"Alberridge was very capable of fighting, and most importantly, he protected Asuna.

"I see, you mean, my abilities are recognized by the commander?"

"That's it.

"Of course. On the contrary, it is my privilege to be able to fight alongside you. I'll let you learn how to fight. ”

"Okay, follow me."

With that, Alberridge and Lilan walked side by side beside me. But immediately, Lilan made a sound.

"Isn't he a very friendly person? \"

"Yes, and he has the ability, and he is really a good person."

"That skill shouldn't be something that can be mastered quickly, though. What exactly did you do?

"If you think about it, you won't, although there is a limit to self-cultivation."

When I was curious about this, I asked Alberridge.

"Alberridge, you are strong, but where do you get your strength? Did you do anything through your own training? ”

Alberridge chuckled softly.

"Actually, from the beginning of this game, there was a person who taught me all sorts of things. This swordsmanship, as well as the way of survival in this world, were all taught by that person. In fact, I am alive today thanks to that person. ””。

Initially, the game took the form of recruiting testers and testing them. Perhaps the "man who taught me how to live" as Alberridge called it may have been a reluctant β tester. At a time when the game turned into a game of death and most players were confused, Alberridge was lucky to meet such a serious and kind player.

"I see, is that person a beta sealer?"

"I'm sure it's true. I'm sure he must have been a pretty fanatical man. I was very amazed at his dexterity and amount of knowledge. Just like a guy who is famous for playing special games on video sites. ”

There are those who understand the specifications of such games and the behavior of artificial intelligence and work on special games.

When I'm in the real world, I'm amazed when I see videos of people like this on video sites, and sometimes I laugh out loud at their performances. There was a time when I admired that kind of person and tried to imitate that person, but on video sites, it was said that it was hard to imitate that person, and even if you could do it, people would praise you. I'm frustrated because it doesn't work at all.

"It's so careless to have people like this in this game."

"I'd like to bring that person in if I could, too, but do you know where they are?"

"No, after teaching me all sorts of things, he suddenly disappeared. Where are you now, what are you doing"

"Didn't you exchange messages or exchange addresses?"

"He's not going to do that kind of thing. But if I can, I want to thank him and hope that he can join the Knights of the Blood Oath and fight. ”

At this point, Lilan made a look as if she realized something, and made a "sound" to my head.

"Could it be Alice?" \"

\"Alice Sand? \"

"It's true that Alice's ability is guaranteed, and she is a developer by nature, and her level of knowledge is still far behind." However, a year after the start of the game, Alice came here with Shino using medicuboid, so this is impossible.

"Hey, isn't it? Miss Alice and Shino came on the same day. Alberridge has been involved in the game from the very beginning. No matter how you think about it, the time and date don't match. \"

\"yes, I remembered Alice for a moment, but it just seemed to do. \"

"Alice? Is there anyone with that name in the Knights of the Blood Oath? ”

Come to think of it, Alberich had known Alice when she was attacked by Martell, but they didn't know each other's names. Alice is one of our best collaborators, so it was a good idea to introduce her.

\"Ah, Miss Alice is not a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath, but she is one of our companions. You see, the dark-haired woman who appeared on me when I was attacked by that big guy and fled

Alberridge glanced at the ceiling and grimaced as if he remembered something.

"Ahh Because he had been with the Commander before, I thought he must be a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath, but he was wrong. ”

"Yes, Miss Alice is our collaborator, so you should know her name by now. Well, she's on the first floor, so it's easy to get to meet her. \"

"Is it the first floor, is there something going on over there?"

"There's a church with children there. Mr. Alice is the caretaker of the church over there. He's a friendly guy like Alberridge, so it's fun to talk to him about a lot of things. \"

"Really? I'd like to check it out next time. ”

"Miss Alice, however, is a very strong person and hates being touched by children the most. In case something happens, Miss Alice's sword will definitely knock you out, so be careful. \"

Alberridge looked slightly surprised.

"Is that guy really that strong?

It's true that many times I wish Alice would fight for me, but the children are attached to Alice, and if something happens to the church while Alice is away, Sasha they often can't compete. That's why the church always needs Alice.

Well, lately Strea has become like a very combat-ready bodyguard, so it should be fine, but sometimes Strea wants to join our strategy, so it's useless to have Alice in the church. Sometimes Alice disappears out of nowhere, though, so that's a problem.

"Unfortunately, this is not possible. If Alice Sand leaves the church, she won't be able to cope in an emergency. At this time, Alice Sand must protect the church. I was just rejected. \"

"It's a complex issue."

