Unital Ring II: The Virtual Study Society

Trouble in the Underworld

Kirito returned on time, and we were treated to a second round of honey pies, with still enough in the freezer for Alice, Asuna, and Kureha to eat once they arrived. Preparations were made for Alice and Asuna to be brought here from the Arabel residence, but the same foresight was not given to Kureha. I told Orlio that Kureha would be coming around nine o'clock, though I forgot to speak of this to Eolyne or Elgia. But if the Orthinanos family is as prominent as they were when Medina restored their status, then I bet they have a mechamobile or two that I haven't seen. Somehow, Orlio and his staff will get Kureha here.

I quietly listen to Kirito and Eolyne discuss the technologies of the current era, specifically the food preservation kind. Somewhere in the history of the past two centuries, we developed refrigeration, cooling and heating, and piping. As he explains why the villa is too old for such technologies without being rebuilt, Eolyne conjures a heat and frost element simultaneously without words, a skill reserved for me, Kirito, and others with strong amounts of Incarnation like the old knights and their goddess. I watch as the elements encroach on each other and produce steam.

I remember something from my previous visit that Sylvie spoke of me being unable to use my teleporting spell or some guards coming. The Incarnation to produce that is great, and it took me most of the three years I was here on my first set of dives to accomplish it. I don't know if I ever passed the technique to others, but Eydis learned a variation from the First Children, who must've learned it through their own means. After seeing Sylvie use Koharu's Fire and Hyper Awareness, it wouldn't surprise me that she can teleport like her parents...and possibly fly as I can.

But why warn me? And what was Kirito talking about earlier that got him caught? While I ponder that, Kirito serves Eolyne another question. "If you can do that...won't you get detected by those Incarnameter things? What if the city guard sends a car after you?"

"Anything as minor as generating elements won't be picked up unless you're in the same room as the device."

"O-ohhh." Kirito holds out his fingers to do the same, and I might've moved too, but Eolyne stops us by squeezing our hands. "You are exceptions, Kirito and Jaymes. Your Incarnation is off the charts, and that means that even tiny actions you take will cause massive Incarnate waves."

"Incarnate waves?"

"They're like ripples in space that the Incarnameter detects." Eolyne releases us, not explaining much more on the topic despite my curiosity. So that's how Kirito was caught last time, using Incarnation...and now that I think about it, no one stopped me when I teleported from the Arabel home to the Orthinanos ancestral home to the far north and back when we returned the first time. I must've set off the Incarnameters off twice. I'll have to apologize to Laurannei, Mathias, and Cordelia for the trouble I must've caused.

"And now I think we have reached the purpose of this conversation. Earlier, before you returned to the real world, I said that it would be your turn to speak next."

"Y-you did."

"We'll answer your questions truthfully," I say with every intention of honoring those words. Our presence is already known to a few individuals of substantial standing - a princess, family members of councilors, and the commander of the most powerful force on this side of the End Mountains - so why not use them to our advantage?

Eolyne stares at us hard with a question as direct as his gaze. "Star King Kirito, Crimson Emperor Jaymes, what is the reason that you have come back to the Underworld at this particular time?"