The Night Sky Swordsman (Sword Art Online X OC)

Chapter 59 Nobleman's Responsibilities

No one's POV

Eugeo: It's been 3 days. It feels weird that nothing's happened after they hinted of mischief.

3 days ago, Eugeo was practicing his sword skill alone in the training area. Where he was approached by the first and second seat disciples, Raios and Humbert. Thing ended up with Eugeo having a sparring match with Humbert with a draw as a conclusion. But what Eugeo couldn't make out of was their intention. Eugeo was prepared for any kind of petty revenge scheme, but for the next few days after the impromptu duel, Raios and Humbert stayed quiet. When he passed them at the disciples' dorm or the central building, Humbert would give him a hateful look, but not so much as a word otherwise. Just in case, he told Zora about the incident at the training hall and warned him to be on guard, but the nobles hadn't bothered him at all.

Zora: I don't think they've had a sudden change of heart, either. But if you think about it, it's got to be difficult to pull off their kind of trick here at this dorm.

He sipped his cofil tea, black and unsweetened. It was nine thirty at night after a wild week, with the day of rest ahead. They'd finished with their daily practice, dinner, and bath, and at this time on a weekday, they'd be in their beds sleeping—but it had become their custom to spend this one night a week in the common room, sipping tea and talking things over.

Zora: Also, the Taboo Index forbids it, exactly. 'Thou shalt not intentionally damage the life of another without a reason listed elsewhere.' Isn't stealing also a terrible taboo?

Eugeo: Stealing means to take another's possessions and make them your own without permission. It takes twenty-four hours for the sacred text in the Stacia Window that indicates ownership to pass from person to person once the item has been moved or placed in the other's home. That's why, even if you have an agreement to give something to another person, you can still fairly request its return within the day. And if it's removed without permission, you can place the item anywhere that's not your own home, which will not overwrite the ownership and thus doesn't count as stealing. You aren't telling me... you've forgotten such a basic tenet of the law, are you?

Eugeo stared at Zora, the infamous lost child of Vecta, but the other boy merely ruffled his black hair and laughed in embarrassment.

Zora: Oh, r-right, of course. No, I haven't forgotten. I remember...but wait. What about in that story, then? When Bercouli tried to steal the Blue Rose Sword from the dragon's lair—wasn't that breaking a taboo?

Eugeo: A dragon isn't a person.

Zora: Ah...gotcha.

Eugeo: Back on topic, while it's not a taboo to hide someone's belongings for a prank, if left out in the open on nobody's territory, the item's life will start to dwindle, so if it's not returned before then, that's damage to another's property. So no matter what, my shoes would always be back by the evening. But...what does this have to do with Raios and Humbert behaving themselves?

Zora blinked, apparently forgetting that he had brought it up in the first place.

Zora: My point is, this school has a bunch of its own rules in addition to the Taboo Index, right? And there's an entry about going into the private rooms of other students or faculty without permission. That means they can't get in here, and all our property is inside our room. We'd have to forget something important out in a public... space...

He trailed off for some reason, but then regained his train of thought.

Zora: And we haven't done that, of course. So it's essentially impossible for Raios and Humbert to play pranks on us the same way that Zink picked on poor little Eugeo back in Rulid Village.