Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing Part 22

But she wouldn't understand even if I said that now. Turning towards me who was at a loss for words, Alice sent forth a soft yet grave voice.

"You had said the village named Rulid, where I was born and raised... and where my parents and little sister still lives in even now, was at the northern boundary, at the foot of the mountain 162.

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range at the edge. In other words, it wil be devastated straight away if an invasion from the Dark Territory starts. Who exactly will defend all of the remote regions, including Rulid, even if the two of you defeat all of the integrity knights and put a knife to the highest minister's throat? Don't tel me the two of you plan on destroying the forces of darkness on your own?"

The tears from her two eyes hadn't dried yet, but Alice's voice had a genuine resoluteness in it and I couldn't give an immediate answer. Compared to Alice's barefaced determination to protect the Human World, there was far too much I kept hidden.

Enduring the impulse to confess everything here-including how this world was actually artificial, I opened my mouth.

"Then let me ask in return... do you truly believe that the Integrity Knight Order, fully prepared for an a.s.sault, can repel a combined attack from the forces of the Dark Territory without the slightest doubt?"

Alice was the one at a loss for words this time. I returned my sight to the night sky in front and continued speaking while reaching out for a memory from two years ago.

"I said that my partner and I had fought with a squad of goblins that trespa.s.sed from the Dark Territory, hadn't I? Even against goblins, the weakest troops of the forces of darkness, 163.

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their swordsmanship and brute strength were to be feared.

There are loads of them in the Dark Territory and on top of that, it's filled with those darkness knights who ride on flying dragons like al of you and darkness arts users with their minions, right? If al of them attack as a whole, even if all of the integrity knights head out, with the highest minister herself fol owing behind, there's no way you would be able to defend completely with such a smal army."

Ninety percent of those were handed down by Cardinal, but it appeared Alice was of the same mind as she didn't reply immediately as she always had. A short while was spent in silence before an anguished voice was wrung out, her face turned downwards.

"...True, even oji-sama5... even Knight Commander Bercouli seemed to have buried that same worry in the depths of his heart. The elite troops of the Dark Territory already number in the tens of thousands, and if they were to all march through the "Great East Gate", the Knight Order alone would probably not be able to hold them back, he said... -But even so, it's true as well, that the Human World does not have anyone with laudable combat ability aside from us. You mentioned that children from the upper cla.s.s n.o.bles were educated in the sword and sacred arts earlier, but they pursue the beauty of a single strike which would hardly hold up in an actual battle. In the end, there is no 5 "oji-sama" Uncle. Doesn't have to be a real, blood-related uncle. It's just a lot less awkward than using "uncle".

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choice but for us integrity knights to battle on our few flying dragons, trusting in divine protection from the three G.o.ddesses.

I believe you do understand the situation, don't you?"

"It's as you say... the Human World as it is now probably doesn't have a power capable of fighting against the forces of darkness aside from the integrity knights."

I carefully answered, stil looking forward.

"But that's a situation brought forth by Administrator from her desires. The highest minister fears a power beyond her absolute control sprouting up in the Human World. That's exactly why she's gathered the champions of the Unity Tournament and offenders of the Taboo Index, sealed away their memories, and turned them into loyal knights. To put it in another way, Administrator doesn't trust the humans of this world, not the slightest bit."

It seemed Alice sucked in a sharp breath. But she didn't immediately rebut like always. Praying that my words had reached the girl's heart, I continued piling them on.

"If the highest minister believes in the humans living in the Human World and form a well-equipped army, letting them have sufficient training, a force comparable to the Dark Territory's should exist in the Human World about now.

However, the highest minister didn't. She allowed the upper 165.

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cla.s.s n.o.bles, who should have been the first to pick up their swords when the time came to fight, to live their idle, indulgent lives, which then cause their souls to stagnate... Like those two Eugeo and I swung our swords at in the Sword Mastery Academy."

The incident where Raios Antinous and Humbert Zizek brought disgrace to Tizei and Ronie's modesty was a mere two days ago. If the load experiment phase had arrived without any change to the situation, and the Human World was exposed to a combined attack from the Dark Territory, countless of such tragedies would unfold.

"But... not everything is lost yet. There's stil time until the Dark Territory's forces push in, though I don't know if it's a year or two... if the Human World tries its best to build up a large army by then..."

"Such a thing could never be possible!"

Alice finally shouted then.

