[... I'm sorry.]
The black-robed man spoke again. Celica tried to stop her tears and shook her head.
"...No... It's me... I'm too stupid... Thank you... for saving me..."
Holding back her sobs, Celica finally spoke.
The man slowly approached and knelt down in front of Celica. Then, he cautiously said,"
"... Regarding that feather, is there a prop name?」
The man's unexpected words made Celica raise her head in confusion. She wiped away her tears and stared at the aqua blue feather again.
In that case, it was unbelievable that only one feather was left behind. Whether it was players or monsters, when they died, their equipment and other items would usually disappear. Cecilia stretched out her hand in fear and tapped the feather with her right index finger. On the translucent window that appeared, the weight and item name were quietly displayed.
[Bi Na's heart.]
Just as Celica was about to cry again, the man's panicked voice was heard."
[Wait, wait a minute! If there was a heart item left behind, it still had a chance of being resurrected.」
[Huh?]
Celica quickly raised her head. She stared at the man's face with her mouth half open.
" This is a piece of information that I only learned recently, so it hasn't spread yet. On the south side of the forty-seventh floor, there was a maze called the 'Hill of Memories'. Although the name is like that, the difficulty is much higher…The flower that bloomed at the top of that hill seems to be a resurrection path for demonic spirits…"
"Really?"
Before the man could finish, Celica shouted and got up. A ray of hope instantly shot into his sorrowful chest. But…
[... Level 47...]
Silika mumbled, her shoulders drooping again. That was a floor twelve floors higher than the thirty-fifth floor, so it really wasn't a safe zone.
Just as her gaze quietly landed on the ground.
[Mm-]
The man in front of her let out a troubled voice and scratched his head.
" As long as you pay the necessary expenses and some remuneration, it's fine for me to make this trip. However, if the beast tamer who lost the demonic spirit didn't go, that important flower wouldn't bloom…"
Hearing the unexpectedly kind swordsman's words, Cecilia smiled and said,"
" No... I'm already very grateful for just telling me this information. As long as I work hard to level up, one day…"
"There's nothing we can do about it. It seemed that demonic spirits could only be resurrected within three days of death. Once the time limit is up, the 'heart' in the item name will become 'relic...'"
[How could this be…!]
Celica couldn't help but cry out.
His current level was Karma. Assuming that SAO was an ordinary role-playing game, it would be a level that was suitable for the activity on the floor, and it was easy to understand the setting of the same level as the number of floors. But now that it had become an abnormal death game, he had to be about ten levels higher in consideration of safety.
In other words, if one wanted to go to the 47th floor, one would need to be at least level 55. However, it was only three days. No, considering the time needed to clear the dungeon, it was impossible to level up by more than 10 levels in two days. Even Celica, who was diligent in taking risks, could only reach the current number in a year.
Once again, Celica was bound by despair. She picked up Bina's feather from the ground and hugged it in front of her chest with both hands. She felt regret for her own stupidity and powerlessness, and her tears naturally flowed down.
Celica felt the man stand up and thought that he was about to leave. She should thank him again, but she didn't even have the strength to open her mouth.
Suddenly, a bright, translucent system window appeared in front of him. It was the trading window. She lifted her head and saw the man operating the same window beside her. Item names appeared one after another in the trading column. [Silver Thread Armor],[Black Short Sword]…Each of them was something he had never seen before.
[That…]
Just as Cecilia was about to speak in confusion, the man said in a flat tone,"
[These pieces of equipment are enough to match a Level 5 or Level 6 player. If I go with you, it should be fine.」
[Eh...]
Cecilia stood up with her mouth slightly open. In order to see the man's true thoughts, she carefully stared at his face. The system would automatically detect what the person was looking at. A green arrow appeared on the upper right corner of the man's face, but according to SAO's design, the HP bar was mercilessly displayed there, so the name and level could not be seen.
This was a man whose age was hard to tell. The pressure exuded by his black outfit and his rather calm attitude made people feel that he was much older than himself. However, the eyes hidden behind his long bangs were quite pure. He had a feminine look and soft lines, giving people the impression of a teenager. Cecilia said nervously,"
[Why…did you help me to this extent…?]」
To be honest, she was on guard at first.
So far, Celica had been hit on by male players who were many years older than her several times, and she had even been proposed to once. For the thirteen-year-old Cecilia, these experiences only made her feel fear. In the real world, she did not even have the experience of being confessed to by her classmates.