"yes, then, let's move on."

With that, we started walking again. With the heat of the lava, the reddened cave was filled with monsters that looked like they lived in a volcano, and were also dyed red by the lava - not long after entering, a huge wild boss-like monster was standing there. Our way, but before we could launch an attack, re-running killed it.

Alberridge, who had witnessed the beastly attack, shouted to me.

"Even so, this leader dragon Lilan is also very strong."

"Yes. Because it is one of our hopes and my reliable companion. And because it's a life that lives in this world, Lilan is powerful. Moreover, Lilan is different from the monsters here. ”

"What's that?"

Despite coming to this point, in order not to surprise Alberridge, he never tuned Alberridge's voice before speaking. From Alberridge's point of view, it would be a surreal sight, like I was talking to Lilan, who wasn't supposed to understand the language. But now is the time to reveal the truth.

"Replay, listen to Alberridge."

"Huh?"

"Finally? Alberridge, can you hear me?

When Lilan spoke to Alberridge, Alberridge gave the player's reaction. Yes, I was puzzled by the mysterious voice I suddenly heard and looked around. Alberridge said confusedly.

"Oh, I seem to have just heard a voice or rather, it seems to be echoing in my head"

"That's Lilan's 'voice'. Lilan has a heart and can speak. And so he got his voice straight into our heads. ”

Alberich looked surprised. Ordinary players raised their voices in surprise when they heard this, but Alberridge surprisingly did not raise their voices.

"Eh. Can Lilan speak?

"Even so. Sorry for not talking to you until now.

"What the hell is this, I can't believe he can communicate with us."

Alberridge turned his face to me and moved his mouth slightly.

"Uh, what kind of AI is Lilan running? It's not like a normal NPC, is it? ”

"yes, but I don't know what kind of existence this guy is, why is he able to speak? Now, that's the Knights of the Blood Oaths. ”

\"Is that so? But I never thought there existed. Although it is a game of death, Ayn Grant is also a vast place. \"

"yes. It's best not to say too much to offend Lilan, though. Lilan has a kind heart, and he is almost like us. If you get angry, he will bite you on the head because you lose. "It."

Alberridge turned his face to Liran, his eyes widening slightly. Maybe he imagined what it would be like when Lilan attacked him.

"Well, that's right, I don't want to be the boss of the scene."

\"I see? \"

I turned my face forward and noticed. The surrounding area was scorched red by lava, and only one gate was not dyed red. The door was blue-black, and it looked heavy with strange patterns carved into it, but I recognized the door.

"This is the door to the boss's room!"

"What, have you already arrived in the boss room?"

So far, I've been making my way through fields and dungeons with Alberridge and Liland, kicking enemies as I go, so I didn't realize it, but we've reached the top of the maze and we seem to be on the verge of a boss fight

"I didn't realize it because I kept going forward, but this door was definitely the door to the boss's room."

Lilan nodded, a voice ringing in her throat. - This is the action taken by Lilane when she senses the presence of a powerful enemy.

"There's no doubt about it, Kirito. Behind this is a powerful enemy, the boss of this layer. \"

"You've finally come this far, Commander, what are you going to do?"

Since you're going to attack the front line, ask Shino and Asuna to get boss information. They move very quickly, and the intelligence is also collected quickly, it should be when all the information of the boss has been collected. And the boss is not something that can be defeated by a few people, so if you rush in directly, you will be defeated in the blink of an eye.

"Remember this place now with the Corridor Crystal, and use the Teleportation Crystal to return to the city. Call everyone else out and have a strategy meeting. The boss is not something that we can defeat alone. Even if you use the power of re-running. ”

"Of course, no matter how strong we are, it seems unlikely that we will challenge the boss alone and win.

"yes, it's probably when I'm collecting information about the boss, and I should be able to have a strategy meeting as soon as I get home."

As I spoke, I took a pale blue crystal from my inventory and told it to remember it. I put it in my pocket, and this time I took out a blue crystal and muttered the word transfer, surrounded by blue light.

A fiery labyrinth rising from a volcanic crater. After finding the boss room, we returned to the city on the 76th floor. The reason why it is on the 76th floor is because the 76th floor is a town with a business district where you can find the items needed by the captive group, and it is a front-line town where many captive groups gather.

It is true that each floor has its own town and shops, but none of them have a good selection of goods, and in the end everyone comes to this town with good goods, and it is becoming more and more luxurious. Since this is a town that capture teams can easily pass through, most capture meetings are held here. In fact, even now, there are a lot of players with capture groups everywhere.

