We made our way safely through the cavern to the armor shop where Liz Bet was waiting.

However, when I reached the 48th floor, Filia said, "I'm tired, I'm going home." ”

"Although he is used to fighting, he must be tired from such an experience."

However, it was somewhat surprising that the residence she told me about Filia was actually located on the 75th floor of the city. Probably because he calls himself a treasure hunter, he likes the look of the 75-story old city.

I thought so as I headed to the armor shop where Lizzebet was waiting. Seeing that we were exhausted when we returned, Lizbet asked us what was going on, but we gave a vague answer for the time being and asked her to strengthen it first.

The familiar Lizzebet's hammer swung as it struck the blade of the "Mad Ruler", which so far featured a white sword body was very similar to my beloved sword "The Interpreter". Shattered. The Red Cross became the Golden Cross.

I was touched when Heathcliff's sword officially became mine.

"That's good, isn't it?"

I confidently answered Lizzebet's question. The blade is all black, and the cross is gold. This color doesn't look like it's based on red and white like the Knights of Blood Oath, but it's also good.

"Ah, Liz is reliable after all."

"Sure enough, I'm still Master Smith."

Lizzebet said confidently with her hands on her hips, then turned to face me.

\"yes. Kirito, I've wanted to say something for a long time. \"

I put away my sword and turned my gaze to Lizbet. Lizzebet's expression became extremely serious.

"What happened"

"I will also go to the front line to fight, and I will line up to fight next to you."

At the same time as me, Lilan, who was standing on my shoulder, was also surprised and made a "sound" to Lizbet.

"Filia, why are you saying such a thing? \"

"Until now, all I could do was sharpen your sword. But in the midst of all this, you have been on the verge of death many times. It's no longer enough to just sharpen the sword, I'm starting to understand. ”

"So you want to fight me?"

Lizzebet nodded firmly.

\"Hmm. I've gotten to level 88. It was done secretly with Asuna, Lifa, and Yuki. \"

It's true that Lifa and Yuki haven't been involved in many raids lately, but I understand that this is to increase Lizbet's level.

However, as you can see, Liz Beth is the owner of an armor shop and a master blacksmith. As you can imagine, leveling up between forges is extremely tough.

"Are you really going to fight me? The monsters in front are strong. ”

"I know, I've been fighting monsters on the 75th floor lately, so I know that the monsters on the front line are strong, but I've driven them away. Circle"

“”

"I'm not going to stop again. Kirito, you've been protecting me when I've been on adventures with you. So this time, I'll protect you. \"

I silently stared into Lizzebet's eyes. Slightly larger eyes are usually filled with a warm glow. A powerful light of will flickered in it.

"It's the light in the hearts of those who decide not to back down."

"Is that so? Is it because I became the boss of the Knights of the Blood Oath that everyone wanted? ”

"That's not true. I've been thinking about it for a long time. So I'll help you. I will clear the way for you with this mace. ”

Speaking of which, Lizbet has also said that she will fight with him as well. He was often interrupted at the time and couldn't say everything, but now he seems to be able to tell me in its entirety.

"I see, if Liz has the motivation and doesn't mean to run away, then let's swallow it."

\"Kirito, are you okay?" \"

"Oh, that's okay. If you've trained with Asuna, Yuki, and Rifa, you can rely on me. So let me rely on you. \"

"I don't know what kind of monsters will emerge in the future, though." Liz must have had her time and her time in danger. Then just do what you've been doing.

"Liz, let's go fight together. However, fighting me is fighting boss monsters. You know. ”

"I know this very well, whether it's a boss in the field or a boss in the boss room, just fight it."

"Okay, then I won't stop you, we fought together to a critical moment, and I will protect Liz."

The next moment, Lizbet's face became dazed.

"Eh, am I the one who protects you?"

"That's right.

Lizbet's body twitched slightly, and her face immediately turned red.

"Why do you say that? It's "

"Uh, what's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing! Or rather, I can't protect you. I'm going to protect you, so don't think about it and focus on the battle in front of you! ”

"Okay. Then I'll trust you, Liz. ”

After making eye contact with me, Lizbet looked away.

However, the fact that Lizbet protects her means that Lizbet is always in danger. In order not to let Lizzeate die, in order to bring her back to reality, I must protect her.

