Part 2 He braced himself for any sort of harassment that might come, but after even several days had passed from that sudden duel, he still hadn't heard a single thing out of Raios and company. Humbert merely gave him hateful glares when passing him by in the swordsmen-in-training's dormitory or the central school building, without even a single word of resentment. He did tell Kirito about the practice arena incident just in case and warned him to watch out, but it seems that absolutely nothing happened on his side either. "It feels kind of weird... I didn't think they would be the type to stay quiet from merely receiving a draw in a duel. Raios also said something that sounded like a threat as well..." Leaning against the old cloth couch, Eugeo tilted his head to the side and Kirito, sitting on the opposite side, started to speak while raising a ceramic cup. "I don't believe there's any chance of them changing their characters either. But thinking about it, it's pretty hard to do something nasty in this swordsmen-in-training dorm." He held the kohiru tea without milk to his mouth and contentedly drank it down. It was 9:30 P.M., with the tempestuous past week over and the break finally just a day away. They would be in dreamless slumber in their respective rooms at this time on weekdays, having settled their daily practice, meals and baths, but this particular night every week was reserved for them to chat about various matters in the shared living room while drinking tea. Eugeo picked up his own cup and took a lick of some of the boiling pitch-black liquid, his face involuntarily turning into a frown. His partner was fond of this powdered tea only available from the south empire and would definitely make it when in charge of the tea, but Eugeo felt it to be too bitter by itself. He poured in plenty of milk from the small pot and stirred it with a teaspoon while prompting a return to the topic with his sight before Kirito raised an unexpected question. "That's right... just for example, what kind of pranks did you play while schooling during your childhood in Rulid?" After drinking a mouthful of the kohiru tea that lost its bitterness, leaving behind only a curious aroma, Eugeo loosened the tension in his shoulders and replied. "I'm mainly the one those pranks were played on, though. Look, you remember, don't you, Kirito, that guard captain called Jink who challenged me to a duel during the festivities before the journey. He harassed me quite a bit... Hiding my shoes somewhere, putting those annoying bugs in my meal bag or jeering when I was together with Alice." "Hahaha, guess kids fool around the same whichever world it is. ...But he didn't start beating you up or anything. Right?" "Of course." Eugeo answered with his eyes opened wide. "There's no way he could do that. After all..." "—It's strictly forbidden by the Taboo Index. «Unless another clause applies, you shall not intentionally reduce the Life of another person». ...But hold on, there's no problem with hiding your shoes? Theft is a major taboo too, right?" "Theft is to make someone else's belongings into yours without permission. The sacred words in the «Stacia Window» that prove who the owner is will only transfer the ownership twenty-four hours after