"Then I'd like to get everyone together for a strategy meeting, but it's night. \"

"I was so focused on catching it that I didn't notice it."

The arrest had progressed to this point, and I thought it would be around noon, but by the time I got to the city, the sun had set, it was already dark, and the moon had come out. It seems to be going well, but it seems to take quite a long time.

"No way, let's have another strategy meeting tomorrow, right? I went home like that, but what about Alberridge? ”

"I'll go home and rest first. No, no, thank you very much today Commander. \"

"I'm also happy to be able to help you a little. Well, tomorrow could be a boss fight, so let's all get some rest. ”

Alberich replied: "Thank you for your hard work. Then, dutifully bowing his head, he disbanded the group and walked into the crowd of the city. After sending him off, a smaller Lilan jumped on his shoulder.

"A lot of interesting things happened today"

"I was amazed by Alberridge's abilities today." In addition to being able to fight Martell, I thought he was a pretty strong guy because he was wearing quite strong gear, but I didn't expect him to fight so well. Such a person joins the capture team of the Knights of the Blood Oath, and the future capture will be faster and safer.

In fact, there are many more stories where just by adding a strong man and the capture becomes very stable.

"Ah, such a powerful person has joined the capture team, I'm looking forward to what the next boss fight will be like, maybe you can relax your shoulders and go to fight."

"I want to think so, too, but the reality is not"

"Absolutely. So, Shino and Yui seem to be waiting for us, let's go home. However, some of the dishes are only available here, so let's buy some as souvenirs to take home. \"

After confirming Lilan's nod, I began to walk towards the city. According to him, he learned it from Asuna, but if he brought food to Shino, he would use it as an ingredient to make new dishes. It's also delicious, so when I have time and money, I'll buy some side dishes and stuff like that.

"So what are we supposed to do today?"

While I was looking forward to what kind of food Shino would create, I immediately felt hungry when I walked into the city, where the food was fried, stir-fried, and grilled like dinner, and the pleasant aroma that emanated from the surroundings??。。

I didn't have anything like a bento, and I only drank heat-resistant drinks, so I was naturally hungry. It seems that the same is true of Lilan, who is riding on my shoulder with an unhappy face.

"Goo, I'm hungry. Or rather, I didn't eat anything for lunch today. \"

"Ahh I was so focused on strategy that it really made me sick to forget the smell."

"If you buy it, you can use chicken"

"Well, chicken? Then buy some roast chicken."

Just as I was about to say this, I heard a voice coming from near the portal at the back of the city.

"No, stop!!"

"I don't remember hearing it, but it was a female voice." And this phrase seems to be rejecting something. Lilan seemed to hear the voice too, and like me, he turned his face in the direction of the sound.

"The voice just now is"

"There may be an argument, let's go."

"If the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath and his partner Dragon show up, the matter is settled. Kirito, let's go

I nodded, put aside the side dishes for a moment, and ran through the crowd. As Lilan said earlier, if I, the strongest player in Ayn Grant and the boss of the Knights of the Blood Oath, show up at the scene of the dispute, then the dispute will soon subside, so I can stop it before it gets too big. Besides, there is no guarantee that the current voice is not a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath, so it cannot be simply confirmed.

With this in mind, I continued to run, through the slightly dimly lit town, through the building forest, until I finally came to the scene of the dispute where I could hear the voice. Although it is close to the portal, there are not many people around, which is a bit weird.

In the midst of all this, there is a sight of about five men having sex with a woman. It can be felt. What's more, the armor worn by this woman was mainly red and white, that is, it belonged to the Knights of the Blood Oath, while at the same time, the man next to her was wearing robes and armor composed of white and gold. I could see that they were all wearing such equipment, and I knew that they were not members of the Knights of the Blood Oath. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a deep robe.

"He's a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath!"

Just as I thought it would be a good idea to take a look, one of the men grabbed the woman's arm.

"Come on, let's play together."

"No, what are you doing! Let go!! ”

When I was about to walk up to the woman, my eyes involuntarily widened.

In this game, a code of ethics is established to prevent harm such as sexual assault, and if you try to move it, a harassment warning will appear and you will feel uncomfortable, but if you continue to do so, you will be thrown into the prison on the first floor of the Black Iron Palace.

Normally, if a woman continues to touch her without feeling it, there should be a harassment warning, but I can't confirm that.

And the woman is about to be taken away by the man.