Everyone from the Blood Knights, everyone from the Holy Dragon Alliance, everyone from other small and medium-sized guilds, Asuna, Araki, Lifa, Lizzebet, as well as Lilan and Shina. There are many things that need to be protected, but this must be the role of the Captain of the Blood Oath Order.

"No, you shouldn't try to protect the girl next to you. Or rather, there are girls everywhere in your neighborhood.

"But everyone is constant, a precious life that must be protected. Of course, so are you, Lilan. ”

"The Mad Lord is great, but you only have one body, only two swords. Will that protect everyone? \"

"Not two. I have eight swords. ”

Lilan, leaning on his shoulder, sighed.

"I see. I do have this sword on my forehead, my sword on my tail, and six of my swords. If you compare a sword to one person, you have split into eight people. \"

I see. That's why I'm letting you use your power to the fullest. This is the order of the "Beast Tamer" and "Demon Messenger". \"

"Well, that's fine. That's what I intended from the beginning. Let's do everything in our power to protect you and your friends.

"I can't protect everyone on my own." However, it is Lilan's power that makes all this possible. At the end of the day, we can use all the power that Lilan and I can do to break through the walls in front of us. I have always done this and will continue to do so.

\"Ah, yes, Kirito. I remember it was in "The Beast Tamer", but Sirika seemed to be the same as me. \"

"What's going on?"

"Sirika wants to fight alongside you. She's just as trained as I am, so she should be able to fight just as much as I do. \"

\"Is Silica training with you too, but hasn't there been any news of Silica lately? \"

"That girl suddenly became shy in front of you, maybe she didn't dare to say it, but I'm sure she also wants to protect you, so try to talk to her, it will give me strength."

I had the illusion that something heavy was pressing on my shoulders. This was the case from the beginning, but in the battle on the front lines, it was possible to protect not only Lizbet, but also Celica.

"To be honest, I'm glad you fought alongside me, but I also had to protect Celica. \"

"Well, re-run."

"It's difficult because there is no compromise allowed. But I have to—"

At this moment, Lilan suddenly realized something and turned around. That's the exit from the armory.

"What's wrong, Lilan?"

"I felt the presence from the outside world. Don't come in, listen to us! \"

"Wouldn't it, the Criminal Guild!?"

I immediately ran to pry open the door to the armory.

"Who's there!"

Open the door and the garden in front of the armory is familiar to me. However, no matter where I looked, there was no human figure, and even if I used my detection skill on the shadow of an object, I couldn't detect any sign of it. It seems that they are completely hiding or running away.

"There's no one here, and I haven't even noticed the enemy's search skills. Are you really searching for enemies, Lilan? ”

"Ahh There must be someone near us. It's also a sign of a player I've never felt before.

"Are there any signs that you're approaching me?"

I realized there was no point in looking for a moment, so when Liz Bate rushed over, I closed the door and went back inside.

"What's wrong, Kirito? \"

"Someone was eavesdropping on our conversation on the other side of the door. For a moment I thought they were members of the Guild of Criminals. ”

Lizbet's face turned pale. Perhaps, I made them pop into my mind.

"Wouldn't it, the remains of the 'Smiling Coffin Luffin Coffin'!?"

"I used to think about this line, but it didn't seem possible. In fact, all of the people poisoned by Vashak Casals were mobilized in that crusade, and all of them were killed in Lilan. "Smiling coffin" surviving lines. It will be a little thinner

"Are there any other criminal guilds?"

"Of course, there should be many criminal guilds, and that line is probably the thickest."

Lizbet folded her arms.

"But if you're angry, you seem to be the most dangerous person in the Crime Guild. As soon as you get angry, the dragon will rush at you and tear you to pieces. ”

"What's that information?"

"Argo" was given to me for free.

After saying the dangerous thing, Lizbet's face immediately changed as if she had thought of something.

\"Ah, maybe she's a fan of yours. It was a girl as shy as Celica. \"

"Fans? Is there such a thing? ”

"I don't like it, but since you became the boss of the Knights of the Blood Oath, you have gained a lot of fans in all walks of life, especially among female players, and you have become a beautiful landscape."

