"What? You have a conversation in your head that you can't tell me?"
"No, no, that's not the case. However, this guy doesn't like being touched by players other than me, but I find it strange that he seems to be okay with Sinon touching him."
"Heh... Lilan, can you touch me?"
Lilan made a "voice" to me and Shino.
"Even if it's okay. You're in good hands. He probably had animals when he wasn't here."
Shino let go of Relan's hand. Gradually, his expression darkened.
"No, I don't remember. After all, I don't remember."
"Me too, Shino"
Shino looked confused and met Riran's gaze. Having said that, I didn't tell Shino that Lilan also had the same amnesia.
“Lilan also traveled with me in this way, but something seemed to have happened before he traveled with me.
Shino looked at Zairan in surprise.
“You, like me, have amnesia.
"My journey with Kirito is a journey to retrieve memories. If you keep traveling with Kirito and keep climbing the castle, you will eventually reach the truth. That's how I read it.
"I see...you've been in this situation."
"Yes. Even so, it is enough for us to climb up to the city. Shino only needs to be in the city."
Shino sighed softly.
"You don't have to stab me so hard. I don't intend to die. Don't worry."
Sure enough, it was too dangerous for someone like Shino who was not used to fighting to go out into the wild, let alone a maze and BOSS battle. If this happens, you will be attacked by the monster and you will be killed in one shot. It might be very cramped, but I have to let Shino stay in town.
Just when I was thinking this, Lilan turned around and called me.
"Kirito. Why don't you own a house? You should be able to live a more meaningful life than staying in a hotel every time.
"What is this, from bush to stick?"
"You said you would take care of Shino. As you can see, Shino seems to have stumbled into this world in an unexpected way... I don't think she has the currency of this world, Koru."
"Speaking of which, I haven't heard much about Sinon's condition." For the time being, we have to confirm what level it is and how many Coles it has.
"Shino, I'm sorry for being so sudden. Can you please open the status window?"
"Hey, why is it so sudden?"
“I just wanted to confirm your level and what you have.
After making a slight sound from her throat, Sinon moved her right hand and opened the status window. I stood up from my seat, walked around behind Shino, and focused on the numbers displayed in the window. As Shino said, the name is "Shino", the level is "Lv: 55", the weapon is "Dagger", and the Col is 1000.
Except for the "Lv: 55" point, it is the so-called starting state of SAO, the complete initial state. By the way, Sinon became an SAO player equipped with a dagger for some reason, and her armor is light armor, so she can easily use the dagger's abilities.
"Your level is level 55... quite high, but lower than us.
"I guess so. So you should buy a house
I left Shino and opened the status window.
"Lv: 75" uses a one-handed sword and has 2,500,000 cols. Maybe because my goal was to level up by taking down punks and doing quests, my money was unknowingly getting ridiculous. With this little money, even if I buy a cheap house, I still can't find the money.
“Yeah… you can buy a house.
"This floor? Isn't it dirty and uncomfortable?
"It's very similar to the Electric City I've been to before. It's definitely hard to come here, but it's not uncomfortable. Also, I saw a lot of empty houses on the road, so one of them is Let's get the eaves."
"...I prefer quiet places"
I tilted my head unconsciously.
"quiet place?"
"That's it. Living in such a hot and stuffy place will drive you crazy, and it might even have a bad impact on yourself.
"Then where should I go..."
Just as I was about to say this, I suddenly remembered the twenty-second floor of this castle.
The 22nd floor of Aincrad is said to be the quietest place in Aincrad. The reason is that there are no wild monsters anywhere.
Only that level has no wild monsters, except for the maze that leads to the next level. It is a calm and warm layer with beautiful conifers and lakes. Moreover, there are almost no people on the 22nd floor, and those who are eager to attack the city cannot care about any major events, so there are not many players living there, and even if something happens, no one will make a fuss. There was no one to call.
The 22nd floor is exactly what Lilan said. If there are no wild monsters there, you can spread your wings and even Sinon, who can't fight, can go out. If you want to live, the 22nd floor is good because you can find many advantages.
Besides, when I went to the guide before, I also saw wooden houses for sale. You can overlook the lake. This area is like a huge garden with coniferous forests inside, so you can slowly start running again as is, and there are no wild monsters, so there is no danger.
"It might be a good idea to buy that house."
"What about the 22nd floor?"
"22nd floor?"