"What's going on, why aren't there harassment warnings? \"

"I'd like to ask, but if this guy is left alone, it's definitely useless, let's go."

I kicked up the stone pavement and ran, pulling out the "mad ruler" on the spur of the moment. I rushed to the men gathered around the woman, and the moment the men noticed, I fired a one-handed sword move at the neck of the man holding the woman's arm.

"Wow!!"

"Wow!!"

The man who grabbed the woman by the neck took my sword skills, screamed and was blown away, letting go of the woman's arm in the process, and finally rolled onto the stone path. The woman was also frightened by the sudden fright, and screamed.

"D, Captain!"

When I regained my posture and raised my head, the men around me raised their voices in surprise. Strangely, they all wore deep hoods and masks, so I couldn't see their faces.

"This, this guy is a member of the Knights of the Blood Oath! \"

I immediately pulled out the "Dark Repellent" and began to prepare for the sword technique.

"What do you do to our guild members? You obviously don't like that. ”

"Damn, I didn't expect someone like you to appear!"

When the men were ready with their white one-handed swords, I was ready to unleash the ranged attack skill "Finish the Revolver". Those who don't listen to me have no choice but to hit them with this. This is within range, so it won't hurt opponents, and the cursor won't turn orange, so you can shoot with confidence.

"Are you still leaving? Any further acts of violence will be interpreted as a declaration of war against our Knights of the Blood Oath. ”

As I uttered this in a threatening tone, the man who had been blown away stood up and ran to the four men in front of me, standing in front of them and glaring at me.

"You guys, retreat here, the boss of the Knights of the Blood Oath is too bad."

The men around him nodded in a low voice and put away their weapons. Then, the man at the leadership level called me to shout.

"Don't be arrogant just because you're a guild leader full of strong men. Eventually, we, the Monemosines, will take over this world! And, of course, you and the Blood Knights! ”

"Monemosine". After saying these mysterious words and some incomprehensible lines, the thugs quickly left us. The screams and the sounds of the mob were gone, and when silence returned to the scene, I tucked my twin swords into the scabbards on my back and looked back at the woman who had been attacked.

The woman was about my age, with short, reddish-brown hair – more of a girl than a woman.

"D, Captain"

"Are you alright? It's a disaster to be attacked by such people. ”

"Yes, they appeared out of nowhere, and the surprise attack was only thanks to the captain, and I was saved. I don't think you know, but my name is Coco. ”

"Cocoha. Since no one came out to attack, is that the supporting side? ”

"Yes. The 76th floor is a place where I can collect all kinds of items, so I collect items that I will use later, but then I get caught up in that kind of communication"

I remembered what those people looked like again. The gear they wore covered their faces, the same as in the smiling coffin, and the opposite color to the smiling casket. However, that doesn't change the fact that they're someone I've never met, and it's the first time I've heard the word "mnemosyne" they talk about.

(Mone Mosine)

The words they say are "mnemosyne". Although I get a lot of information and words from the internet, I don't know the meaning of this word. Shino probably knew about it, too, so I'll ask him when I get home.

"But what are they? I don't even recognize them. ”

"Me too, I also want to know what this is, as far as I've seen, they're all green players, so I don't think it's a red or orange guild."

Hearing Coco's words, I put my hand on my chin and lowered my head. It's true that players nowadays have a green cursor that doesn't look like they're killing someone, but even if you kill someone, the cursor turns orange, and if you complete the karma recovery quest, it will turn green. Get back.

If it were a person who calmly did such a heinous thing, it is likely that what was originally orange has now changed back to green. Well, it's possible to be a pure green player who does bad things like the former Ayngrunte Liberation Army thugs.

But even then, the word "mnemosyne" and strange phrases about seizing control of the world caught my attention. They say, "We are mnemosyne", so mnemosyne is the name of their guild team.

I want to know.

And when the leader tried to forcibly take the cocoa, there was no sign of being stopped by harassment warnings. It's impossible for such a thing to happen to the average player, and the recent harassment warning has been properly confirmed, so it's unlikely that it won't trigger due to an error.

"Anyway, I'm not sure, so I'm a little confused." It's like eating grilled fish with a small bone stuck in your throat.

"In any case, it's better to keep an eye on them, and it would be better to share information among the Knights of the Blood Oath. Maybe. ”

\"Pull,\"Smile Coffin\"!?

I instinctively reached out my palm to Coco, who began to panic and gently shook her.

"Oops, it's okay, it's just speculation, I don't think they're that strong.