Therefore, Celika would avoid male players who had ulterior motives. Moreover, in Aingrunt, it was common knowledge to be 'honey-mouthed and backstable'.
The man scratched his head as if he did not know how to answer. He wanted to say something, but he immediately shut his mouth. In the end, he shifted his gaze and muttered softly,"
"... It's not a manga plot... If you promise not to laugh, I'll tell you.」
[I promise you.]
"Because... you're very similar to my sister.」
It was such an embarrassing answer that Cecilia couldn't help but laugh. Although she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, she could not hold back her laughter.
[You promised me that you wouldn't laugh…]
The man looked hurt. He lowered his shoulders and lowered his head in disappointment. But this appearance was even more laughable.
He was not a bad person…
Celica tried her best to hold back her laughter, thinking that she should just trust his kindness. Moreover, he had already realized that he was going to die. As long as he could resurrect Bi Na, there was nothing to feel regretful about.
Celica lowered her head and said,"
[Sorry to trouble you. I've clearly received your help, but even this kind of thing..."
She looked at the transaction window and filled in the full amount of Ke 'er's money in her transaction column. The man had suggested more than ten types of equipment, and all of them seemed to be rare items that were not for sale.
" Well... although I think this amount is not enough..."
"No, you don't have to give me money. In any case, they are all useless things, and this should be considered to have achieved my goal of coming here..."
The man said something that was full of mystery and pressed the OK button without taking a penny.
"I'm really sorry to have made you so helpful... Um, my name is Silika.」
As she said her name, Celica expected the man to say,"You're that…?"」However, it seemed that he had no impression of this name. Although he felt regretful for a moment, he immediately reflected on himself. It was because of his own self-righteousness that led to this situation.
The man nodded and extended his right hand.
"I'm Kirito. Please guide me during this period.」
The two of them shook hands.
The player named Kirito took out the map item of the Lost Forest from the bag hanging on his belt. While confirming the area connected to the exit, he slowly walked. Celika followed behind him. At the same time, she held the Bina feather in her right hand to her mouth and whispered in her heart.
Wait for me, Bina. I'll definitely resurrect you.
The main street area on the 35th floor was lined with houses with white walls and red roofs. It was filled with an idyllic and rural atmosphere. Although it was not a big city street, it was the main battlefield for intermediate players, so there were quite a lot of people coming and going.
Although Celica's stronghold was on the eighth floor of Felipan Street, she did not buy her own house, so it did not matter which town she stayed in. The most important thing was the taste of the dinner provided by the hotel. As Celica really liked the cheesecake made by the NPC chef in this hotel, she had been staying here since two weeks before she conquered the Lost Forest.
Cecilia pulled Kirito, who was looking around curiously, through the street. When they arrived at the portal square, some players she knew immediately came to talk to her. They had long heard that Celica had regained her freedom, so they came to ask her to join the team.
" That, that... Thank you for looking for me, but..."
Celica tried her best not to make them unhappy with her response. She lowered her head and rejected them. She looked at Kirito who was standing at the side and continued,"
[... I want to team up with this person for the time being, so...]
A few players who were surrounding Silika started to say,"Eee!" and "How can this be!"」She looked at Kirito suspiciously.
Even though Celica had witnessed a portion of the Kirito's strength, she did not think that the swordsman in black was very strong just by looking at his appearance.
He was not equipped with any high-grade defensive equipment. He did not wear any armor at all. He only wore a slightly old black leather coat on his short shirt. He only carried a simple one-handed sword on his back, and he did not carry a shield.
[Hey! You-"
The tall double-handed sword messenger who was the most enthusiastic about the invitation walked in front of Kirito and said with a look of looking down,"
[Although I haven't seen you before, can you please not cut the line?] We've been inviting that child since a long time ago!」
[Even if you say so…I've already made an appointment with her…]
Kirito scratched his head with a troubled expression.
Silika thought to herself, It doesn't matter if I retaliate a few more times.」While feeling a little dissatisfied, he said to the two-handed sword messenger,
"Well, I asked him to team up with me. I'm sorry.」
After a deep bow, he pulled Kirito's coat sleeve and left. In order to get away from the group of people who refused to give up, he waved his hand and shouted,"I'll send you a message next time!"」Celica walked at a very fast pace. They crossed the transfer gate square and stepped into the main street area that extended north.
