Luo Jie subconsciously glanced at Kirito next to the world of Xiyuan Temple, and the other party was still staring at Asuna with a complicated expression, but this time he was obviously much more restrained, and he didn't rush out to do something misleading like last time.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce it." Klein saw Luo Jie staring at Kirito, thinking that he was curious about his new team members, and took the initiative to introduce him: "These two are new team members, Kirito and Saionji World...... Don't look at Kirito who is thin and weak, but he is a very powerful swordsman! The world has taken Yuki's place, and now it's the Gunner. Yuki became a priest and was in charge of healing the whole team...... By the way, this is still Kirito's proposal, saying that it is the character of Eiyuki and is not suitable for fighting in the front. ”

Luo Jie's eyes playfully raised the corners of his mouth.

If Klein didn't mention it, he almost forgot, saying that this luck was Kirito's first love, and the death of Yuki was Kirito's biggest pain and regret in SAO.

Now that this first love is alive in front of you, Kirito, who has memories of his previous life, must be very entangled, right?

The two sides haven't seen each other for a long time, so they naturally want to have a fight.

In view of the fact that Klein and the others had just come out of the tavern, at Asuna's suggestion, everyone went to the Viscount's Mansion where Luo Jiena had just moved in.

After years of crusade and conquest, the entire Seven Shields Alliance has always been a small number of people.

"Wow, Dire, you're pretty good here, much better than the so-called inn suite...... There is still a maid girl? I can't believe that you have been living such a corrupt and depraved life, Sikshu, I really want to fall for a while......"

Klein was only talking about it, and in fact, when he took the hot tea handed by the maid, his body could still be seen to be a little stiff.

A giant in thought, a dwarf in action.

It's far from Brother Cheng who didn't say a word, but dared to run alone in the dark black cave in the middle of the night to scare pigs.

The two sides chatted for a while about the recent affairs of Wang Du and the Crossing People, and Klein suddenly said something.

"Dire, do you want to participate in this battle to defend the royal capital?"

"What guard battle?" Luo Jie was stunned.

"It's the guard battle against the monster girl...... Have you forgotten that spring is coming soon, and with the arrival of the monster mother's estrus period, soon the beast tide will appear. ”

After Klein's reminder, Luo Jie remembered that there was indeed such a thing.

Although the Seven Shields Alliance sacrifices a group of adult males every year, it can only reduce the intensity of the beast tide, but it cannot completely stop the beast tide.

Therefore, there will be such a battle to defend the royal capital in the spring of every year, which lasts about a week, relying on the protection of the city wall and various large city defense equipment, and generally there will not be much casualty rate.

"Defend the war...... Wait a minute. ”

Suddenly, Luo Jie remembered a question that he had ignored for a long time.

Since those men were sent to the boss monsters of each layer as sacrifices, then ...... How were these people sent there?

"Klein, you sit here first, if there is anything you can tell the maid directly, I need to go to the palace."

After that, Luo Jie woke up Shizuka Jukawa who was taking a nap, flew and jumped on the back of the golden giant wolf, and didn't even leave the main entrance, and went straight out of the wall.

The nobles of the royal capital all have a hobby of domesticating wild beasts and even monster mothers.

Since he had the title of viscount, he naturally had such a disguise, and Shizuka Jukawa's giant wolf form could finally appear by his side openly.

Galloping all the way to the palace, the guards at the gate had already known the new viscount who was familiar with Her Royal Highness the princess, and he politely released Luo Jie directly without doing a routine.

"There's such a thing."

After listening to Luo Jie's question, Princess Celestia "Alicia" took the initiative to admit.

"In order to reduce the intensity of the annual beast tide, successive raiding teams will place one-way teleportation arrays in the area where the bosses on each floor are located, so that the sacrifices can be teleported directly to the bosses on the corresponding floors...... What does this do, you ask? ”

"In other words, if you go through this sacrificial teleportation array, you don't have to climb up layer by layer, but directly reach the corresponding floor?"

The eldest princess "Alicia" immediately understood what Luo Jie meant, and said in shock: "Dire, you don't want to take a shortcut through this sacrificial teleportation array, do you?" No way! It's too dangerous! You know, the exit of this sacrificial teleportation array is the lair of those defending bosses! ”

Luo Jie smiled noncommittally, walked to the weapon rack on the side of the room, pulled out the long sword that "Alicia" was used to, and played with it casually in his hand.

"Your Royal Highness, have you ever thought about one thing...... Did your ancestors really put the teleportation array in the boss lair** just so that you could sacrifice civilians in exchange for a brief peace? ”

Princess Celestia "Alicia" flickered with an incredulous look on her face.

All along, she has followed the rules and wills left by the previous kings, and has been teleporting a large number of civilian males to the monster nest through the teleportation array year after year, but she has never thought deeply about the other meaning that may be hidden behind these teleportation arrays.

"I think that your ancestors left these teleportation arrays in the hope that they could exchange a small sacrifice for the peaceful life of the vast majority of people...... However, from another point of view, they have gone through a difficult way to fight all the way up and set up the teleportation array, isn't there a point that one day you can use these teleportation arrays to counterattack the monsters and use the sword in your hand to create true peace with your own hands? ”

With that, Luo Jie choked the long sword back into its scabbard, and turned around and walked out of the palace hall without looking back.

……

At the same time, the Viscount's Palace.

Makoto Ito stood at the door of a guest room with a complicated expression, the carved doorknob in front of him was like a red-hot soldering iron, and he wanted to grab it but shrank back several times.

A few days ago, the arrival of his friend in the same class, the world of Saionji, made the lonely and depressed Ito Makoto quite a little surprised, I wanted to find each other to catch up, but found that the world of Saionji Temple, which used to be very sticky to him, now began to deliberately keep a distance from him, and was inseparable from a beautiful boy called Kirito all day long.

Makoto Ito felt that his heart was bleeding, and some things could only be detected if they were lost, and it was then that he realized that the former Saionji world actually liked him.

However, the happiness that should have belonged to him was robbed by the guy called Kirito.

So Makoto Ito came this time to have a showdown with the boy named Kirito...... Well, it can also be said to be a declaration of war.

He doesn't believe in the relationship with the world of Xiyuan Temple for many years, and he can't compete with a little white face of a sissy who has known him for a few days.

Finally, Ito mustered up the courage to push the door open.

There was no one in the room, only the faint sound of bathing water coming from the direction of the bathroom.