"And the boss, Vashak Casals, when all the remnants of the army died." He couldn't have appeared in the form of a ghost, so the "Coffin of the Smile" would not have been born again. ”

"That's right"

Coco suddenly changed her mind and bowed to me.

"Thank you, Commander, so much. What would have happened now if the commander hadn't come"

"No, no, I'm glad I found you by chance. I still have something to do, so I have to go, but can I go alone? ”

"Yes.

"I understand, but something may happen in the future, you be careful, go home."

Coco smiled and nodded "yes" before returning to the portal. There was a sense of relief in the steps taken, but the heart was foggy and uneasy.

"So what are you talking about [mnemosyne]?"

\"mnemosyne\" I think it's some kind of word, but I'm pretty sure that's their name. \"

"yes, wasn't the [Smile Coffin] completely destroyed at that time?"

"But they don't look as bad as the smiling coffin wood. If I had to say, they were closer to the former army thugs who occupied the first floor.

"I was a little surprised to see Lilan standing on my shoulder." Even Lilan didn't expect that they would think they looked like the "Army" before.

"Do you think so too?"

"I think so. But I can't leave them alone. Just in case, keep an eye out for their movements in the future.

"I know"

"The riots are over for the time being, and I have to hurry home." With this in mind, I returned to the business district, bought a chicken at the stall designated by Lilan, put it in the inventory, and then went to the portal again, flying to the twenty-second floor.

◇◇◇

"What is Monemothy?"

Shino tilted her head and whispered.

Now, Shino, Yui, and Riran are eating at the house on the 22nd floor as usual, but I want to talk about them there, so I immediately report back to Shino.

When I brought Shino's delicious chicken to my mouth, I taught her more.

"To be exact, Monemosine. It doesn't stretch enough. ”

"No, in any case, it means the same thing" mnemosyne.

"When I returned from capture, someone attacked my fellow Knights of the Blood Oath. They said

Shino put the bucket in her mouth, swallowed it, and said.

"Do you want to control the world? One person joked. ”

\"Oh, I don't understand it at all. So, Shina, what does this "Mane Mosine mean?" I don't understand. \"

In the next moment, it was Yui who answered my question, not Shino.

"[Mnemosyne] is an entity that deifies memory in Greek mythology. Mnemosyne is the goddess of memory. ”

"Goddess of Memory?"

Seeing Yui start drinking the soup, Shino nodded.

"That's right, the name of the goddess of memory that appears in Greek mythology is Mane Mosine, and if I'm not mistaken, she must be Zeus's lover and the goddess who gave birth to the gods."

"Blessed, will God commit adultery with an adulterous partner?"

Shino, who must have known about this, said with a wry smile.

"The gods of Greek mythology have the scent of humans"

Yui raised an eyebrow and turned to face me.

"Are those people attacking Daddy's companions?"

"Ahh They only had one companion, so the five of them attacked together. They wore white and gold combat uniforms and armor mixed equipment, and wore hoods. I can't recognize your face other than being covered in a mask. ”

Shiina, who placed the soup plate on the table, frowned.

\"What, that suspicious group\"

At this moment, Lilan, who was eating food, threw a "voice" into our heads.

"No, it's actually a suspicious group. They attacked a female gamer without receiving a harassment warning. Harassment warnings were supposed to be visible to third parties, but were not confirmed by our own eyes.

"It was Yui who was fascinated by the story." Yui is one of the systems in this game, and she has a thorough understanding of how the world works. I knew right away that the words coming out of my mouth were unbelievable.

"It's strange that, in general, if a male player attacks a female player, unless both parties' moral codes are invalidated, the victim will be given a harassment warning, and the perpetrator can be sent to the Black Iron Palace prison. But in the end, the perpetrator was finally imprisoned in the Black Iron Palace Prison, did the female player turn off the moral code? ”

I remembered the woman who was attacked at the time, Coco. From Coco, it appears that she didn't do that, and she doesn't seem to understand the existence of the First Moral Code. I'm sure if I pushed Coco or tried to force her to leave, Coco would have received a proper harassment warning. But at the time, Coco didn't seem to check the window to operate the harassment warning.

"I don't think so. The player must have adhered to the code of ethics at the time, and both. However, the guys at Mnemosyne didn't get the harassment warning...... Could it be that the functionality around this has started to be vulnerable? ”

Shino raised her eyebrows and lowered her head.

"Of course, it was after Martell did this, and the cottage disappeared at that time."

"yes, but the harassment warning feature may have died recently? If there is a way to check it out"