03x18.5 - Recollection

[bunniefuu]

I'll tell you about it.

I don't know if you'll accept it or not,

but I'll tell you everything I believe to be true.

Speak. However,
if there's any trace of deceit in your words,

I will slay you on the spot.

Recollection

Ouch.

Hey! I caught you slacking off again,
didn't I?

Crap.

H-Hey, Alice.

Y-You're done with your sacred arts class?

Integrity Knight Alice Synthesis Thirty,

your real name is Alice Zuberg.

You're the daughter of the elder of Rulid Village.

I heard that you were a girl
who was skilled at cooking and the sacred arts.

Your cooking skills are really improving, Alice!

Y-You really think so?
I felt like it was still missing something.

Eight years ago,
along with the boy you grew up with,

you went to the End Mountains
in search of ice.

And on the way back, you got lost.

There's the exit!

This is...

...the Dark Territory.

It was the entrance to the realm of darkness
the Taboo Index forbids anyone to enter,

the Dark Territory.

No!

Alice!

Although it was only the tips of your fingers
that entered the Dark Territory,

there were no exceptions to the Taboo Index,
which all residents of the Human Empire must obey.

For her crimes against the Taboo Index,
the child of Gasfut Zuberg, Alice Zuberg,

will now be apprehended, taken in,
and, after questioning, ex*cuted.

Eugeo, please! Go after her!

Eugeo! At least get these guys off me! Then I'll...

Eugeo!

You were taken away to the capital city
by the Integrity Knight Deusolbert,

and no one knew
what happened to you after that.

Alice!

Well, years ago, somebody used to
bring me lunch at noon every day.

years later

What happened?

She was my childhood friend.

A girl, the same age as me.

When we were little,
we played together all the time.

Even after I received my Calling,
she'd bring me lunch every day.

But...

Because of me...

It was Eugeo, your childhood friend
and carver of the Gigas Cedar,

who made up his mind to find you
and bring you home to Rulid Village.

I'm scared...

But I've got to go!

If I don't, it'll be just the same as when Alice...

He'd been full of regret ever since the day
Deusolbert seized you and he froze, unable to help.

Die!

Kirito!

This time...

...I'll be the one...

...to protect you!

Eugeo, run!

Eugeo!

Eugeo.

Eugeo.

Stay with me! Eugeo!

W-We promised each other as kids, remember?

Me, you and Alice.

We were born on the same day,
so we're going to die on the same day.

This time...

...I'm keeping it.

And so, in order to gain the power needed
to bring you back, Eugeo became a swordsman.

- H-Hey! Look!
- What is that?

Eugeo was finally released from his Calling
as carver of the Gigas Cedar after seven years.

All right, let's go.

Okay.

And so we set off on our journey to the capital city.

Eugeo and I both enrolled in the Swordcraft Academy
in the capital city,

where we met all kinds of people
and learned a lot.

We swore that we'd become Integrity Knights one day,
and climb the Central Cathedral and bring you home.

And to do that, first we have to place in the top
on the Advancement Exam, huh?

But after we'd become elite disciples,
an incident occurred.

Eugeo's page, Tiese, and my own page, Ronie

were taken against their will into the room
of Raios and Humbert, the sons of high-ranking nobles.

Eugeo entered the room to try and save the girls.

...as is my right!

Hold still. I'm going to discipline you now.

Stop it!

Don't move, commoner!

But unable to defy
Raios's order not to move,

Eugeo could only watch
as he humiliated the girls.

Why? Because under the Taboo Index,
commoners must follow a nobleman's orders.

Serving as a seal, this doctrine is embedded in the souls
of those who reside in the Human Empire,

and under no circumstances can anyone defy it.

If upholding such a law is the "right" thing to do...

I...

I...

What's... this?

No, this is the same as that time.

Unforgivable. It's absolutely...

...unforgivable!

No! No! Senpai!

In violation of the Taboo Index,

the law that would prevent him
from saving those dear to him,

he chose instead to uphold his sense of justice.

My secret skill will demolish that piece of junk!

Come on then, Raios!

How's that? How's that?

As if I, Raios Antinous, would fail to keep up
with a mere commoner like you!

Kirito.

In order to protect the injured Eugeo,
I took on Raios.