"Haven't you just said so yourself? About how corrupted the n.o.bles of this world are?! Even when commanded to take up their swords because a war is starting, the four imperial families and the upper cla.s.s n.o.bles are sure to merely pretend to obey while guarding their own lives and a.s.sets!"

"Yeah, sure, most of the upper cla.s.s n.o.bles probably don't have the guts to fight with the forces of darkness. But a part of 166.

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the high cla.s.s aristocratic families still retain their pride as n.o.bles and there are plenty among the lower cla.s.s n.o.bles and the commonfolk who possess the will to protect their families and towns... and this world, at al cost. If the extensive amount of equipment ama.s.sed in this tower were to be all distributed among them and the integrity knights teach them their polished, real swordsmanship and sacred arts, it wouldn't be impossible to build up a grand army within a year.

"Common... folks...?

I nodded deeply towards Alice, muttering in amazement.

"That's right. Even if you don't force them to enlist and recruit only volunteers, I'm sure you could gather quite a number. I mean, there are already guard corps in the towns and vil ages here and there. But... if things continue as they are, this has no chance of being realized."

"......The esteemed highest minister... would never forgive it..."

"Yeah. It would probably be impossible to talk her around too.

After al , an army that Administrator can't force into devotion towards her would be just as scary as the forces of darkness to her. To sum it up, it leads to one conclusion. We can only destroy the absolute control of the highest minister, Administrator, and make full use of the meager remaining time to build up a defense capable of going up against the incoming invasion."

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Telling Alice so from her side, I couldn't help but feel a great cynicism.

The organization that created the Underworld and conducted this majestic experiment, "Rath", apparently seemed to be intimately connected to Kikuoka Seijirou, an active member of the Self-Defense Forces. In that case, the experiment's goal was unmistakably closely related to national defense in the real world. I could even imagine them making use of the artificial fluct lights themselves, like Eugeo and Alice, to control weaponry, for example.

Despite how I couldn't accept such a thing at all, I was currently proposing that we should train tens of thousands of the humans in the Human World into soldiers.

Not knowing a single bit of my ashamed inner thoughts, Alice had her mouth closed, likely for a reason separate from mine.

The girl must be weighing between her loyalty towards the Axiom Church carved into her soul with the words of an intruder whom she had arrested with her own hands. Despite her disciplined expression, she must be going through conflicts and distress beyond what I could imagine in her heart.

Before long- A short line reached me, riding atop the night wind.

"...Can I meet them?"

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"Eh...?"

"If I cooperate with you... and retrieve my sealed memories, can I meet with Selka... my sister again?"

I strongly bit down on my back teeth in that instant.

Meet. Meeting her wouldn't be a problem at all. But...

I was at a loss whether to tel Alice of my earlier prediction or not. However, I definitely didn't have to patch the situation up with some irresponsible words. Steeling my resolve, I first nodded.

"...You can. If you get on a flying dragon, it would just be a day or two to Rulid. But... please, I want you to listen to this carefully."

I stared hard at Alice's face as she sat around a meter and a half away on my right, and voiced out the continuation to my words.

"The one reuniting Selka will be you, but not you. The instant you regain your memories, you wil turn back to Alice Schuberg, before you underwent the Synthesis Ritual, and Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty wil vanish with that. Your current personality will disappear along with your memories when you lived as an integrity knight and you'll surrender that body to your original personality... This is cruel, but... you're currently "Another Alice", created by Administrator's hands."

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Alice's shoulders jerked several times upon hearing my words.

However, she didn't fal into sobs. A few seconds later, a hoa.r.s.e voice rang out, as though she was trying her best to restrain her emotions.

"...Ever since I heard that about integrity knights being created by the esteemed highest minister... I've been thinking it would be something like that. I had stolen this body away from that girl by the name of Alice Schuberg and unjustly inhabited it for six years... that's how it is, isn't it?"

I could no longer find any suitable replies. Despite the tempest that must be raging within her heart, Alice still showed a stout smile.

"What was stolen must be returned. That... should be what Selka, my parents, your friend... and you, yourself too, are hoping for."

"......Alice..."

"I just... have a single request, just one."

"That is...?"

"Before this body is restored to the original personality of Alice... could you bring me to Rulid Village? And even if it's while hiding... a single look is enough. I want to see what Selka... my sister looks like, and my family too. If you could grant me that much, that would be enough."

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