When she finally could not see the group of players, Celica heaved a sigh of relief. She looked up at Kirito and said,"
"... I'm, I'm sorry for causing you trouble.」
[I won't.]
Kirito showed a nonchalant attitude and smiled.
"Miss Silika is quite popular. She's really amazing.」
" Just call me Celika-that's not true. He must have invited me because he wants to treat me as a mascot. It was just like that…but I felt proud because of it…I thought I could break through the forest…that's why that happened…"
At the thought of Bi Na, tears naturally welled up in her eyes.
[No problem.]
Kirito said in a steady voice,"
"Don't worry, we'll definitely revive it.」
Silika wiped her tears and smiled at Kirito. At the same time, he felt that it was unbelievable. If it was this person who said it, he felt that he could believe it.
Soon, he saw a two-story building on the right side of the road that was larger than the other buildings. It was the hotel called 'Wind Chicken Pavilion' that was owned by Cyrika. At this moment, Celica realized that she had brought Kirito here without asking anything.
" That, Brother Kirito's stronghold is at..."
"Ah, I usually stay on the 50th floor…But it's too troublesome. I'll stay here too.」
[Is that so?!]
Celica clapped her hands happily.
[The cheesecake here is delicious!]」
Just as she was tugging at Kirito's coat sleeve and preparing to enter the hotel, a group of four or five people walked out of the prop shop next door. They were the team members that Celica had been participating in for the past two weeks. The men walking in front did not notice Celica and walked towards the square. However, a female player at the back glanced back, causing Celica to meet her gaze.
「……!」
She was the last person she wanted to see right now. The spearman who caused him to quarrel with his team and leave the team in the Lost Forest. Originally, Celica wanted to walk into the hotel with her head lowered and not say a word.
"Well, if it isn't Celika?」
However, the other party had greeted her first, so she had no choice but to stop.
[... Hello.]
"Oh, oh-you've successfully left the forest. That's great.」
The female player with curly red hair named Rosalia said with a twisted smile.
"But it's too late to come back now. The props had just been distributed.」
[I said I don't need it anymore!] I have something else to do."
Although Celica wanted to cut off the conversation, the other party had no intention of letting her go just like that. When her sharp eyes noticed that there was nothing on Celica's shoulder, an annoying smile appeared on her face.
"Oh? What happened to the lizard?"
Celica bit her lip. The demonic spirit could not be stored in the item column, nor could it be stored elsewhere. In other words, there was only one reason why the demonic spirits could not be seen around the beast tamers. Rosaria knew about this, but she smiled and deliberately continued,"
[Aiya, could it be…?]
" It's dead... but!"
Silika glared at the spearman.
[Bina will definitely be resurrected!]
Rosaria, who had been smiling happily, widened her eyes. She whistled and said,
"Oh, so you're planning to go to the 'Hill of Memories'? However, is your level enough?」
[No problem.]
Before Cecilia could answer, Kirito took a step forward and hid her in the shadow of his coat as if he was protecting her.
Rosaria glanced at Kirito with a critical gaze, and a mocking smile appeared on her red lips again.
"Have you been deceived by that child too? She wasn't as strong as she looked.」
The intense remorse made Celica's body tremble. She lowered her head and tried her best to hold back her tears.
[Let's go.]
Kirito placed his hand on Celica's shoulder. Under Kirito's urging, Celika walked towards the hotel.
[Anyway, you guys can do your best.]
Rosaria's voice came from behind them, but they did not look back.
The first floor of the Wind Chicken Pavilion was a spacious restaurant. Kirito made Celica sit in the back seat and walked to the counter where the NPC was standing. After completing the registration, he quickly ordered the menu on the counter and returned to his seat.
Originally, she wanted to apologize to Kirito for making him unhappy because of her. But just as he opened his mouth, Kirito raised his hand to stop him and said with a chuckle,"
[Let's eat first.]
At this moment, the waiter brought two steaming mugs over. The cup in front of him was filled with a red liquid that emitted an incredible fragrance.
Kirito said,"Let's celebrate and form a team!」They clinked their glasses together, and Cecilia took a sip of the warm liquid.
[... It's so delicious...]