But for the crime of running afoul of the Taboo Index,
which forbids taking the life of another,

Eugeo and I were arrested.

I am the overseer of the capital city of Centoria,
an Integrity Knight of the Axiom Church...

Alice Synthesis Thirty.

Alice, is that you?

The Integrity Knight who came
to take us into custody was you, Alice.

Though it was jarring to find that
you weren't the Alice I'd heard about from Eugeo...

For running afoul of the Taboo Index,

I shall apprehend you, take you into custody
and, after questioning,

I shall execute you.

Eugeo and I were imprisoned
in the Central Cathedral dungeon.

After breaking out of our cell,

we found ourselves
fighting the Integrity Knight Eldrie.

System Call! Enhance Armament!

Don't worry.

If it's a whip, as long as
we keep an eye on the distance...

...it can't possib—

It extended?

Release Recollection.

There, we saw with our own eyes

the Integrity Knights' secret skills,
the Perfect w*apon Control and Memory Release arts.

No wonder Lady Alice was cautious of you.

That att*ck has no form or anything,
but that's why it exceeded my expectations.

We were only able to escape from Eldrie because
we happened to discover the Integrity Knights' secret.

Wh-What just...

Did Alice lose her memories
and change personalities because of that?

But then Deusolbert arrived to help,
and we were driven away.

You won't be forgiven for the sin of tempting
a brilliant Integrity Knight to fall from grace.

After piercing all four of your limbs,
I shall throw you back into your cell!

Run!

Kirito! Up ahead!

It's a dead end!

Hey!

This way!

Dive!

Where are we?

We've been detected.
Can't use this back door anymore.

It was Cardinal, the sage of the Great Library
who saved us from that crisis.

She revealed the secrets of this world to me.

Um...

Come with me.

Let me be as succinct as possible.

System Call. Generate Luminous Element.

Form Element, Liquid Shape.

The story of how a simple young girl named Quinella
became Administrator, the pontifex of the Axiom Church.

Through the Synthesis Ritual,
this man will be reborn.

As the ultimate warrior,
a Integrity Knight swearing absolute fealty!

The method of how the Integrity Knights are created,
in which memories are stolen and fake ones implanted.

How do we do that?

Simply remove the Piety Module
embedded in their foreheads.

We also asked Cardinal
how we could restore your memories.

And then, Alice, in order to reach you,
we battled numerous Integrity Knights.

How?

I can't mo—

I won't k*ll you.

Instead, watch closely.

At how strong the Integrity Knights
you're mocking actually are!

You didn't come all this way
because you hated the Integrity Knights, right?

Aren't you're here because you want to get Alice back...
because you love her?

And those feelings aren't in any way
inferior to her justice.

It's the same for me.

I want to protect everyone in this world.

You... Alice...

I even want to protect her.

So right now, we can't lose to her no matter what.

Isn't that right, Eugeo?

And we finally encountered you
on the eightieth floor.

I shall erase all of your life.

Enhance Armament!

He aimed for the sword?

Unfortunately, even the two of us together
couldn't defeat you.

That's how we ended up
on the outer wall of the Central Cathedral.

Are you going to approach me, youngster?

I'm sure that Eugeo is fighting fiercely right now,
in order to get to you.

Lend me your strength,

Blue Rose Sword!

Release Recollection!

And there's one final thing I need to tell you.

This world is coming to an end.

According to Cardinal,
this world will soon enter its final phase,

when the Dark Territory forces will mount
a concerted invasion into the Human Empire.

But as the entity charged with
maintaining this world,

Cardinal tells me that she can't accept its demise.

And believing it to be the only way
to normalize the Underworld,

Cardinal intends to return it to nothingness.

I see. So this is...

This is what it means to be human, huh?

So warm.

At last, I feel rewarded.

Those years I spent weren't in vain.

Just discovering this warmth
is enough to satisfy me.

I feel rewarded... more than enough.

But I also realized that
Cardinal wasn't just a coldhearted supervisor.

And so I swore that even after the battle
against the Integrity Knights and Administrator began,

I'd keep trying to find a way to avoid tragedy
and allow this world to survive peacefully.

This is everything I believe to be true,
and my goal.

It's up to you whether to believe me or not.

But if possible,
to save everyone living in this world,

it'd be great if you could help me...

Alice.

Next time: The Seal of the Right Eye.