Suddenly, a girl fell from the sky and I hugged her. At that moment, I couldn't help but think of a line from an animated movie: "Boss! A girl has fallen from the sky! "Even though these things weren't important, Lilan and I were looking at the girl with some anxiety.

"Who is this kid......?"

"It's not unusual for girls to fall from the sky...... But it feels a little different."

Girls who land from the sky are not uncommon in the game, but there is always something wrong. No, if the girl is an NPC, it's just a normal event, usually showing the NPC's name. But for this girl, no matter how you move the cursor over her, the words NPC will not be displayed. - This girl is not an NPC, but a real player.

To confirm whether she was conscious, I shook the girl's body.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The girl did not answer. She just leaned against me, motionless, and seemed to be in a rather deep coma.

"No, she's not conscious."

"It's better to take her somewhere else for now. Can't stay here forever."

I changed the girl from the princess holding position to the carrying position and stood up. The girl's body has a certain weight, but perhaps the greatsword weapon is heavier compared to the greatsword weapon used before.

"So be it. But where are you going to take her? “

"There are only inhabitants of this world in the hostel. Why don't you take her to Egil's shop just now? That place is Egil's residence."

"I see. There should be a bed where she can rest. Although it will cause some problems for Egil, there is nothing to be done about it. Let's go, Lilan. “

Lilan and I carried the girl on our backs, checked the map and determined the direction of Egil's shop, and then re-entered the intricate labyrinth and finally arrived in front of Egil's shop.

I was expecting it to take more time, but I was very surprised to arrive at my destination in just 5 minutes. It seems that Egil's shop is relatively close to the square.

I opened the door to hear the clanging sound and re-entered the store, where Egil looked at me in surprise.

"Hey, what's wrong, Kirito?"

"Egil, a girl has fallen from the sky."

Egil's eyes widened, or rather, dots.

Anyway, Egil asked me again with an expression of incomprehension.

"Well, what's going on with that plot that looks like some old animated movie? Is the girl falling from the sky an NPC-related event? “

"No, it's not. You come and see this girl. “

As I spoke, I picked up the girl from my back and turned it into a position in my arms, showing it to Egil. Egir noticed that the cursor wasn't an NPC and said in surprise again.

"This girl... It's not an NPC, it's a player! “

"That's right. As I was walking around the city, she suddenly fell from the sky. “

"Although the girl who fell from the sky is a cliché plot technique in animation and games, since it is not an NPC, what is going on? Even if you were to transfer crystals, you wouldn't be able to send them into the air. “

"Yes. Because she was involved in such an unbelievable thing, the girl remained unconscious. I can't just let it go, so please let her rest with you. “

Egil crossed his arms.

"Hehe, you're going to let her use my bed? Isn't it okay in a hotel? “

"There are no "players" like you in the hotel. She is the player and should be taken care of by the player"

"What about the others?"

"Diabel is busy with the funeral right now and doesn't have time. Of course, the same goes for everyone else. Even if you go to find someone else, they will definitely find it troublesome. You're the only person I can rely on."

Egil frowned, a little reluctantly.

"It's not that it can't, but... In other words, you're in charge of taking care of her, Kirito. You're not going to leave her alone and go somewhere else on your own, are you? “

Indeed, I care about why this girl is here and why she is the way she is. I would like to know more about who this girl really is. So I didn't want to leave her side. And, as you can see, I take Lilan with me, and Lilan's power has spread throughout Einklad.

At the moment, although I am helping Diabel, the "Knights of the Blood Alliance", as the same guild as Diabel's "Holy Dragon Alliance", is powerful and is considered the most powerful guild in SAO. They have about 50 members, which is a little smaller than the "Holy Dragon Alliance", but each member has a strength comparable to that of thousands of troops, and the regimental leader "Heathcliff" is considered the most powerful figure in Ayn Grant.

Moreover, the tendency of the "Knights of the Blood Alliance" is to recruit strong and powerful people as members.

If my message and Lilan's word spread to the Knights of the Blood Alliance, they would definitely come and recruit me. In particular, the deputy head of the regiment is known as the ghost of the raiders, and he is very eager to carry out the raids. They will greedily want to have a powerful power like Lilan, and an element that can shorten the time of the strategy.

Lilan fits the bill perfectly.

"No, maybe they will be forcibly drafted. Look for Lilan and me who have mastered her, and they may appear. “

"Knights of the Blood Alliance. Indeed, they may be the first to come to you. They certainly didn't expect you to defeat a powerful boss with the sacrifice of just 5 people, not to mention that the "Knights of the Blood Alliance" is a group that pursues strategy... It's not a bunch of hooligans, it's an army, but if they see Lilan and you wielding her power, they'll be greedy for it. They will fight without hesitation, even against all odds. “

"That's what I thought, too. But I don't want to treat Lilan as just part of the strategy. Lilan fights with me, she's a buddy, she's going to think about me and other people's things and understand me. I don't want her to become just a tool for fighting monsters and bosses. “

I turned to the girl I was holding.

"And, I also want to know who this girl is and how she got here. Until then, we're going to make sure she doesn't get discovered by the Knights of the Blood Alliance. “

Egil turned to the store.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Hurry up, Kirito. Let's give her a break. “

"Ah, yes. Come on, Lilan. “

With that, I instructed Lilan to start walking. Just then, I heard a small voice, not Egil's, not Lilan's, coming from my ear. The source of the sound was the girl in my arms, coming from below her. I felt a gaze on me, so I looked down at the girl's black eyes, which met mine.

"Ah......h

I couldn't help but make a sound, and the girl showed a surprised expression, then turned into an angry expression, and suddenly hit me. The crime prevention code went into effect immediately, and a purple barrier appeared between me and the girl, stopping the girl's attack, but she jumped off my arm, took a few steps back, and assumed a fighting stance.

From her expression and posture, it is easy to feel the obvious hostility.

"Hey, hey......"

Egil must have seen what was in front of us, walked up to me, and said to the girl.

"Indeed, if I was held by a strange boy and picked up like a princess, I would also feel confused. But calm down and let go of hostility first! “

The girl let out a soft hum and lifted her fighting stance. But her face was still angry. It seems that being held by me is a nuisance to her. Maybe she won't listen to me, Egil just wanted to talk to her again.

"My name is Egil. It's Kirito in black here. In conclusion, can you tell us why you fell from such a height? “

Egil spoke gently, but the girl remained angry and shut. Egil began to explain the situation.

"The reason why he is holding you is because you fell from a great place and caught you so that you don't hit the ground. So there is no malice at all. “

The girl said to me with a confused expression, then an angry expression.

“...... Is this true? Are you trying to save me? “

I nodded. I don't mean it badly, and if I had considered that kind of thing, Lilan would either burn my face or bite my ass.

"I didn't mean that. It's great that you're awake, though. “

The girl swallowed softly and opened her half-open eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes. So, why did you become like that? “

The girl's expression became troubled, and she held her head with one hand.

“...... That one...... Why am I ......? “

Egil and I looked at each other for a moment. Then, the scene of my first encounter with Lilan flashed in my mind. At that time, Lilan said something similar, telling me that she had lost her memory. Could it be that this girl is too?

"You say, did I really fall from the sky? It's unbelievable......"

The girl's expression became vicious again.

"And, you look suspicious. You're dressed all in black. Are you playing a role in an anime? “

"I'm not playing a role. It's ......"

As she spoke, the girl looked surprised. I looked into her gaze and saw that it was the sword I had just gotten in the scabbard on my back