The fragrance of the spices and the sweet and sour taste were similar to the mulled red wine her father had asked her to try a long time ago. However, during the two weeks that she had been living here, she had tried all the drinks on the menu of the restaurant once, but she had no impression of the taste.
[Excuse me, this is…?]
Kirito smiled and replied,"
[NPC restaurants also accept customers to bring their own drinks.] This is the item I own, called the 'Equal Value Ruby.' Just one cup of it can increase the maximum Agility by 1.」
" This, this is such a precious thing..."
[Even if the wine is placed in the prop bar, the taste won't get better.] And I don't have many friends, so I really don't have a chance to open it…"
Kirito jokingly shrugged. Cecilia smiled and took another sip of her drink. The nostalgic taste seemed to melt away the hardened heart that had withered on this day when so many sad things had happened.
Soon, even though the cup was empty, Celica still held the cup in front of her chest for a long time, unwilling to part with the warmth. She looked at the table and said softly,"
[... Why... did you say such vicious words...]
Kirito had a serious expression on his face. He put down the cup and said,"
[SAO is from an MMO you played before…?]」
[It's the first one.]
"Really? No matter what kind of online game it is, there are many players who change their personalities as soon as they put on the appearance of a character. Becoming a good guy, becoming a bad guy…This had always been called role-playing. But I think the situation in SAO is completely different.」
Kirito's gaze turned sharp in an instant.
"Now that we've clearly fallen into such an abnormal situation... I can understand that it's impossible for all players to work together to complete the strategy. However, there were too many people who would take advantage of other people's misfortunes, plunder items, and even kill others.」
Kirito looked straight into Celika's eyes. In addition to anger, there was also deep sadness in his eyes.
[I feel that the players who do all kinds of bad things here are all rotten to the bones in the real world.」
He spat. Kirito apologized with a smile when he noticed that Celica was frightened by his imposing manner.
"... Actually, I'm not qualified to criticize others. After all, I rarely help others, and I even leave my companions in the lurch…"
[Brother Kirito...]
Silika could vaguely sense that the swordsman in black seemed to be deeply regretful. Although she wanted to say something to comfort him, she hated the fact that she had no words to express what she wanted to say. Instead, Celika subconsciously wrapped her hands around Kirito's right hand that was tightly clenched on the table.
[Brother Kirito is a good person.] Because you saved me."
Kirito was shocked. He wanted to pull his hand back, but he immediately relaxed his grip. A calm smile appeared on his face.
"... In the end, you're the one comforting me. Thank you, Silika."
At that moment, Celica suddenly felt an intense pain in her chest. Her heart beat faster for no reason, and her cheeks began to heat up.
He quickly let go of Kirito's hand and pressed his hands against his chest. However, the intense pain did not disappear at all.
[What, what's wrong...?]
He shook his head vigorously at Kirito, who had leaned over the table, and forced a smile on his face.
[I-I'm fine! I'm hungry!"
It was already eight o'clock in the evening after dinner, which consisted of stewed meat, black bread, and cheese cake. In order to prepare for tomorrow's forty-seventh floor, the two of them decided to rest early and headed to the second floor of Wind Chicken Pavilion. On both sides of the wide corridor, there were many guest room doors.
Coincidentally, Kirito's room was right next to Celika's. The two of them faced each other and smiled as they said goodnight.
In order to familiarize herself with the new short sword that Kirito had given her, Celica decided to practice her combo skills before changing her clothes. Although she wanted to focus her attention on a weapon that was heavier than the sword she loved before, the piercing pain continued to linger in her chest, making it difficult for her to use it.
Even so, after five successful attacks, Celica called out to the window to remove her weapon and lay on the bed in her underwear. Then, he knocked on the wall to summon a pop-up window and turned off the lights in the room.
He felt heavy fatigue all over his body. He thought he could fall asleep immediately, but for some reason, he couldn't.
Since becoming friends with Bina, Cecilia had hugged her soft body to sleep every night, so the spacious bed really made her feel uneasy. After tossing and turning on the bed, Celica finally gave up sleeping and straightened her body. She looked to the left and stared at the wall that was connected to Kirito's room.
She really wanted to chat with him more.
Celica was at a loss as to what to do with herself. They had only known each other for half a day, and he was a male player. He had been determined to keep a certain distance from others before, so why was he so concerned about a swordsman of unknown origin now?
