War For Underworld

Reunion of Jaymes and Medina

Kirito, Central Cathedral, Centoria, Human Empire

"Now, Swordsman Delegate, I'm going to let you hear it for good this time!" Here comes the lecture.

On the fiftieth floor of the Central Cathedral is the chamber known as the Great Hall of Ghostly Light. It serves as the meeting room for the new government of the Human Empire, the Human Unification Council. Twenty chairs surround a platinum oak table, and Kirito sits in one of them, preparing to be scolded like a child for the failed test of Dragoncraft Prototype Unit One. But it is not the failure of the test (which Ronie and Sadore correctly guessed, the heat elements melted the adamantium chambers without proper cooling and the craft exploded safely in the air) that is the cause of the verbal recourse.

Kirito sighs. "...Yes, sir."

"'I will not be destroying anything this time'--you swore upon your swords! I presume you haven't forgotten saying that!"

"...No, sir."

Doing the scolding to the (second) most powerful swordsman in the realm is the most powerful archer, Deusolbert Synthesis Seven. And like his Conflagration Bow, his words burn. "If Lady Asuna had not made use of her godly power, the ninety-fifth floor of the cathedral would be completely burned out at this moment! I don't care if it is uninhabited now, think of how the people of the city would lament if the historic, symbolic white tower became known as the Charred Tower! I don't think we can suffer a second tragic modification to the cathedral at your expense! It seems to me that you are utterly unaware of the status you possess! Leave the finer issues of developing arts and tools to the arts masters and blacksmiths who make it their calling!"

"That's enough for now, Deusolbert. Look at the swordsman delegate, he's as wilted as a slug-bug in the sun."

"But Commander..."

"It wouldn't do to scold the delegate so much that he runs away from home again. We've got the meeting with the Dark Territory next month, after all." Kirito silently gives thanks to the woman seated to his right at the table, the second Knight Commander of the Order of Integrity Knights, Fanatio Synthesis Two. However, you wouldn't believe she's the strongest in the order with how she cradles the baby in her arms, the son of her and the former commander of the order, Bercouli Synthesis One. She looks at Kirito, smiling. "So you'll have to behave yourself for a little while, boy."

"...It's much scarier when you call me 'boy' rather than 'delegate.'"

"Haha. Wouldn't you say that your fear is an admission of guilt coming from within?" Fanatio's eyes trail from Kirito to Asuna and Ronie who stand behind him at varying distances. Kirito feels a familiar air from Asuna, one that he's experienced time and time again in the near two years (or, if you include Underworld time, three years) they've been a couple, and beyond that ever since they met on Aincrad. It's not his fault per se that other girls toy with him around Asuna, but each time leads to the chill down his spine. That fake smile of Asuna is more powerful than any blade he's wielded, and he's not the only victim to it.

"The most important thing is that there was no real damage once again, so I suppose we can leave your scolding at that. Instead, I will merely insist that you spend the rest of the day until dinnertime tending to your office work.

"...All right." After sitting him up straight, Fanatio hands little baby Berche to Ronie as the other members of the Unification Council (save for two absences) enter the chamber and take their seats. Kirito mentally sighs for what's going to be a long, drawn out meeting, but this is his role here, and if anything, Asuna can speak in his place. She is the former vice-leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath and played a prominent role on the front lines of Sword Art Online. If Jaymes was here, he could do the same as a former prominent solo player on SAO's frontier and current captain of GGO's strongest squad, Crimson Squad. Kirito is used to those long, meticulous strategy meetings of SAO, he was there for many, but...he is a man of action, not talking.