as he approached, arms outstretched. She prepared herself for a possible attempt at a hug, but fortunately, the sight of the wheelchair in front of her made him reconsider.

  Instead, he stood just fifty cens to the right of her and twirled around, indicating a huge tree that stood at the border of the forest and the clearing. “Do you see that? We’ve been working round the clock on that infernal platinum oak since yesterday morning, but even ten grown men with axes have barely been able to nick it.”

  He made a gesture with his index finger and thumb to describe a small semicircle.

  The enormous oak, a good mel and a half across, stood thoroughly rooted in place, resisting the woodcutters’ efforts. Two men were trading strikes from either side of the cut, which was indeed less than ten cens in depth.

  Sweat was pouring off the shirtless men like waterfalls. The muscles of their chest and arms were thick, but it was clear from the inconsistency of their swinging that they did not have regular experience with an ax.

  Even as she watched, one of the men’s feet slid a bit, and the blade hit diagonally. The handle of the ax broke about halfway up, and he fell hard on his backside to uproarious laughter from the others in his vicinity.

  “What are those fools doing…?” growled Nigel, then he turned back to Alice. “At this rate, there’s no telling how many days it will take to get rid of this one tree. And in the time we’ve wasted on this, Ridack’s team has added another twenty mels of land in each direction!”

  Barbossa was referring to the next most-wealthy farming family in the village. He kicked at a pebble in frustration and snorted, nostrils flaring. But his scowl quickly transformed into his massive smile again as he wheedled, “So while I know our arrangement is for once every month, I was hoping you might give us some help in this one special case, Alice. You may not remember that on several occasions when you were young, I reluc—er, generously gave you sweets to enjoy. You were such a sweet young girl back then. Er, as you still are now, of course…”

  Alice avoided rolling her eye as she cut him off. “I understand your problem, Mr. Barbossa. But only if it’s this one time.”

  It was currently Alice’s calling—no, just her means of making a living—to clear out trees and rocks, like this platinum oak, that proved especially difficult to the process of clearing the forest for farmland.

  Naturally, this was not an official job. About a month after they’d settled into the cabin in the woods, there was an incident with fallen rocks blocking the path to the pasture to the west. When Alice came across it and moved the boulder all on her own, word spread throughout the village, and people started coming to her for help.

  If she was going to live with Kirito like this, they’d need at least some money, so she was grateful to have a job to do. But Selka was worried that if she kept accepting any task, the men would never stop coming to her, so she set up a system: Each farm could ask Alice for help only once a month.

  Despite being beholden to the Taboo Index, Norlangarth Basic Imperial Laws, and the village precepts, Nigel was asking for a second task within the month in violation of that agreement, but Alice was not surprised by this. It wasn’t because, like Alice and Eugeo, he’d broken through the seal in his right eye—what the pontifex had called Code 871. It was simply that he viewed Alice as being beneath him. In other words, the powerful farm owner didn’t need to waste his time upholding a deal with some former criminals who lived in a dismal shack on the outskirts of town.

  Meanwhile, Alice nodded to Nigel again and left the wheelchair behind. She checked on Kirito just in case, but he seemed unconcerned with the fuss around them, so she gave him a silent reassurance that it wouldn’t take long and headed for the platinum oak.

  When the men spotted her, they leered and made a show of clicking their tongues in irritation. They were all aware of her strength by now, however, so they silently moved away from the tree.

  She took their place and drew a quick sigil of sacred script with her right hand, bringing up a Stacia Window. The tree’s life value was tremendous, which explained why ten grown men had struggled to cut it. Its priority level was too high for her to borrow their axes this time.