"That's right. There are no wild monsters there, so you can rest assured and it's very peaceful. And it doesn't matter if Sinon goes out. It's not as shabby and dangerous as here."
"There is such a place, Kirito."
"He nodded confidently."
"Yes. So I think the twenty-second floor is a suitable place to live... What do Shino and Leilan think?"
Shino gently folded her hands.
"I agree, if there are no realm monsters, that means I can go out of the realm too."
“I agree too. I want a place where I can be alone with you.
"Really? Well, now that we've decided, let's go to the 22nd floor to do a preliminary inspection and see the price of the wooden house."
As soon as he left his seat after saying that, a deep voice sounded in his ears. Outside the door, there seemed to be a commotion. Shino and Leilan seemed to notice the sound and stuck to the window.
"What's the noise about?"
"It doesn't seem like it's the end of the year or the New Year. It feels like something happened."
It is indeed December 25th, and the year-end and New Year activities are about to begin, but it is not that fussy. Like Lilan said, it's the kind of commotion when an incident or accident occurs. Clearly, something is going on outside this store.
"what is it..."
Just after I muttered something unconsciously, the door leading to the gorgeous cafe and the downtown area was opened forcefully, and a person walked into the store. Seeing the figure of the person coming in, the surrounding players suddenly stiffened, and I had a similar reaction.
What came in was a man with long straight chestnut hair, a delicate face, a pair of big bright brown eyes, a white and red knight-style combat uniform wrapped around his slender body, and a thin silver belt tied around his waist. A sword.
Yes, there is no one who doesn't know him as long as he works hard to defeat Aincrad.
I pronounced the name unconsciously.
"Shining Asuna...!"
The moment the SAO players flinched, the store froze and the surrounding players also stopped moving.
The person who appeared was Asuna, the deputy leader of the Blood Oath Knights. She was known as the devil of strategy and her swordsmanship was as fast as lightning. Asuna is also known as "Flash Asuna" because she has the power to perform sword skills at a speed where the tip of the sword cannot be seen, and she has the power to destroy any boss in the blink of an eye.
"[Shining Asuna]..."
Although he called her name unconsciously, he felt that Asuna already knew the purpose of coming here. No, from now on, what I fear and what I don’t want to happen will happen. Then I had a feeling that Asuna was about to come true, swirling in my mind.
"That person is..."
The moment Lilan's "voice" reached my mind, Asuna, who had been looking around the store, finally turned her attention to me. Her bright brown eyes are as beautiful as jewels, but they also make one feel vulnerable and weak.
Asuna walked through the store without saying a word and came to me. His eyes were as sharp as those of a hunting wolf.
"...You are the "Beast Tamer" who defeated the BOSS on the 50th floor without sacrificing anything."
"Where did you know that?"
"I heard that the people from the Holy Dragon Alliance are having a lot of fun. Let me see."
"Sure enough, he seemed to have heard it from the people of the Holy Dragon Alliance." It shouldn't be Diberu, but it's easy to imagine that it's his subordinates.
"If so, what are you doing here?"
"You seem to be a lone ranger. I won't say anything bad. I will scout your Bloodsworn Knights and let us see the power of that dragon."
"He's here." Not what he wanted to hear. You are invited to scout out the Bloodsworn Knights.
"I haven't said anything yet, but I know exactly what this person is thinking and what their purpose is in saying these things to me."
"I'm here to use Lilan as a tool to hunt the boss."
"That's nonsense. I may not be the 'tamer'. Even so, what do you want me to do?"
Asuna's expression turned serious.
"You know what strength you have and how important it is to defeat the boss on the 50th floor."
"So what? Am I that great at beating bosses? I don't have much power. I just beat bosses normally."
Asuna shook her head.
"No, I heard that you summoned a dragon and manipulated it to defeat the boss. Summoning a dragon and manipulated it to defeat the boss is an unprecedented event in Aincrad. You will know it is
"Yeah, I've never seen a battle between monsters."
"The people from the Holy Dragon Alliance said you did it, and that's what I said when I heard it. Maybe, but if everyone says that, it's probably true."
"She doesn't seem to back down like usual." - You seem to be interested in Lilan's power. No, this is a matter of course for someone who is called a strategy demon.
"Then why are you spying on me? If I am a player with the ability to summon a dragon, what is your purpose of spying on me?"
Asuna's eyes became sharper.