At that time, I seemed to understand Asuna's feelings. "Asuna has made many achievements as the deputy head of the Knights of the Holy Blood, and this alone is quite popular.

"However, after meeting us and getting Lilan to open up, he became kind and loving."

Ever since he became the new deputy commander, his popularity has exploded. It has become the envy of players from all walks of life.

"Now, I'm just as popular." I've always wanted to avoid it like a popular person.

"So my fans are here too?"

"Maybe, it's hard to be popular."

"Is that really the case?" Of course, since Heathcliff, who had once been everyone's hope, is no longer there, it would not be surprising if I, the man wielding two swords, became everyone's hope, while some were too embarrassed to see me in person. Maybe someone.

"However, I didn't expect such a person to come."

"Well, I guess I shouldn't have to worry too much about things like the Criminal Guild.

"If I want to fight, I'll go myself. Well, it's nice to meet you, Kirito. \"

After seeing Lizzebet's optimistic smile, I thanked him for making the sword and left the store and returned to the 22nd floor, where Yui and Jupiter were supposed to stay at home. I am back. But just then, I felt a strange feeling of discomfort and stopped.

"That's the player." No, if anything, it's sight. Someone was watching us from behind the building. No, it would be more accurate to say that he was glaring at me, right?

"Replay, can you feel it? The presence of the player. ”

"Ah, I feel it. This is the same reaction I had when I was in the armor shop. It looks like we're being tracked.

"Sure enough, we were being followed." I don't know if it's a fan or a criminal guild, but it's a bad feeling to be stalked like this.

Better yet, let's get here—with that thought, I turned and shouted into the shadow of the building that felt presence.

"Hey, you must be there too, come out quickly!"

My voice disappeared into the dark alley.

"Will there be a snake or a demon?"

As soon as Lilan leaned on my shoulder, I felt a voice coming from behind the building.

\"Ah, you've finally found me. Kirito's eyes can't fool you. \"

"It was a woman's voice." The voice called my name firmly.

“who”

As if in response to my voice, a figure appeared from behind the building and appeared to Lilan and me.

She is a white-purple semi-long with slightly wavy hair, full breasts, purple clothes accentuate her breasts, and red eyes like jewels. Of course, this is a player that I have never seen or even seen.

"You are..."

The woman smiled brightly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Strea. Nice to meet you, Kirito. \"

The woman who called herself Strea seemed to know my name. Of course, as Lizzebet said, my name as the Captain of the Knights of the Blood Oath seems to have been circulated a lot in this Ayn Grant.

"But this man is definitely not an ordinary person." —because he said he felt signs that Lilan hadn't felt before.

"What do you mean by following me?"

"Kirito is not a celebrity, so I've been observing how he usually feels. \"

\"Is that really it? Despite this, you seem to have the ability to only capture my partner's enemy search skills and not be captured by my enemy search skills. \"

"Oh, you understand? I'm also strong. Even so"

Strea approached me and stared at me as if gazing at my face. A girlish smell came to my nose, and my eyes reflected Streya's red eyes.

\"Kirito, your face is so cute! \"

"Hmm, is it cute?"

"That's right! I can't help but want to do it! ”

As she spoke, Strea spread out her hands and suddenly hugged my body and pressed her face against my chest.

There is no highest cushion on the market, but there is a soft, warm, and very comfortable feeling that only busty girls can have, and there is a stronger girly fragrance coming to the nose. If you're a man, you're probably in a situation where you can't help but feel happy and excited.

However, it was pitch black in front of me as I was pressed against him and couldn't breathe properly. Even when I tried to move, Strea was strong and it was no exaggeration to say that I was in bondage rather than being embraced.

"No, stop, fuhohea! Fu，fuhii，furushihi！ \"

\"Because Kirito is so cute!

\"Hey Kirito! What are you doing!! \"

"Hi Fuha!

"Uh, no, then, if you listen to me, I can let you go."

The conditions for the release of the shackle state are suddenly raised. I can't believe it's going to be like this.

"Oh, you! I'll listen to you, you talk to me!! ”

"I want you to tell me about Kirito. I want to know something about Kirito. \"

"Okay, wow, let's go! I'll just say it! ”

Hearing me say this, Strea suddenly relaxed and let go of my body. Fresh air entered my lungs, and after a slight suffocation, I looked up and saw Strea with a big smile on her face.

