Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing Part 26

He lowered his gaze to the woman before his eyes to confirm the situation he was in and what resembled a viscous, deep drowsiness crept in his head once more. Averting his eyes in panic, he strongly shook his head in opposition.

-Think. Think.

-I should know this person. Someone sleeping alone on a lavish bed on the highest floor of the Central Cathedral. In other words, the one who holds the highest authority in the Axiom Church-not to mention the one who rules over everything in the Human World...

In other words, the highest minister, Administrator.

Eugeo repeated the name he finally recal ed countless in his mind.

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The instigator behind taking Alice away, stealing her memories, and turning her into an integrity knight. The mighttest sacred arts user who even the sage possessing immeasurable power, Cardinal, was no match for. The ultimate enemy of Kirito and Eugeo.

And that Administrator was sleeping before his eyes.

-Can I win... right now...?

He moved his trembling left hand towards his waist without thinking, but the Blue Rose Sword wasn't there. It was either stolen by the chief elder, Chudelkin, or perhaps still under the ice still covering all of that large bath. Even if the opponent was asleep, without a weapon, he couldn't...

No.

He still had one. A sword that was small yet mightier than sacred tools in a certain sense.

Eugeo moved his left hand from his waist to his chest and softly pressed down on his shirt's fabric. The distinct sensation of a hard cross made itself known to his palm. The final trump card bestowed by Cardinal.

If this dagger was stabbed into Administrator's body, she should be incinerated dead in an instant from the offensive art Cardinal would send in, bypa.s.sing s.p.a.ce.

"......gh..."

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But Eugeo let out a distraught sigh while gripping onto the dagger through the fabric.

This dagger should have been used on Integrity Knight Alice.

Of course, not to burn her to death, but to put her to sleep through Cardinal's arts and to restore her memories, turning her back into the old Alice. If that couldn't be done, Administrator's defeat would serve no meaning to Eugeo. It might be possible to turn Alice to her old self without using the dagger if the highest minister was eliminated, but he had no a.s.surance it would.

Seized by the doubt that lacked an answer, Eugeo heard the mysterious voice yet again while biting on his lips, and noticed.

Eugeo... run......

But before that voice that seemed far too distant could make its way to his consciousness- The sleeping woman's silver eyebrows softly shook.

Those white eyelids slowly, slowly rose as Eugeo stared on in blank amazement. His vision was frozen in place, let alone his left hand, still holding onto the dagger. His ability to think, once restored, dispersed yet again and faded to nothing.

The woman closed her faintly opened eyelids for a moment, then gently blinked several times, as though to rouse Eugeo into 196.

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action. And on the third time, those eyelids finally opened up completely.

"Ah......"

That sigh escaped from Eugeo's mouth without him realizing it.

The now-exposed eyes were pure silver, a color he had never noticed in any human's eyes before. Those mirror-like irises were tinted faintly in the bril iance of the seven prismatic colors, wavering as though on a water surface. A divine radiance that could make any rare gem in this world appear dull in comparison.

Before Eugeo's eyes as he stayed frozen like a statue while still on his knees on the bed, the awoken woman swayed upright with wispy movements. Upon rising as though pulled up by some invisible force with her two arms still left under her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her long, silver hair also softly flittered despite the lack of wind and streamed tidily down her back as a whole.

The woman-or girl, who appeared slightly more youthful with her eyes now open lifted her right hand to her mouth as though paying Eugeo no heed and let out a small yawn.

Her legs that were stretched out straight turned towards the right together. The balance of her slender body lurched and her left hand struck the sheets to support herself.

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The girl turned her face to the left at last, looking straight at Eugeo while maintaining that bewitching posture.

Her pure silver eyes, fringed by a rainbow radiance. He could hardly think of them belonging to a human, due to the lack of pupils residing within them. They were unbearably beautiful, but prevented all access deeper into her heart as they reflected all light like a mirror.

Upon gazing at his own dumbfounded expression projected on those two small mirrors, the girl's glossy, pearl grey lips made a slight movement. Her voice, sweet as honey and pure as crystal, with a hint of enticement, spoke.

"What a pitiful child."

It took some time for him to understand what was spoken.

However, without becoming aware of the languor in his thoughts, Eugeo replied in a daze.

"Eh...? Pitiful...?"

"Yes. How very pitiful."

Throwing the hearts of any who hears it into disarray, it was fil ed equally with both an unsullied purity and the tone of a femme fatale.

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Her glossy, pearl grey lips showed a faint smile as her honeyed voice flowed on.

"You are much like a withered potted flower. No matter how far into the soil you spread your roots, no matter how high you reach your leaves into the wind, you could not come into contact with a single drop of water."

"...A potted... flower..."

Eugeo frowned and tried to understand the significance behind those mysterious words. His mind was still enveloped in haze, but the girl's eyes summoned a stinging pain from somewhere within his heart.

"You understand. Exactly how much you thirst, how much you hunger."

"...For what...?"

His mouth moved without his acknowledgement and questioned in a dry, hoa.r.s.e voice.

The girl stared at Eugeo with her reflective eyes and replied with the smile still on her face.

"Love."

Love... she said?

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That's like... saying that I... don't know what is love...

"Indeed. You are a pitiful child who has never had the experience of being loved."

That couldn't be true.

My mother... loved me. Whenever I had a nightmare and couldn't sleep... she would hug me and sing lullabies for me.

"Did that love truly belong to you alone? It didn't, did it? It was actual y what was left over after your brothers have taken their share, wasn't it...?"

She's lying. Mother... loved me, only me...

"You wanted her to love only you. But she didn't. That was why you hated them. Those who took away your mother's love, like your father. And your brothers."

Lies. I... I don't hate my father or brothers.

"Real y now...? After al , haven't you sliced him up?"

Who...?

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"The one who had loved you and only you for the first time; that red-haired girl... You had cut that man who tried to steal her by force and sul y her. Because you hated him. Because he had stolen away what had belonged solely to you."

No... that wasn't why I pointed my sword towards Humbert.

"But it was no panacea for your thirst. No one would love you.

Everyone had forgotten about you. You have been cast aside, no longer needed."

No... no. I... I haven't been cast aside or...

That's right... she's wrong. I have Alice.

The moment he recal ed that name, the viscous haze shrouding his consciousness felt as though it had cleared up a little and Eugeo shut his eyes tight. It wouldn't be good being swept into this flow, he had to get moving now; the sense of danger filling his mind whispered thus.