War For Underworld

The Traitor Revealed

Kirito, Central Cathedral, Centoria, 4 days later

"The Headless Horseman...that somehow fits. But we've never faced a knight like that to my knowledge." Kirito crosses his arms as Ronie serves him, Asuna, and Jaymes cups of tea on the 80th Floor. Once she's done, she steps back to depart, probably sensing she's unnecessarily present, but Kirito halts her. "You can stay, Ronie. Your account of events are important, after all."

Ronie nods and sits down beside her senior as Kirito faces Asuna and Jaymes. The second mission in Wesdarath was a bloody one at that, and one with more questions than answers. One of them is how someone committed murder without invoking the Seal of the Right Eye. Humbert is in custody for his crimes, yet Kirito doesn't believe he killed all those people. Some of them, like the Emerald Knight who lived, Humbert didn't know besides the Eugeo resemblance, and others did not look like Norlangarthians. Humbert himself almost died.

However, the other question is much more pressing. Jaymes and Asuna's account of the mission is that they investigated the region, looking for signs of the knight that attacked Medina. That lead to a meeting with a group of adventurers, who told them they've heard something about a valley with ancient ruins beyond the ravine. Following that trail, they came across the hunter Tahmul, who managed to explain some strange happenings in the aforementioned valley. They were eventually joined by Tiese's uncle and the injured Emerald Knight, and learning what the lord of Scolea had to say about the valley coincided with a sudden sensation of malice from the Forbidden Valley. Jaymes tried his best to get the trio to the source of power, but by the time they came to the shrine, the strange phenomenon was gone. Still alarmed, they made their way through the shrine, concerned for their companions, having to see the fallen bodies of the slain, the unconscious Ronie, and then the fallen girls and Integrity Knight.

Renly regained consciousness as they and the wayfarers began clean up and treat the people in the shrine. There he explained what they've been through since they split at the village. But he couldn't answer why he and the trainee knights were cut down.

But he could explain that this was not the first instance. The Emerald Knight suffered the same attack: Cut down, but the armor wasn't damaged.

When Fanatio heard that detail earlier today, Kirito recalls how grave her face was. Kirito didn't understand why, but there was Deusolbert's face as well. Ronie looked shaken, but futhermore, Jaymes (attending a meeting for the first time in six months) and Medina were silent. Even now, no one has explained what is on their mind.

The missing pieces remain with Ilia, Mia, and Tiese. Ilia is the only one who recovered, so she gave her report. She doesn't know much except that their attack was "a warning to your masters and false gods", then the voice ordered another to wound them. The final words phased Kirito as Medina repeated them at the council: "As the mothers and father wills it..."

"Two deadly attacks in Wesdarath. Now two suspects. This cannot be a coincidence anymore," Kirito says softly. He looks to Jaymes, who has barely touched his tea. "Joshua, what do you plan to do now?"

"I have no idea, Kazuto. I... I made that same mistake again, and almost paid for it again. If Renly wasn't there..."

Asuna reaches out and takes Jaymes' hand. "Mia and the girls are fine. Take it easy and don't think that way."

"I... Right. Well, Medina has wayfarers exploring the four empires en masse. We're investigating the tome, looking at patterns for these apostles. And, of course, the bastard who hurt my apprentice, and then..."

Ronie sets her cup down and stares at the brown liquid. "Jaymes...do you think..."

"Medina said it first. I still don't want to admit it, but...that's the only sword I know that can do it."