\"Yes! So where do I go? Or, at this time, I want to get to know Kirito's friends. \"

"Hey, don't increase the number of requests."

"Oh no? Well then. ”

Strea opened her arms again. Now that I knew exactly what he wanted to do, I was ready and took a step back.

"Alright, alright! Let's go to the 22nd floor! Now that the arrest should be over, I'll contact you! ”

I immediately opened the window, confirmed that it was past six o'clock in the afternoon, and then opened the information window and asked Shina, Lizzebet, Lifa, and Asuna to come to the house on the twenty-second floor.

I thought Alice would be included, but Alice couldn't come because she was busy taking care of the kids, so I didn't contact her.

"Okay, Strea. I'll take you to my house. ”

"You did it!"

Then, after dodging Streya's attack, Rerune returned to my shoulder.

\"Kirito, what is this guy\"

“... I do not know. ”

I felt a little strange talking because of the sudden encounter, but I didn't mind, and rushed to the 22nd floor with Strea and Lilan.

\"That, Kirito, who is this person? \"

"We brought a girl named Strea to visit you." Or rather, I was the first to go back to the house on the 22nd floor and call everyone there, so to be precise, everyone came to me.

They are Shino, Yui, Lizbet, Silica, Lifa, Yuki, Asuna, Filia, Jupiter, Klein, and Tiabel, and I think the strength of the two of them is likely to be quite strong, so I think it's better to teach the two of them. and possibly join the strategy in the future.

"Let me introduce you, this person's name is Streya."

"Nice to meet you"

Strea sat on the couch and raised her hand with a smile. Asuna saw a strange woman in front of everyone, her eyes half-open.

"Well, what the hell is going on? What is your relationship with Kirito-kun? \"

"I just met him on the street corner.

Shino folded her arms.

\"Do you have Kirito?" However, if I'm not mistaken, Kirito's enemy-searching ability is the strongest of the group, right? \"

"Yes, Strea used my enemy-searching skills to follow me all the time, and that alone shows that I'm a pretty powerful person."

Silica looked surprised and confused.

"So how did you realize that? After all, it's Mr. Lilan's power. ”

"It's a bit frustrating, but it's true. Lilan was the first to notice Streya's presence. Because Lilan is a dragon, his enemy search ability is higher than mine.

Strea has a high level of hidden skills that only someone with a skill like Lilan will notice. I think it's probably the highest. ”

When everyone said "oh" in surprise, Strea looked complaining.

"Uh, who's who? Let me introduce myself, it's not fair. ”

"Speaking of which, it's great to get together, but I forgot to introduce myself to Streya."

Starting with Lilan and I, everyone introduced themselves to Strea. Of these, Strea was most interested in my wife Shino, my daughters Yui and Asuna, and their son Jupiter.

"Fantastic! Kirito's wife, Kirito's daughter, Asuna's son! \"

Well, Shino is my wife in the game, and Yui is of course our daughter, but she's like an adopted son, and the relationship between Asuna and Jupiter is similar.

"Well, that's right. So Streya, I've heard you're a strong person, but what kind of weapon do you use? \"

"What kind of weapon are you using? My weapon is a two-handed sword. ”

"While there are people who use a variety of weapons, Strea is the one who uses Yuichi's two-handed sword. "Everyone else wielded one-handed swords, many of which were daggers.

"Two Hand Swords"

Strey turned to face me.

\"Well, Kirito, in return for teaching me a lot of things, I want to tell you something about me.

"What? What is that? ”

A smile appeared on Streya's face.

\"I want to work with Kirito. I wanted to fight with Kirito, so I followed him. \"

Everyone, including me, had stunned expressions on their faces.

"Because you want to fight me? What happened to the other guilds?

Strea shook her head.

"It's always been me, after all, I don't remember anything, so I don't know where to go."

Surprised by Strea again, I remembered Shino and Yui from the past, and Lilan and Jupiter now. What's more, I'm not the only one who remembers this, Shino and Asuna seem to think the same and shout at me.

\"Kirito, this person is now! \"

"Didn't you say you don't remember anything?"

"Yes. I did say that. ”

"Is this guy the same as me?" \"

"I turned to face Strea again."

"Do you have amnesia?"