Just as she could not explain her thoughts, she glanced at the clock in the lower right corner of her vision. It was almost ten o'clock. The footsteps of the players in the corridor had also stopped unknowingly. Now, only the faint barking of dogs could be heard.
No matter how she thought about it, this was very illogical. She should sleep early.
Although she was thinking this, she still got off the bed with light steps. After convincing himself that he was just going to knock on the door, he waved his right hand. He opened the equipment menu and chose the cutest one-piece dress from the clothes he had.
After taking a few steps in the corridor under the dim candlelight, she hesitated for a few seconds before raising her right hand and gently knocking on the door twice.
Generally speaking, all doors had a sound-blocking function, so the conversation would not leak out. However, this was not the case within 30 seconds after the knock. Immediately, Kirito answered the door, and the door opened.
Kirito, who was only wearing a simple short shirt after disarming, could not help but widen his eyes when he saw Celica.
"Eh? "What's the matter?"
[That-]
When she arrived at the door, she realized that she had not prepared a good reason, which made her panic. He just wanted to talk to someone. This reason was too childish.
"Uh, well, it's like this. I want to ask you some information about the 47th floor first!」
Fortunately, Kirito did not seem surprised and nodded.
"Oh, sure, do you want to go downstairs?」
" No, that-if possible, I'd like to talk in my room..."
Celica answered reflexively before hurriedly explaining,"
"Ah, because it's very valuable information. It would be terrible if others heard it!」
" Uh... ah... so... you're right..."
Kirito scratched his head in frustration, and finally muttered,"Alright, it doesn't matter.」He took a step back and opened the door.
The structure of the room was naturally the same as the room next door. On the right side was a bed with a coffee table and a chair inside. These were the only daily necessities. The wall lamp on the left side of the wall emitted an orange glow.
Kirito let Celica sit on the chair and sat on the bed before opening the window. He quickly operated and materialized a small box.
He opened the box on the table and found a small crystal ball inside. The crystal ball glistened in the light of the wall lamp.
[It's so beautiful... What is this?]
[This is called the Phantom Celestial Sphere! Props."
After Kirito touched the crystal with his finger, a menu window popped up. He quickly operated and pressed the OK button.
Then, the sphere emitted a blue light and projected a huge circular three-dimensional image above it. This seemed to be the overall picture of a certain floor of Ain Grand. The streets, forests, and even the trees were all drawn in a detailed 3D portrait. It was a world of difference from the simple map displayed on the system menu.
[Waaa
Celica looked at the blue, translucent map in intoxication. She had a feeling that as long as she stared, she could even see the pedestrians on the street.
[This is the main street area. Then, it was the Hill of Memories. We have to follow this path…but there will be some troublesome monsters nearby…"
Kirito pointed at the map and explained the geographical relationship of the forty-seventh floor in a fluent tone. Just by listening to that calm voice, it made people fall into a relaxed and gentle atmosphere.
" Through this bridge, you can see the hills…"
Kirito's voice suddenly stopped.
「…………?」
[Shh…]
When he lifted his head, he saw Kirito's serious expression and his finger on his lips. His sharp gaze was fixed on the door.
Suddenly, his body moved. He rushed out of the bed at lightning speed and opened the door.
[Who is it…!]
Silika heard the sound of running footsteps. She ran over in a panic and poked her head out from under Kirito, just in time to see a figure running down the stairs at the end of the corridor.
[What, what happened…?]
[... What I said just now was overheard...]
" Eh... But, but, I can't hear anything outside the door..."
[If the level of the eavesdropping skill is very high, it can be done. Although very few people…would train to such a high level…"
Kirito closed the door and returned to his room. He sat down on the bed with a thoughtful expression. Sitting next to him, Celica hugged herself with both hands, feeling an unknown uneasiness.
[But why eavesdrop…]
[We should know soon. Wait for me, I'll send a message.」
Kirito smiled at Silika and put away the crystal map. He then opened the window and called out the virtual keyboard. Then, he began to type.
Behind him, Celica was curled up in a ball on the bed. The memories of the distant real world woke up at this moment. Celica's father was a field reporter, always sitting in front of an old-fashioned computer with a serious expression, typing away on the keyboard. In the past, Cecilia liked to look at her father's back.
The uneasiness had disappeared. Looking at Kirito's side profile from behind, Cecilia felt as if she was surrounded by a long-forgotten warmth, and she closed her eyes unconsciously.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。