Yukio relaxed and sat down on the bed.
"You're more of a fighter than I thought. I did swing carelessly, but you still managed to block it," Yuki said.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Reynolds protested. "It's not cool to just attack someone out of the blue like that."
Yukio looked at him, then leaned towards Kojo and whispered, "Who's that guy?"
Reynolds took a step back as if shocked by electricity.
"He's the Duke's son," Kojo said, sitting down beside her.
"Really? I thought he was fodder for an event because of the serious background character vibes he was giving."
Kojo looked over at Reynolds, who squatted in a corner, mumbling that no one appreciates him.
"Anyway, why are you here?" Kojo asked.
"First, I came to see if you're alright, 'cause you allowed yourself to take one serious beating."
"Um, Miss Yukio," Adriana said.
"Huh? Oh, what's up? Oh, and don't call me miss. I'm not that old. Yuki's fine," Yukio said with a smile.
"Ok. So what did you mean when you said Kojo allowed himself to get beaten?" Adriana asked.
"Cause his attacks were way weaker than when we sparred in the glades. True, we were both holding back, but I tried to scare him using a 7-star spell, and he blew up the side of a mountain in retaliation," Yuki said. "When the tournament started, I expected he'd just blow his opponents apart, but he fought and took damage. Something that was unlikely in our first encounter."
Everyone in the room turned to look at Kojo.
"That or you're just weaker than expected," Yukio said with a smile. "Guess we'll never know till the tournament's over."
"Ok, thanks for having faith in my ability," Kojo said sarcastically. "So your second reason?"
"That." She pointed at Kojo's sword. "That's Caliburn, if I'm not mistaken, one of the three Sacred Blades belonging to Estelle Leicester. A weapon so powerful it's rumored to give its wielder the ability to rewrite reality itself."
Everyone in the room gasped.
"Could it be the real one?" Reynolds asked.
"Of course it's the real one. See?" Yukio tapped Kojo's sword with hers. The runes on both swords glowed.
"My question is, how'd you get it? The church knows that I have Ascalon, the sword that rends Time, and Sasha has Durandel, the sword that can shatter space."
"Wait, Sasha has a Sacred Blade too!" yelled Kojo. "Why didn't you guys tell me?"
"We thought you already knew," Sharone said.
"It is common knowledge," Koniko said. Lin, Adriana, and Reynolds nodded.
"The church, no, the whole continent's gonna be interested in the appearance of Caliburn. So tell me how you got it," Yukio said in a serious tone, leaning closer to Kojo, her grip tightening on her sword.
"What should I do now?" Kojo wondered.
(Cook up a convincing story like you always do.)
"Sysia, oh thank goodness you're— Wait, how long have you been there?"
(Well, since the first thing that caught your attention was a woman's breast instead of the one who restored your body, I assumed I wasn't wanted and chose not to speak with you.)
"Oh, please, you were probably looking for the right words to tell at me with when this happened, and you decided to hide away in my consciousness and eat popcorn and watch."
(You know me too well. But seriously, how are you going to deal with this situation?)
"Hey, Reynolds," Kojo yelled. "What's the relationship between you and that beautiful young woman?" He pointed at Adriana.
"She's my twin sister," Reynolds said.
"Say what!" Kojo yelled. "But the two of you look nothing alike."
Yukio leaned closer, causing Kojo to lean back.
"Nice try trying to divert the question, but you need to answer," she said, lying on top of him.
"Listen, sooner or later the church will hold an inquisition into the appearance of the third sword, and I may not be able to help you then," she said, looking into his eyes. "Since our first fight, I've gotten attracted to you. I like you. Enough that I don't want any complications between us in the future." Kojo looked into her eyes. For a moment, he was mesmerized, but four intense gazes on him and a strong aura of bloodlust brought him back to reality.
"Alright, I'll talk, just get off me," he said. Yukio sat on the bed facing him, hands on her lap. Kojo was a bit surprised, but he didn't say anything.
"There was a special spell used to keep Caliburn in another reality, a sheath of sorts, to prevent it from getting into the wrong hands, as it's the most volatile of the three blades. One wrong move and reality gets screwed," Kojo said.
"But how did you learn the spell?" Reynolds asked.
"You guys remember my fight with Mekna? See, when he summoned that lich. I still can't believe that that's his dad. I've been wondering how he and his mom—"
"Get back to the explanation," they yelled at him.
"Oh right, sorry." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, that thing around its neck wasn't an ordinary Grimoire. You guys ever hear of the Babel Archive?"
"Yes," Adriana said. Everyone turned to look at her.
"It's the refinement and compilation of spells put together by Estelle, the first hero. Its content is said to be so advanced that it could advance the spells we use today by centuries," she said.
"Wow, you sure know your stuff, unlike some people," Kojo said, eyeing Reynolds.
"The archive also contains some of Estelle's skills and summons," Lin said. "But you took the Grimoire during the fight. Does that mean you read the entire thing?"
"There was no time to do that in the arena," Sharone said.
"Not to mention that the Archive has a curse placed on it to prevent anyone who isn't the predetermined recipient to die."
"Oh, so that's how he kicked the bucket," Kojo said, remembering the Lich.
"Wait, there was a curse in that thing?" Kojo yelled.
"You didn't know?" Sharone asked.
"No. Is the archive also common knowledge?" he asked.
Everyone in the room affirmed.
"So how'd you manage to get all that information and not die?" Yukio asked.
"It's thanks to one of my skills. I can copy the properties of a target in contact, including skills and special traits," Kojo said.
(You idiot!)
"Is it right for you to be telling us this?" Sharone asked.
"Yeah. I trust you guys. And no one's gonna listen to a background character, so,"
"Will you stop with the mockery?" Reynolds yelled.
"Very well," Yukio said, getting up. "I'll take my leave now and allow you to rest. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this skill of yours," she said. "I think we should all give him some room to rest up."
They all nodded and left the room. Kojo remembered what Yukio said about him and smiled.
"I like you too," he whispered.
(Is that so?)
"Wait, not like that, I mean as friends."
(O...k...? Well, this question's already been asked, but I'm gonna ask again. Why are you doing this to yourself and holding back?)
"I want to draw out whoever's been watching me," Kojo said.
(You mean that guy on the arena's roof?)
"Well, he did make himself comfortable after he cast that anti-magic spell."
(This might get worrisome. Also)
"Yeah. Gaston's body would have probably been found by now."
(And you're prepared for the repercussions?)
"What? It's not like anyone can beat me," Kojo said confidently, putting his hands behind his head. The muscles in his arms froze.
"Ouch," Kojo said, lying back in the bed.
Sysia just sighed.
(You're hopeless.)
(Deciphering: Babel Archive. Progress: 14.9%)