"yes, I forgot everything, except how to use tools, how to fight, what is here, where am I, what am I doing"

"I suddenly put my hand on my chin." Although I would love to say it again, Strea is also a past amnesiac like Shino and Yui.

What's more, Streya's appearance doesn't look like she belongs in SAo, and if anything, she's closer to Lifa and Yuki. There are also games played by Lifa and Yuki

"Have you really been kidnapped by ALo?"

"Arrow?"

It seemed that Lifa and I were thinking the same thing, so she asked me to follow her.

"It's a game called "Alfheim online".

"Well, I don't know what you're talking about, I don't know anything about it."

So far, Shino, Alice, Araki, and Rifa have all been brought here from outside SAo.

Among them, in addition to Shino, there are three people who come here with solid memories, but Shino is Yui and one who has lost her memory from the beginning. Perhaps Strea is a person with the same model as Shina.

The person who is familiar with these things and advises us is Alice. Perhaps, Alice could help me grab something—and now that I think about it, I regret not calling Alice here.

"W-What? That is, what is it? ”

Speaking of which, Crane and Diabel, who don't quite understand how Rifa, Yuki, and Shino got here, showed puzzled expressions, and Shino began to explain.

After explaining, Diabel once again showed a surprised expression.

\"Miss Shino, Miss Rifa, and Miss Ariti are coming from outside!? \"

\"That's right. I'm a medicuboid guy, and Rifa and Yuki are guys in the ALo game. \"

Shiina's face just turned to me. \"

\"Hey Kirito\"

I met Shiina's black eyes and nodded. I feel like I already know Shino's thoughts.

\"Ahh It seems that it would be better to have Strea check on Miss Alice. Maybe he'll catch something. \"

But then, Strea said in a calm voice.

"But I don't mind that. It's okay if you don't have a memory. As long as you can be with Kirito and the others, it's fine. \"

"I couldn't help but stare at Streya." Normally, she would worry about her lost memories and wouldn't fight, but Strea is surprisingly positive.

"It's probably the first time I've met a player like this."

"But Streya—"

\"Ah, yes. Although my level is okay, I am already level 107. With this, it's okay to fight with Kirito. \"

The words that suddenly came out of Streya's mouth made us lose our souls.

Speaking of level 107, it is only one level below me and Lilan's level of 108, and the second highest number after me and Lilan.

After me and Lilan, Shino, Araki, and Asuna were level 105, and Klein and Diabel were level 104, but they suddenly outnumbered those five and caught up with me and Lilan.

"Hey, you're level 107!? In other words, you're the next highest level after me and Lilan!? ”

"Yes.

With 107 levels, it's entirely possible that you and I will fight side by side. Lizbet, Sirica, and Filia, who had already decided to fight me, wanted to fight me because the person who suddenly met me was higher than anyone else, and they all hung their shoulders.

"I'm sure it's okay, but"

\"Then it's decided! From now on, I'm going to fight side by side with Kirito! \"

Dilberu nodded awkwardly.

"Level 107 If you're a two-handed swordsman of this level, I think you should be able to make a lot of contributions. But what were you doing before you lost your memory? ”

"There's no problem with Strea joining the capture group, but the problem is that she doesn't remember anything." After all, it might be better to let Alice know about Streya, or let him say it himself, before he rushes into battle.

"Since someone knows better, I'll go to that person first.

Everyone nodded at my words and didn't make any particularly unpleasant expressions. After all, it seems that Strea is a level 107 powerhouse, and although what he does is unconventional, he is not a bad person either.

"Well, that's it. Nice to meet you, Strea. ”

Strea looked around and turned to smile at me. Her smile is as warm as the sun.

"Leave it to me!"

After Strea answered confidently, Asuna walked up to Strea and shouted to her.

"But Mr. Streya, we know someone who is familiar with your symptoms.

"Uh, it's okay, but what kind of person is he? Kirito's friend? \"

"Can Alice be my friend?" He was the one who gave us advice and advice, but he was more of a collaborator than a friend. It is difficult to call them tactical comrades, since they rarely act together, but after all, they can be called comrades.

"He's not my friend, but he's my collaborator, and he's as familiar with the symptoms of amnesia as you are, and knows how to fix it, and we may know the cause of the loss."

"I see, then take me there, I want to meet that person."

A curious look appeared on Streya's face. Sure enough, Strea seems to be looking forward to meeting the unknown.

"Okay, I'll take you there, and we'll split up later, but what are you going to do?"

Diabel was the first to respond to my words.

"I'm going back to the guild and have a strategy meeting for the next boss fight. It's a pity that I can't be with Kirito anymore. \"

Next, Lizz Bate replied.

"From now on, I'm going to take care of my weapons. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be a prisoner. ”

"Please go to Miss Lizzy and keep your weapons safe. \"

Sirika continues to answer Lizbet, followed by Lifa and Yuki.

\"I'll follow Kirito-kun. I didn't have anything to do after that. \"

\"I'm going to follow Asuna, but what will Asuna do? \"

Asuna turned to face me. \"

\"I'll follow Kirito-kun too. Ms. Alice knows a lot about this, so I wanted to hear her opinion. But Yubi.

Teru isn't good at Alice-sensei, so I want Ariki to go home and see Jupiter first.

In response to Asuna's request, Yuki nodded.

"I understand.

Immediately after, Shino spoke.

"I will follow you.

"I'll go with you."

Yui said after Shino. In this way, the four of us who went to Alice were me, Lilan, Shina, Asuna, Yui, and Lifa. But then, Felia and Klein tilted their heads.

"Hey, Kirito, who's that Alice-sensei?" Do you know Kirito? \"

"That's what I thought too. What is Teacher Alice? \"

It seems that these two men didn't know about Alice's existence before they came here. Well, Philia will prioritize quest information, and Crane will collect combat and skill data, so Alice should not be in sight.

"Then again, Filia and Klein didn't know about Miss Alice.

Diabel shook her head.

"No, I know about Miss Alice. I've been back to the first floor many times, so I knew it then. \"

"Is that so?"

Klein walked up to me with a shallow smile on his face.

"Maybe that Alice is a woman. Hey, what kind of person is she? ”

"I immediately imagined what Alice would be like." Alice is a waist-length woman with long black hair, wearing a coat that looks like a white coat, a red headband, and reddish-brown eyes.

"I hate to say that, but I can say that she is beautiful even from my point of view." I'm sure Klein will be very excited if he sees it.

(Wait?) ）

I turned my gaze to Strea and compared it to the image of Alice in my mind. If you think about it, Streya's eye color and chest size are very similar to Alice's.

"Is this a coincidence?" Well, I can't think of an answer even now, so let's have Strea meet Alice now.

"I'll know about Miss Alice when I see her."

◇◇◇

I took Lilan, Shino, Streya, Yui, Asuna, Filia, and Klein to the town on the first floor. Maybe it's because it's past dinner time, I hear the shouting of customers here and there, and I can hear the sound of roasting, frying, and stir-frying food in the food stalls everywhere, and I even smell a good smell. I am hungry.

"Wow, it's so fragrant, I'm starving."

I nodded at Filia's muttering. I didn't have lunch today, so I didn't have anything in my stomach. Maybe that's part of the reason why the good smell coming from here and there is so effective.

\"It's time for dinner, Kirito-kun, are you going to Teacher Alice's now?" \"

"I feel like I understand Asuna's thoughts. "All the while, when Alice brought Asuna and Shino to Alice's house, the two usually cooked for the children. Alice will most likely ask for food today, too.

\"Since it's Miss Alice's business, she might ask.

"I'm not against cooking, but"

Lifa clutched her stomach and looked around.

"Even so, the smell and sound made me sick.

"I agree.

With that, I walked through the city with everyone. I kept walking, trying not to look at the food, and before I knew it, I was in front of the church as I kept passing the street vendors and the people who passed through the town.

"Isn't this a church? Is Alice a nun or what? ”

Asuna answered Klein's question.

"It looks like a church at first glance, but there are a lot of kids stuck in the game. Teacher Alice is the leader there. \"

\"Ah, I see. SAo is indeed a fun game for kids. Does that mean that the children are just as trapped as we are? \"

As Crane and Asuna continued their conversation, the church door opened, revealing a figure from within. It was Sasha, a woman with green eyes, red hair, and a few freckles on her cheeks. Strea was the first to react to this number.